site.btaForeign Minister Zaharieva: Bulgaria Among Ardent Supporters of Albania's EU Perspective

Sofia, October 15 (BTA) - Following a one-to-one meeting here on
 Thursday with Albania's Acting Minister for Europe and Foreign
Affairs, Gent Cakaj, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina
Zaharieva told a joint news conference that Bulgaria and Albania
 are allies in NATO, and that Bulgaria is among the strongest
and most consistent supporters of Albania's European
perspective.

The one-to-one meeting between Zaharieva and her guest was
followed by plenary talks and the signing of bilateral
documents, including a bilateral agreement on cooperation in
environmental protection and water.
   
Zaharieva also said that it has been Bulgaria's consistent
position since its presidency of the EU Council that Albania and
 North Macedonia should not be separated when it comes to their
EU accession. The path to the Union is not an easy one but
Albania has made significant progress and many serious reforms,
she went on to say. Albania has met almost all of the conditions
 set to it by the previous Council and in the last report of the
 European Commission, Zaharieva said.

Minister Cakaj said that his country has met all conditions for
continuing on the path to EU accession.

Zaharieva described Albanian citizens of Bulgarian origin as yet
 another bridge between the two countries, and thanked for the
recognition of the Bulgarian minority in Albania through the
adoption of the 2017 act on protection of national minorities.
According to her, this act was one of the important steps to
Albania's EU integration. She went on to say that the
recognition of the Bulgarian minority in Albania fixed a
historical injustice. At present, the Albanian government is
working on a regulatory framework of secondary legislation on
the act's application.

In Zaharieva's words, what is very important for Bulgaria and
the Bulgarian minority in Albania is the right and access to
Bulgarian language studies without unnecessary administrative
obstacles and requirements for a high percentage of residents in
 the relevant settlements. She expressed hope that this will be
reflected in the regulatory framework. Bulgaria is ready to
support this process with teachers and study materials, she
added.

The two ministers also discussed what can be done for the
economy, the bilateral tourist exchange, and connectivity.

Zaharieva recalled the lack of regular direct flights between
Sofia and Tirana, and Pan-European Corridor VIII being far from
completion.

Cakaj said Albania is ready to take all necessary measures, and
expects the other countries along the route to show they have
serious intentions to continue Corridor VIII's construction,
because it is very important and strategic.
   
The two ministers noted Bulgaria's assistance for Albania
following the strong earthquake in the latter, as well as the
equipment Bulgaria provided for Albanian doctors at the start of
 the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Later in the day, Minister Gent Cakaj conferred with Vice
President Iliana Iotova, who thanked Albania for recognizing the
 Bulgarian minority and expressed her desire for Albanian
citizens of Bulgarian ethnicity to study their mother language
in school.
 
The European integration of the Western Balkans was another
topic of discussion between the two. Iotova and Cakaj have
expressed their reservations towards the EU's new approach to
enlargement - grouping the negotiations chapters into a few
clusters. The Bulgarian Vice President has expressed her
personal opinion that each country should walk the path to its
EU membership alone, without being tied in a package with other
countries.
NV/DS,MY