ATA News

Hasani: Excellent relations with Türkiye in every field, potential for more trade exchanges

TIRANA, Jan 29 /ATA/ Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Igli Hasani, said on Monday that “Albania and Türkiye will strengthen bilateral cooperation, but also with European and NATO partners for successfully coping with security challenges across all dimensions.”

On Monday, Hasani hosted the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, Hakan Fidan, with whom he discussed bilateral relations, economic cooperation and global and regional developments.

At the joint press conference after the bilateral meeting, Hasani appreciated the support that Turkey has given to our country in the aftermath of the 2019 earthquake, during the pandemic and also the energy crisis.

“Today we held the second meeting of the Political Dialogue group, a mechanism laid down in the strategic partnership declaration signed on January 6, 2021 in Ankara. This meeting reinforces the strategic nature of cooperation in all areas of common interest on a bilateral, regional and global level,” Hasani said.

The intensification of political dialogue between the two countries, according to Hasani, “goes hand in hand with a significant increase in bilateral cooperation, materialized in the signing of a series of agreements in the fields of technology, transport, energy, defense, healthcare, education, environment, culture, etc.

Hasani added that the two countries maintain excellent relations in every field, both at the political level and in terms of exchanges in the fields of economy, education, culture and diplomacy, where they have seen growth and consolidation.

Regarding cooperation in the economic and commercial fields, Hasani emphasized that Turkish investments in our country amount to 3.7 billion euros, with more than 15,000 employees in 830 Turkish companies operating in Albania.

“We found that the level of commercial exchanges in the quota of almost 760 million euros does not really reflect the existing potential between the two countries, although the climate of doing business in Albania is very favorable. We are determined to make sure that this indicator will exceed the figure of 1 billion euros”, said Hasani.

Hasani also focused on regional cooperation and the possibilities of improving relations based on the principle of good neighborliness.

“After the successful completion of the mandate as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Albania will continue its multilateral engagement in other initiatives. The successful fulfillment of the commitments will require close cooperation with Turkey”, he said.

The Albanian chief diplomat also appreciated Türkiye’s support for the recognition of Kosovo in the international arena, as well as welcomed the approval by the Turkish parliament of the resolution on Sweden’s membership in NATO.

Minister Hasani underlined that both interlocutors shared the same assessment regarding the Russian aggression in Ukraine, expressing unwavering support for territorial sovereignty in the face of new challenges.