Baroness Hayman visits Albania

TIRANA, Sep. 20 – Baroness Hayman, the speaker of the U.K. House of Lords, held a visit to Albania at the invitation of the speaker of the Albanian Parliament, Jozefina Topalli.
She met President Bamir Topi, members of parliament, senior Albanian officials, and a range of opinion formers.
Topalli considered the visit as historic and a sign of an increased cooperation between the two parliaments and the two countries.
The visit of Baroness Hayman to Albania reaffirms the United Kingdom’s strong support for Albania’s European perspective and the important reform agenda that will secure that European future, said a statement from the British embassy announcing the visit.
The visit further strengthens the existing links between the two parliaments. “The Lord Speaker will reinforce the need for constructive political dialogue and engagement on reforms,” says the embassy statement.
Helene, Baroness Hayman is the first elected Lord Speaker of the upper house of the U.K. Parliament. She has been a member of the House of Lords since 1996, and has served as a Labor Party Minister in the Department of Transport, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture. The Lord Speaker’s role forbids her to be affiliated to any political party. The members of the House of Lords usually serve for their life time and are typically unpaid. The role of the Lords is includes oversight of legislation and acting as a check and balance for the in the wider parliamentary and democratic system