Sofia, July 9 – At the invitation of the Speaker of the National Assembly of Bulgaria, Nataliya Kiselova, the Speaker of the Parliament of Albania, Ms. Elisa Spiropali, is conducting an official visit to Bulgaria from July 9 to 10.
During her visit, Ms. Spiropali will hold meetings with the highest state authorities, including President Rumen Radev, Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov, and Speaker Kiselova.
On the first day of the visit, Speaker Spiropali was received by Prime Minister Jeliazkov. The meeting focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation and reaffirming Bulgaria’s unwavering support for Albania’s European Union accession process.
Speaker Spiropali emphasized that “We have excellent bilateral relations with Bulgaria at all levels, based on traditional friendship and deep-rooted historical, cultural, and human ties between our two peoples.”
She also noted Bulgaria’s consistent support for Albania’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations, stating that, “Bulgaria has been a strong advocate for our EU membership, just as it supported Albania’s NATO accession—
Today, both countries are important partners and active contributors within the Alliance.”
Albania is deeply committed to regional security issues, said Thursday Albanian Parliament Speaker Elisa Spiropali at meeting with National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova, part of her official visit to Bulgaria.
“In this context, we have entered into a trilateral cooperation with Kosovo and Croatia, which we hope Bulgaria will join in the future. Our aim is to respond effectively to security challenges, to strengthen defense capabilities, and to ensure peace in a situation that is delicate and influenced by many difficult international developments,” Spiropali noted.
She added that Albania has proven to be a guarantor and is working toward the establishment of lasting peace.
Spiropali emphasized that the two countries have historically enjoyed very good relations and hoped that to continue in the future.
“We understand Bulgaria’s correct and very reasonable position that each country should move toward European integration based on its own achievements and the fulfillment of set criteria. We deeply appreciate this approach and understand that it is also influenced by geopolitical circumstances, which in some cases allow a country to meet these criteria more quickly or more slowly. We have already opened 24 of the 31 chapters of the pre-accession framework. We hope to close them successfully by the end of the year and to complete the remaining ones by around 2027,” the Albanian Parliament Speaker added.
