Meta gets Finnish support in country’s integration efforts

TIRANA, March 3 – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ilir Meta made a visit to Helsinki, Finland to meet with his counterpart, Alexander Stubb, and talk about the country’s efforts of integration into the European Union, regional developments and other topics of interest.
“The meeting has seen relations between Finland and Albania entering a new stage,” Meta said during the ministers’ press conference at Katajanokan Kasino.
Besides bilateral relations, they also talked on Albania’s rapprochement with the EU and visa liberalization.
“Twenty years ago Albania was the most isolated country in Europe, but now we have joined NATO and are proceeding towards the European Union,” said Meta.
While underlining the necessity for the intensification of cooperation between Albania and Finland, Meta stated that, “this visit coincides with the embarkment of bilateral relations into a new stage, particularly in the field of economic and trade exchanges, energy, agriculture, environment and tourism.”
Meta briefed his Finnish counterpart on Albania’s performance in replying to the Questionnaire related to the EU candidate status and in particular, on the compliance with the Roadmap obligations for visa liberalization.
Stubb commended Albania’s progress and advancement and assured Meta for the full Finnish support for Albania’s European integration and the process of visa liberalization. Minister Stubb stated that, “We vigorously support the EU enlargement; therefore it is important to press ahead with Albania’s membership process, which necessarily asks for the reform continuation; in fact, this process is moving ahead in the proper direction”. “Matters are progressing in the right direction,” he continued.
Stubb also praised Albania for its very constructive role in the region.
Albania became a member of NATO in February 2009 and applied for EU candidate status in April 2009.
Meta also met with the Finnish Minister of Foreign Trade and Assistance for Development Paavo V庲ynen, President of the Finnish Parliament Sauli Niinist