Tirana seeks prompt action on climate change at UN summit

Regional foreign ministers also meet on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly meeting to discuss regional cooperation
NEW YORK, Sept. 24 – Albania’s president has told a global summit on climate change that world must take prompt action to prevent further global warming through carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
President Bujar Nishani said Albania had decided to aggressively pursue energy from renewable sources, complementing the country’s already heavy reliance from clean energy from its hydro-electric plants.
“Addressing climate change impact into our future societal development has turned into a crucial matter requiring prompt action,” Nishani said. “Let me reiterate Albania’s commitment to join the global action to address climate change issues, and offer its modest contribution towards carbon emissions reductions.”
Nishani made the comments at Climate Change Summit organized by the United Nations to coincide with the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly, which draws top global leaders to New York.
The summit was organized by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who had invited leaders of governments, the private sector and civil society to unite in concrete action toward a low-carbon world.
The summit is seen as an important milestone on the path toward closing the emissions gap, the difference between reduction pledges and the necessary emission cuts to make sure that global temperatures rise no more than 2у degrees by 2020.
“Albania has constantly worked to live up to its obligations,” Nishani said. “In line with the European Union membership agenda, my country is undergoing a comprehensive process of reforms, including improvement of national legislation, which takes climate change in consideration.”
In addition to the climate summit, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, there was a meeting of foreign ministers of six western Balkan countries to discuss regional cooperation.
Foreign ministers of Albania, Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia gathered as part of the Enhanced Cooperation Within the Stabilization and Association Process project, following the July meeting held in Montenegro.
Outgoing EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule was also present at the meeting together with Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini, who is to lead the EU’s foreign policy later this year.
Participants discussed on how to further strengthen cooperation in the field of infrastructure, energy, topics which were also discussed at the Berlin meeting in late August.