Topi gets Hungary’s support in European integration

TIRANA, March 6 – President Bamir Topi held an official visit to Hungary, the state that holds the presidency of the European Union, where he met with the top leaders of this country.
Topi met with his counterpart Paul Schmidt, and they discussed a range of issues related to the economic cooperation, but mainly related with the help that Hungary may give to Albania in the process of integration.
Hungarian President said that his country sees as a priority, Albania′s integration agenda and expressed optimism for this process.
Hungary supports Albania’s bid to take up the accession process for membership of the European Union, and hopes that it can start this procedure sometime this year, said Schmitt.
Schmitt said that Albania, as a new member of NATO, said the country had made a significant contribution to the stability of the Western Balkan region.
“We request substantive assistance in the interest of Albania obtaining EU candidate status either during Hungary’s [EU] presidency or during Poland’s,” Schmitt said.
He added that Hungary regards Albania as an important country in the Western Balkan region, and he trusted that economic, cultural, tourist and scientific ties would embark on a new course of development based on the two countries’ traditionally close ties.
Schmitt said among the priorities of Hungary’s EU presidency was the further advancement of EU expansion in the region, an aim which Hungary had played an active part in — particularly when Albania signed its stability agreement and the EU allowed Albania citizens to travel without visas.
During his two-day visit to Budapest the Albania president expressed thanks for the help that Hungary had already given in advancing his country’s Euro-Atlantic integration.
“Albania will continue implementing democratic reforms and wishes to fulfil all expectations in the interest of its EU integration,” Topi said.
He said Albania had an interest in cooperation between Western Balkan countries and peace in the region.
“In our vision of the future this means that every Western Balkan country enjoys the advantages of Euro-Atlantic integration,” he said.
The presidents were in agreement that it was important that Albania should fully observe democratic principles when it holds its local elections on May 8.