President of SR: The EU Project Remains Incomplete Without the Western Balkans

Tirana/Bratislava – On Friday, Slovakia’s President Peter Pellegrini met with Albania’s President Bejram Begaj during an official visit to Albania. At a joint press conference, Pellegrini voiced his strong support for Albania’s EU integration process. He emphasized that the EU project cannot be realized fully without including the Western Balkans, as reported by a special correspondent from TASR.

Pellegrini highlighted Slovakia’s role as a “strong advocate” for Albania’s EU accession journey, noting the significant reforms Albania has undertaken. He expressed confidence that the Albanian government could complete all accession chapters by 2027, with the hope that a decision regarding Albania’s EU membership could be reached by 2030.

The president recalled his time as prime minister when he criticized the delays in the accession process. He asserted that Slovakia opposes the double standards applied to candidate countries and the intentional hindrance of new member states’ accession. Pellegrini assured that Slovakia is committed to supporting Tirana in this matter by offering its expertise and experience.

“The EU project will never be completed without the accession of Albania and the Western Balkans,” Pellegrini stated.

During this historic visit, which marked the first time a Slovak head of state has traveled to Albania, the two leaders discussed additional topics, including collaboration in defense, education, agriculture, and environmental protection. Pellegrini announced plans to bolster economic ties between Slovakia and Albania by deploying an additional economic diplomat to the Slovak Embassy in Tirana.

The discussions also included the situation in Kosovo. Pellegrini reassured Begaj that Slovakia’s decision not to recognize Kosovo’s independence is unrelated to its friendly relations with the Albanian nation. He reiterated Slovakia’s long-held position of generally not recognizing countries that have declared independence unilaterally.

In addition to his meeting with President Begaj, Pellegrini will meet with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Parliament Speaker Elisa Spiropali. He is accompanied on the trip by Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kaliňák, who has engaged in discussions with his Albanian counterpart, Pirro Vengu. (March 28)