Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Ditmir Bushati met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, Marija Pejćinović Burić, who is paying an official visit to Tirana.

Minister Bushati praised the relations between Albania and Croatia as excellent, sustainable, without any open issues and with positive performance over the years. "Intensive political dialogue is being developed between our countries, both within the framework of bilateral relations and regarding the situation in the region and beyond", the minister said. He thanked the Croat party as a close associate in the process of European integration of our country and that has fully supported the process of European enlargement and the inclusion of all the countries of the region in the EU.

The two ministers stated that they await the recommendation for the opening of accesion negotiations in the Commission's assessment report to be published in April and its support from EU member states, as a sustainable investment for the irreversible process of Albania's reforms and the democratic stability of the region.

The two interlocutors highlighted the fact that Albania and Croatia, as co-travelers in the NATO membership process, have developed close cooperation in the field of defense and national security reforms.

During the meeting, they underlined the need for a qualitative increase and new impetus regarding the deepening of economic cooperation with a special focus on tourism and the environment, aiming at increasing it to the level of political cooperation and taking into account the mutual interest in intensifying relations.

As a first concrete step in this direction, Ministers Bushati and Pejćinović-Burić announced the qualitative enhancement of relations between the two countries towards strategic partnership relations, which will be soon translated into the signing of the Statement for Strategic Partnership.