EU, NATO integration will improve the region, says Berisha

TIRANA, June 24 – Prime Minister Sali Berisha took part this week in a high-level yearly summit in Brussels, organized by Europe’s Friends on the European policies on the Balkans.
The summit serves to promote encouraging dialogue to resolve many local and regional issues. Education, the fight against corruption, protection of minorities and the EU enlargement process were the four main topics of the summit.
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn repeated there was no stopping Europe’s enlargement process, but added that western Balkan countries should speed up and implement the required reforms to comply with the criteria of the bloc.
He also pledged further EU assistance in this area.
Berisha said, in his speech, that EU and NATO integration keeps regional countries together and is the main common bond between them.
“These two projects are the dream of these countries and that is why they are doing their utmost to implement reforms and turn them into a reality,” he said.
Berisha stressed that these countries do deserve to be part of the EU.
The premier also said that energy and its potential remain the priority of its executive, together with education and finding employment for college graduates.
As in each of these meetings, Berisha repeated that his government had zero tolerance for crime, adding that they were supportive of lifting the immunity of lawmakers and others to give a free hand to possible investigations.