Albania at the Mediterranean Union

TIRANA, July 14 July 2008 Tirana؁lbanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha and Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha took part at the meeting of Mediterranean states in Paris, organized by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in an effort to create a regional union.
Some 40 leaders of European, northern Africa, and Middle Eastern countries took part in the meeting. Berisha strongly backed the new regional organization.
“We believe that the strengthening of cooperation on both sides of the Mediterranean is important not only for the region, but also has a global significance,” said Berisha. “A union in the Mediterranean is the way for the implementation of common projects.”
Berisha also used the meeting to try to change the country’s image in the world, mentioning how the country was an example of coexistence among all religious communities.
France hopes the new union for the Mediterranean will bolster regional cooperation and provide a new momentum for Middle East peace efforts.