Minister of Foreign Affairs Ditmir Bushati attended the proceedings of Regional Ministerials for Western Balkan countries, the SEECP and the Adriatic Charter (A-5) in New York.

Present at the proceedings were European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, as well as the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC).

The meeting aimed at discussing commitments made by countries of the region in the field of infrastructure and energy, following the Western Balkans Summit in Vienna.

In his speech, Minister Bushati focused on the establishment of the WB Fund as one of the most important political and diplomatic actions, as well as the establishment of the Office for Youth Cooperation, which constitutes a clear sign of political will and new vision for a region living in a spirit of understanding, tolerance and friendship, aiming to promote reconciliation, cooperation and encourage the youth to distance itself from practices and phenomena of racism, xenophobia and hate speech.

Minister Bushati also attended the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP).

Upon completion of the Albanian Chairmanship, the New York meeting constitutes a special moment, for it marks the beginning of the Bulgarian SEECP Chairmanship, the highest cooperation forum for Eastern European countries which during this Chairmanship, marks its 20th anniversary.

During this meeting, priorities of the Bulgarian Chairmanship 2015 - 2016 were announced and a calendar of activities to be held during this Chairmanship was adopted.

Minister Bushati, in his capacity as member of the SEECP Troika, noted the importance of regional cooperation and the role of the SEECP as a solid platform in terms of European integration. He also praised the synergy created by the priorities of the Bulgarian SEECP Chairmanship with the Berlin process. Focusing on the latest developments which deal with security in the region and beyond, he called for a better synchronization and coordination of efforts in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

Furthermore, he focused on the latest developments in the region, the immigrant wave crisis and the need for a better coordination, solidarity and collective response.

Minister Bushati attended the joint meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of member and observer countries of the Adriatic Charter (A-5).

This meeting, held in the framework of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency of the Adriatic Charter, was mainly focused on security challenges.

In his speech, Minister Bushati focused on current challenges facing the Euro-Atlantic security and Albania’s contribution in facing them. He also underlined the importance of intensifying regional cooperation as an important factor in the advancement of the Western Balkan countries towards their full Euro-Atlantic integration.

He reiterated Albania's support for the aspirations of regional countries to join NATO and reaffirmed the support for Kosovo’s membership to the Adriatic Charter. Minister Bushati highlighted the importance of all-inclusiveness in regional initiatives, as today's security challenges are not limited to certain countries, and we all have to face them. According to him, there’s an increasing necessity to cooperate and benefit from the experience of our partners, such as the Baltic countries and the Baltic Charter (B-3).