Political consultations with Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania Megi Fino

SLOVENIA, December 11 - State Secretary Štucin and Deputy Minister Fino agreed that relations between the two countries were very good, with no outstanding issues. Earlier this year, Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon paid official visits to Albania. State Secretaries Štucin and Gabrič and Albanian Deputy Foreign Minister advocated strengthening bilateral cooperation, particularly in the economic field. One of the main topics of discussion was Albania's future European path.

State Secretary Štucin and Deputy Minister Fino exchanged views on the EU enlargement process. State Secretary Štucin pledged Slovenia's continued support for Albania on its European path and congratulated Albania on the progress made by convening the second EU-Albania intergovernmental conference in October this year. He said that this step marked a new phase in Albania's accession negotiations and expressed the hope that Albania would open Cluster 6 of the negotiations before the end of the year. Both sides agreed that the EU enlargement process is an important incentive for countries to reform and that a clear European perspective should be ensured for the countries of the region.

Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Fino also met separately with State Secretary Melita Gabrič. They discussed cooperation between the two countries in the field of development and in international organisations. State Secretary Gabrič underlined that Slovenia will continue to support Albania in the framework of development assistance, in particular through the implementation of bilateral technical assistance projects to support Albania's integration into the EU. They discussed topical issues related to international organisations and agreed that the cooperation between the two countries in this area is very good.