The Foreign Affairs Minister Ditmir Bushati is on a visit in Berlin. Minister Bushati had his first meeting with his counterpart, the German Foreign Affairs Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The support of the German Federal Republic to our reform process and European path, the further strengthening of our bilateral cooperation in all areas, Germany’s special interest in, and contribution to strengthening the regional cooperation, the Berlin process, and the coordination of our joint efforts in copying with the security challenges were the main issues addressed at the meeting.

The visit, which follows others in the past, represents an expression of the very good and dynamic relations between Albania and the German Federal Republic. Its timing is very important, as it comes after the publication of the European Commission report, and before the EU Council decision on the recommendation for the opening of the EU accession negotiations. In this framework, Minister Bushati expressed his appreciation for the attention and support demonstrated by Germany to Albania’s European integration. He also expressed his gratefulness for the willingness and readiness of Germany to continue to play that role, especially today, when EU is facing difficult and unusual challenges. Expressing the importance of the continuation of the enlargement agenda as an essential element for our region and for the EU itself, Minister Bushati emphasized that "Along with the crisis that it has had to face in the recent years, Europe finds itself today in a period of  hesitation, doubt, and insecurity, which is felt even more in the South-Eastern Europe. For Albania, Germany’s attention and leadership in these troublesome times constitutes a factor of security and sustainability ".

Further, Minister Bushati focussed on the determination and concrete steps that the Albanian Government has taken to achieve a sustainable progress in its integration process, focussing particularly on the need for implementing the Vetting Law, and continue with the opening of the accession negotiations.

Minister Steinmeir commended Albania for its progress with its state-consolidating reforms, referring to the full implementation of the justice reform as a milestone for its European path. Focussing on the approval of the justice reform and the role of Albania in the region, Minister Steinmeier noted that "The approval of the reform is an expression of the development and internal political consolidation and this makes us see Albania as a country that has turned into an anchor of stability in the Western Balkans in the recent years, which many people in Germany did not expect, and as close partner not only to all the Europeans together, but also to Germany".

The two Ministers identified the positive impact of the Berlin process, which has given life to the strengthened cooperation among the countries of the region.

In the framework of his visit in Germany, Minister Bushati is going to have meetings at the Chancellery, and a hearing session at the Bundestag with the Commission for European Affairs. These meetings will focus on the latest developments in the region, the bilateral cooperation, and the country’s integration agenda.