Nicosia, Cyprus. Albanian Foreign Minister Ferit Hoxha praised Cyprus’ performance during its six-month term holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union during a meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides on Thursday in Nicosia. The two sides also reaffirmed their intention to strengthen bilateral relations and support Albania’s accession process to the European Union.
Praise for Cyprus presidency
Hoxha singled out Cypriot European Affairs Deputy Minister Marilena Raouna for her work in advancing the process of EU enlargement, describing the work carried out as “truly admirable”.
He said the issue of enlargement had been handled exceptionally well and expressed gratitude, adding that the Cyprus presidency had passed the tests with great success in all areas.
Support for Albania’s accession
Christodoulides spoke of a “common will to further strengthen bilateral relations between Cyprus and Albania” and stressed “the Republic of Cyprus’ support for Albania’s accession process”.
Last month, Raouna and Albanian chief negotiator Majlinda Dhuka also discussed the matter, with Raouna saying Albania was “continuing its steady progress on its reform path” regarding the legal reforms required for a country to join the EU.
She added that EU enlargement is a goal “we continue to advance with determination and a results-oriented approach, in line with the merit-based process”.
Albania’s progress in EU talks
European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said in March that Albania is “a frontrunner in the EU accession process”, after the final negotiation cluster for EU membership was opened with the country in November last year.
In April, Kos said Albania “still has a lot of work ahead, but it has already made substantial progress” toward EU membership.
She told The Parliament magazine that the interim benchmarks related to the rule of law were in the process of being approved and that, once these are in place, Albania can begin closing chapters.
Kos said that while much still needs to be done, the Albanian leadership aims to conclude negotiations by 2027 or 2028 and that this goal has support.
Regional call for faster integration
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic also penned a joint article in German newspaper Frankfuter Allgemeine Zeitung calling for an accelerated process of integration into the EU, which would see both countries gradually incorporated into the bloc.
