The President of the Republic of Albania, Bajram Begaj, received today the new Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union to Albania, Ms. Sofia Moreira de Sousa, on the occasion of the presentation of her credentials. President Begaj wished the Ambassador success in her duty as Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Albania, appreciating the key role of this institution in strengthening relations between Tirana and Brussels and in supporting the European integration process of Albania.
The Head of State expressed confidence that cooperation between Albanian institutions and the EU Delegation in Tirana will continue to deepen, with the aim of achieving Albania's strategic objective of full membership in 2030.
President Begaj praised the European Union's political, financial and technical support for transformative reforms in Albania, emphasizing that the EU Delegation in Tirana is a trusted partner and an important collaborator in this process.
During the meeting, the progress of the accession negotiations and Albania's commitment to fulfilling European reforms and standards were discussed. President Begaj underlined that Albania has entered an advanced and dynamic phase of the integration process, demonstrating unwavering political and societal will, as well as institutional readiness to continue fulfilling membership obligations.
The Head of State praised the justice reform as one of the most important proofs of Albania's determination to meet European standards, despite the challenges of the process. He reaffirmed the commitment to strengthening the independence and integrity of justice institutions, as well as to intensifying the fight against corruption through the independent and politically uninfluenced functioning of other justice structures.
The President of the Republic also reconfirmed that membership in the European Union is a national objective, widely supported by Albanian society, underlining that the involvement of the entire society in this process is one of the factors that pushes Albania to move faster towards finalizing the membership process.
"Albania is committed to fulfilling its strategic objective of membership in the European Union in 2030. The involvement of the entire Albanian society in the realization of this ambition and its enthusiasm for this process are a feature that differentiates us and encourages us to work even harder to achieve this objective," said President Begaj.
During the meeting, Albania's full alignment with the European Union's Foreign and Security Policy was also highlighted, as clear evidence of the country's strategic orientation and its commitment to common European values and policies.
In conclusion, President Begaj expressed confidence that Ambassador Sofia Moreira de Sousa will make an important contribution to advancing Albania-EU relations and the country's European journey.
Referring to the Ambassador, the President expressed his belief that, by the end of her mandate, Albania will have joined the European Union.
