Thank you, Mr. Chairperson,
Dear Ambassador Hasani,
Dear Igli,

Albania warmly welcomes you back at the Permanent Council and thank you and your hardworking team for the comprehensive report. You and your office are working under difficult circumstances and the policy advice and all the technical and capacity building you provide to the participating States in implementation of our commitments is invaluable.
Mr. Chair,
Albania highly values the economic and environmental dimension. We have always seen this dimension through the security lenses. In this regard, we need to make good use of our joint work and fully unleash the potential of this basket in promoting security and stability within our region.
Now the work we are doing here has become even more relevant in light of Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine. Albania strongly condemns this unjustified and unprovoked war of aggression. Not addressing its economic and environmental implications will mean to us failing on the implementation of our joint commitments undertaken in this format.
There are no ifs and no buts.
Dear Igli,
Albania fully share your views that “this ongoing war is far-reaching and extend beyond the military theatre”. This has resulted to the destruction of the environment, to the severe paralyzation of the economy in Ukraine with far reaching global consequences in the food chain supply and the energy market. To this end, the life of millions of Ukrainians has been devastated forcing them to flee overseas.
In this direction, we strongly support and commend the efforts by OCEEA to utilize extensively all the OSCE instruments within the 2nd dimension in addressing the environmental degradation, economic issues from attempting to mitigate money laundering risks of virtual assets to promoting good governance and positive business climate through digitalization and open-data in Ukraine. We understand that the recently launched Support Program for Ukraine (SPU) will play a vital role in implementing these OCEEA activities, and we would like to extend our full support in this regard.
In the same vein, we commend the active engagement by OCEEA in Afghanistan through the SG initiative in establishing the Response and Task Force (RIAOR). We applaud also the two scoping missions sent by the OCEEA in Chisinau, to support the Moldavian efforts in strengthening governance and preventing and combating corruption, and dealing with the security challenges arising from the ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine.
The OSCE handbook published in July on “Developing a positive climate for business and investment”, and the extra-budgetary project to be implemented jointly with the UNODC regarding mitigation of money laundering risks of virtual assets, are yet another major contribution in the toolbox of instruments to promote good governance and the fight against corruption.
Mr. Chair,
Throughout the year, Albania has fully supported the activities conducted by the Polish and Austrian chairs, by proposing high-level nominations to contribute in the discussions of the organized meetings. We have taken good note and highlighted the shift in focus of the meetings of the EEC starting with 2nd one held in Lodz in May, up to the concluding meeting in September in Prague – and for us it is of utmost importance to discuss in a 360° angle all the implications and challenges beyond the economic and environmental aspects of security that do emerge due to the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine.
In the same vein, Albania looks forward to actively contribute to the upcoming Economic and Environmental Dimension Implementation Meeting devoted to a topic, which is very dear to us on “Women’s economic empowerment”. We were pleased to see such level of continuity, following the discussions we held on the same topic at the Stockholm Ministerial Council last year.  Gender mainstreaming efforts to the projects on water management, energy, connectivity and human capital development are highly welcomed and valued as important and with direct impact on their sustainability.

Dear Igli,
Albania further welcomes the continuous efforts of your Office in tackling climate change through the implementation of the Stockholm Ministerial Council Decision 3/21. Here, we would like to express our sincerest appreciation to you and your team for carrying out the extra-budgetary project on “Strengthening Responses to Security Risks from Climate Change in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia”, despite the current financial difficulties of the organization that stem out due to the absence of a Unified Budget.  We have also taken good note also on the pre-scheduled date of the high-level conference on climate change on 17th March 2023, and we look forward to participate and engage constructively in this framework.
To conclude, we thank you once again for the report Ambassador Hasani. Please, rest assured of Albania’s full support to you and your team, and would like to wish you a fruitful and successful cooperation also with the forthcoming North Macedonian Chairmanship.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.