Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos met in New York on Tuesday, 24 September, with Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati, on the margins of the 68th UN General Assembly.
During their meeting they exchanged views on issues concerning Southeast Europe, they looked at ways to promote political cooperation and bilateral relations, and they discussed Albania’s European perspective.
The talks between the two Ministers took place within the political framework shaped during the recent unofficial visit of the new Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, to Athens, immediately following his election, and the meetings he had with the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.
Having congratulated Mr. Bushati on his new duties, Mr. Venizelos referred to the political and economic relations between the two countries, making special mention of the prospects for regional and bilateral cooperation opening up with the construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), and he briefed Mr. Bushati on the priorities of the Greek EU Presidency in the first half of 2014.
Messrs. Venizelos and Bushati also discussed the preparation for Mr. Venizelos’ upcoming visit to Tirana on 14 October.
Finally, Mr. Venizelos stressed that there is a need to avoid actions on the level of administration and local administration that broadcast erroneous messages that do not contribute to the achievement of the two countries’ common goal of expanding bilateral cooperation and cultivating a spirit of friendship and good neighbourly relations, and that do not facilitate Albania’s European perspective, which Greece firmly supports.
September 24, 2013