TIRANA, July 25 – Bulgaria sees EU enlargement as a priority, and as the Balkan country prepares to take on the presidency of the bloc, its foreign minister says Albania is likely to open membership negotiations during the Bulgarian EU presidency.
Bulgaria will start the EU Presidency six-month period in January 2018.
Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva was on an official visit to Albania on Wednesday. At a press conference she said Albania’s justice reform will show results, but it’s a process that requires some time.
“We welcome your efforts on the implementation of the justice reform and the fight against organized crime, as we are convinced that these are interconnected,” she said. “I am convinced that by the end of the year, you will be able to make a successful progress so that during the Bulgarian Presidency we could take a political decision to open the negotiation process,” she said.
Zaharieva also met with Albanian President Ilir Meta. Albanian officials said they hoped Bulgaria would help Albania speed up its integration process.
