TIRANA, May 28 – Albania and Serbia have turned a corner in improving relations as Aleksandar Vucic became this week the first Serbian prime minister to make an official visit to Tirana, returning the visit his Albanian counterpart, Edi Rama, made in Belgrade six months ago.
The two leaders pledged to look beyond their historic disagreements and increase economic and political cooperation in the hopes of a shared future within the European Union, a bloc both countries have applied to join.
Both Vucic and Rama emphasized that relations between Albanians and Serbs are crucial for stability in the Balkans.
The two said they had agree to disagree on Kosovo — “the issue as big as a mountain that divides us,” as Rama put it.
Vucic flew to Tirana on Wednesday morning, and his visit’s security was tight, with 1,300 police officers, a low-flying military helicopter and all the streets of his route being closed to traffic.
The Serbian delegation then moved to Tirana’s former royal palace, where he was greeted by Prime Minister Rama with an official ceremony that included a guard of honor that played the national anthems of both countries.
Following a 40-minute meeting behind closed doors, the two leaders held a press conference, where both said the two countries needed to look to the future and focus on cooperation.
Relations between Serbia and Albania will be the backbone of relations in this part of Europe, Vucic said.
“If we are smart and responsible enough, and we understand that wars and bloodshed will not solve our problems, but with talks, with dialogue, with honest relations, then I can say that both Serbia and Albania have a much better future compared to the past we had together,” Vucic said at the joint press conference.
Prime Minister Rama said Albania and Serbia need to overcome their difficult past by looking to the best European examples.
“The courage that Germany and France had to overcome rivers of blood after World War II should inspire us to turn this peaceful time into a history of building up the foundations of a sustainable coexistence,” Rama said.
He added that Serbs and Albanians owe it not only to themselves to have good relations, but to the region and Europe as well.
Asked by reporters at the press conference about his thoughts on Greater Albania, Rama said the notion has no support among Albanians who want to join under the EU umbrella instead.
“This project or idea has been promoted by those who don’t wish the best for Albanians,” he said. “We want the removal of borders between us, first among Albanians of course, but among us and the Serbs too. That’s what we owe to our people.”
Vucic said that Kosovo is a part of Serbia as far as Belgrade is concerned, but he added that he knows Albania holds an entirely different position on the matter.
“Our discussions were frank, even on issues we don’t see eye to eye,” Vucic said at the press conference.
Rama repeated his stance made during the visit in Belgrade that Kosovo’s independence is an irreversible reality and that recognizing Kosovo as an independent country is best for Serbia as well.
Both leaders confirmed that despite profound differences on this issue, they have decided to look ahead and write a different chapter in relations between the two countries.
Vucic’s visit to Albania was not accompanied by the tension of Rama’s visit to Belgrade, where the Serbs said they were deeply provoked by a call from Rama for them to recognize Kosovo’s independence.
The two prime ministers were joined by several other regional leaders on Thursday at the Tirana Talks Vienna Economic Forum, an event held in the Albanian capital.
It included the prime minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, who shook hands with Vucic at the event.
Albania and Serbia reaffirmed a commitment to work together, not only to strengthen economic relations, but also for joint regional projects, such as the completion of existing road infrastructure, to have a complete highway connecting Belgrade with Durres through Kosovo, a project for which the two countries will seek funding from Brussels. They also want to finish a missing link of a railway connecting Belgrade to Tirana through Montenegro.
Vucic also met with President Bujar Nishani, Parliament Speaker Ilir Meta and Tirana Mayor Lulzim Basha, who is also Albania’s opposition leader.
