Albanian leaders lobby abroad

TIRANA, March 21 – Prime Minister Sali Berisha of the governing Demcoratic Party was for three days in Budapest, Hungary, while opposition Socialist Party leader Edi Rama was in the United States.
European integration was the main topic noted by the two leaders in meetings they held with Hungarian top officials and U.S. ones.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Monday that Hungary supported Albania’s accession to the EU.
“It’s in Hungary’s and Western Europe’s interests for Albania to be a member of the EU.
Negotiations to this end should start and conclude as soon as possible,” Orban said after a meeting with Berisha.
Berisha was visiting Hungary on the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
“Albania is day by day becoming stronger and its economic climate is improving,” he said, citing the energy and water sectors as of particularly high potential.
“Companies from around the world are coming to Albania to build new infrastructure such as hydroelectric power plants and new motorways,” he said.
Albania joined NATO in 2009 and its EU membership bid has been set as a priority by the European Commission.
Rama, on his side, met with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Philip Reeker and also congressmen.
Rama said that the meeting at the Department of State was a very positive one.
“It was a very positive meeting, with much positive energy on many issues disccussed in a very transparent and friendly way. It was an important stone in the wall of friendship, cooperation, intensive communication, to take ahead all the processes having to do with Albania’s European integration, the country’s further democratization, on Albania’s role in the region and having to do with Albania we want to have as a U.S. ally, but also as a country that should have the values of our great ally,” he said. Washington too focused on Albania’s European integration.
But what do these two visits mean to Albania?
Besides closer bilateral ties they also aimed at lobbying for the country and also for the two political groupings represented by their leaders.
Unfortunately Budapest is not in good terms with Brussels at this moment. Orban has been clashing with the European Union on some topics which Albania too has been concerned with like independence of justice or that of the media.
While Rama’s visit to Washington could mean or hint that he is expected to become the next premier in Albania. He also met with a top official of the IMF discussing Albania’s budget deficit that is on the verge of becoming a big threat.
They were both urged to continue the work on the electoral reform and also the fight against corruption. These remain the main topics of Albanian authorities and politics. But, above all, it needs cooperation, a joint will to work together and concrete steps, tangible results to convince Brussels not to deny for the third year in a row the candidate status to Tirana.