President Begaj held special meetings with Prime Minister Mr. Kristen Michal and Speaker of the Parliament Mr. Lauri Hussar during his stay in Estonia
During his stay in Estonia, the President of the Republic, H.E. Mr. Bajram Begaj, held special meetings with Prime Minister, Mr. Kristen Michal, the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Lauri Hussar, and other authorities. The discussions focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation and strengthening the alliance as nations aligned on the right side of history in addressing common challenges to ensure security, peace, and development.
“This visit to Estonia has been very fruitful and demonstrates Albania’s full commitment to strengthening the relations between our two countries,” President Begaj remarked during his conversation with Prime Minister Kristen Michal.
President Begaj emphasized that the geographical distance between Albania and Estonia does not hinder countries that uphold international law from enhancing economic cooperation, increasing investments, and boosting tourism.
“Let us strengthen our friendship by expanding paths of economic cooperation and supporting each other in the common challenges we face,” President Begaj stated during his conversation with Prime Minister Kristen Michal, whom he thanked for Estonia’s assistance following the cyberattack on Albania in 2022 and for administrative reform assistance.
While appreciating the friendship between the two peoples, the President highlighted historical moments shared by Estonia under Soviet occupation and Albania’s past under communist rule, which according to President Begaj, suffered uniquely under this ideology. Reflecting on the Albania-Estonia relations over the years, the President conveyed his gratitude to Prime Minister Michal for supporting Albania’s full membership in the EU and for being a “strong advocate for EU expansion into the Western Balkans.”
President Begaj reiterated that at this moment, the European Union strategically needs to expand into the Western Balkans to counteract the risk of third-party influences in the region. “Albania has confirmed its unwavering loyalty to Euro-Atlantic policies and recently demonstrated this by supporting Ukraine in every possible way,” he noted.
Meanwhile, in a meeting with the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Hussar, and the Chair of the Estonia-Albania Friendship Parliamentary Group, Mr. Eerik-Niiles Kross, the need to enhance cooperation through parliamentary groups was emphasized.
A special reception was held for the President of Albania by the Mayor of the capital, Tallinn, Mr. Jevgeni Ossinovski, and by Urmas Klaas, Mayor of the city of Tartu.
During his stay in Estonia, President Begaj visited major centers of information technology and cybersecurity in Tallinn and the Baltic Defence College at the University of Tartu.