site.btaBulgaria's, Albania's Parliament Heads Confer in Tirana

"There are no pending, unsolved or open issues between Bulgaria and Albania," Bulgarian National Assembly Chair Rosen Zhelyazkov said here on Monday, emerging from a meeting with Albania's Assembly Speaker Lindita Nikolla, at whose invitation he is paying an official two-day visit to the Balkan country.

The two heads of parliament discussed a deepening of bilateral cooperation in various spheres and the promotion of bilateral relations.

Zhelyazkov assured his host that a scheduled air service between the two capitals will be launched within a year.

"Bulgaria and Albania share a common vision on a future of peace and prosperity in Europe and our region, built on shared European and Euro-Atlantic values," the National Assembly Chair said at his meeting with Nikolla, quoted by Bulgaria's Parliament in a press release.

"Bulgaria regards Albania as a highly trusted partner," the guest emphasized. In his words, Albania's NATO membership and the prospects for joining the EU provide a "solid foundation for the two countries' shared views on the development of Europe and the region." "Along with political support, Bulgaria is also ready to provide expert aid in Albania's EU accession process," Zhelyazkov added according to the press release.

"The deepening of Bulgarian-Albanian relations opens up additional opportunities for an impact on processes in the Western Balkans and for pursuit of multilateral cooperation in Southeastern Europe," the guest pointed out. "The implementation of major regional infrastructure projects are of key interest to Bulgaria," he went on to say. He sees an improvement of transport connectivity as a mandatory condition for boosting bilateral economic cooperation and regionwide prosperity. The head of Bulgaria's Parliament stressed the importance of Crete Corridor VIII and called for an invigoration of efforts to expedite the implementation of this long-awaited project.

"Bulgaria appreciates the efforts that your country has made so far for the protection of minority rights by adopting the Law on the Protection of National Minorities," Zhelyazkov said. "We rely on Albania keeping its consistent position of full guaranteeing of the rights of national minorities, and we are looking forward to the adoption and implementation of the secondary legislation related to the framework law of 2017," he said. He described the Bulgarian national minority in Albania as "an important bridge of friendship and a factor of building the mutual confidence that exists between the two countries."

The guest told his host that active inter-parliamentary cooperation, in which the friendship groups play a key role, contributes substantially to an overall strengthening of contacts between Bulgaria and Albania.

Lindita Nikolla thanked for the ongoing support of Bulgaria's Parliament and Government to Albania on its path to integration into the EU and expressed her conviction that this assistance will continue during the negotiating process. The Speaker noted the importance of strengthening the dialogue between the two legislature, which is instrumental in building understanding, trust and respect between the peoples.