Hungary supports Albania’s NATO membership

BUDAPEST, March 4 – Hungary supports Albania’s planned NATO membership, according to Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany, who met on Tuesday with his visiting Albanian counterpart, Sali Berisha.
Berisha said Albania’s NATO membership would bring stability and security to the Balkans.
During the meeting the two prime ministers discussed bilateral relations, Kosova and Albania’s prospective NATO membership.
Gyurcsany said Hungary was on the path of recognizing the independence of Kosova and would possibly do so in the near future.
“Hungary has begun the road to recognizing Kosovo and will reach the end of this road in the near future,” the Hungarian prime minister said.
Gyurcsany said Hungary understood that Kosova’s earlier status, as part of Serbia was unsustainable, but would have preferred a negotiated solution instead on a unilateral decision to break away by the Albanian majority.
Gyurcsany did not state the reasons for his country’s waiting to recognize Kosova but other government officials have mentioned the ethnic Hungarian minority in northern Serbia and Hungary’s relations with Serbia as factors which need to be considered in the decision.
Some analysts said the delay also could be attributed in part to Hungary’s strengthened ties with Russia, which backs Serbia and opposes independence for Kosova.
While in Budapest, Berisha met with top Hungarian officials.
At a meeting with local businessmen he reviewed Albania’s efforts to become integrated into the world market by trying to attract many foreign investors.
NATO will hold its next summit in Bucharest in early April when the alliance will debate issuing invitations to Albania, Croatia and Macedonia.