Acting Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Cakaj started today his official visit to Brussels, during which several meetings with senior representatives of European institutions will take place.

The Acting Minister held the first meetings in the European Parliament, starting with the Rapporteur for Albania at the European Parliament, Knut Fleckenstein.

During this meeting were discussed the recent developments in Albania and the work of the Albanian institutions to fulfil the five key priorities in order to open negotiations for EU membership.

Special attention was paid to the recent situation created in Albania. The meeting underlined the importance of maintaining political maturity, peaceful and democratic conduct as a prerequisite for achieving the national target of opening accession negotiations this year.

Acting Minister Cakaj and Rapporteur for Albania at the European Parliament, Fleckenstein agreed on the importance of continued reforms and the need for engagement of all stakeholders in the interest of advancing Albania towards the opening of membership talks.