Prime minister says he will visit the Serb capital this fall, confirming historic move in joint press conference with EU Commission President Barroso.
TIRANA, June 30 – Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has confirmed he will hold a historical visit to the Serb capital, Belgrade, this fall.
The confirmation came in a joint press conference Rama was holding with in Tirana with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
A day earlier, while Barroso was in Belgrade in his farewell tour of the region, Rama’s Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, also mentioned the visit of the head of the Albanian executive to Belgrade.
The visit was first announced earlier this years, but did not materialize as soon as expected due to snap elections being called in Serbia, officials said.
Albanian and Serb leaders have not met in an official visit of this kind since 1948, when Albanian communist leader Enver Hoxha broke off relations with Belgrade.
The visit is considered as of great importance in Brussels, the capital of the European Union, something Barroso mentioned in visit to Tirana this week.
“We very much welcome your initiatives, Prime Minister – for instance, the fact that we have now decided to meet with the Prime Minister of Serbia,” Barroso said. “It’s more than symbolic. We are now in this region and we should not forget that 100 years ago First World War stated here. And the fact that now this region is in peace, even if still some work has to be done to consolidate democracy and the rule of law, the simple fact that we are here living in peace it’s a major achievement.”
