FYROM and Albania looking for excellent relations

TIRANA, Feb. 8 – Relations between FYROM and Albania are very good and both countries pledged to further intensify them and make them excellent.
FYROM Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki was in Tirana Monday in an official visit during which he met with his Albanian counterpart Ilir Meta and also other top officials.
Both ministers said at their news conference in Tirana that the ties between the two countries were very good and they added they would urge their governments to further intensify them especially in the field of health and infrastructure.
Both ministers said that key projects were Corridor 8 and they would further commit European Union member countries, Italy and Bulgaria, to increase their commitment and renew such projects.
They also said their governments aimed at strengthening bilateral and trade ties, cooperation and exchange of experiences in terms of EU integration processes.
FYROM is already a candidate country, a status which Albania is trying to achieve in the near future.
Albania, on its side, is already a member of NATO which FYROM is also seeking and trying to achieve after resolving the name dispute with neighboring Greece.
“We’ll resume building [FYROM] as a model of multi-ethnic and democratic society at the forthcoming census, slated for 2011. The citizens of Albania will be able to express their national and religious background. It will be a good opportunity for FYROMs living in Albania, being loyal citizens, to express their national origin and to become a more integrated part to the Albanian society,” stated Milososki.
These were his words after hailing Albania’s population census expected to be held next year.
There is a small FYROM minority living in eastern Albania.
Albania, on its side, is interested in the ethnic Albanian minority that represents a big part of the FYROM population.
The two ministers found themselves ill at ease when asked by reporters referring to learning Albanian language in FYROM. Milososki said that all communities were free to learn their mother language but they had also to learn the official FYROM language.
Both ministers also signed cooperation protocols between the ministries and a cooperation protocol between the FYROM Diplomatic Education Directorate and the Albanian Diplomatic Academy.
Milososki also delivered an address before students at the Diplomatic Academy in Tirana, before meeting with President Bamir Topi, Parliament Speaker Jozefina Topalli and Premier Sali Berisha.
Officials of both countries exchanged their warm words in offering assistance to each other on joining NATO and the European Union.