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Mr Orbán said he had a discussion with his guest about the European situation as well as the future of the Western Balkans and European politics.
Praising Mr Rama, he recalled that in recent years he had received many important insights from him which he had also been able to use in Hungarian politics.
Now, we must give our Albanian friends a helping hand as the countries of the Western Balkans have waited for accession to the European Union for 15 years on average; Albania, too, has waited since 2009, he recalled. He added that there were enough problems in Europe about which he had also had the opportunity to talk in Strasbourg the other day, and the most evident solution to these problems would be if the European Union finally admitted the countries of the Western Balkans.
With this, we would receive new impetus, new energy and new economic opportunities, he stressed.
Mr Orbán highlighted that Albania had rendered an excellent performance during the accession talks so far. If accession were indeed a merit-based process, Albania should have been admitted to the EU a long time ago, he observed. He added, however, that it was very difficult to conquer and to bridge political aversions to enlargement.
The Hungarian Prime Minister also spoke about a successful development: next Tuesday in Luxembourg, an EU-Albania intergovernmental conference will be held where the parties will open the first chapter of talks. He mentioned with pride that this was taking place just when Hungary held the EU’s rotating presidency.
He recalled that the last successful enlargement had also occurred at a time when Hungary had held the rotating presidency. In the spirit of a responsible neighbourhood policy, Hungary urges the EU to provide the relevant financial grants for the countries of the Western Balkans within the shortest possible time, he said, adding that there is no need to wait for membership in this regard. We have here the European Growth Fund as well as other instruments from which the financial grants necessary for growth can be made available, he suggested.
Regarding the bilateral issues discussed during the meeting, he recalled that Albania was a very important partner of Hungary; Hungarian companies play key roles in key sectors. This is not an ordinary achievement, and is important not only because of the success of Hungarian businesses, but also because we would like to establish and enhance our reputation for further investments in the future, he indicated.
In his view, these companies are doing well; for instance, on the telecommunications market, 4iG is currently in the process of laying the groundwork for an enormous project which will connect Albania and Egypt together with a telecommunications network.
Wizz Air connects more than 50 cities together with Tirana, this year OTP received the award ‘best digital and business bank,’ while Budapest Waterworks is also present in Albania, playing a key role in the modernisation of Tirana’s water system, he listed.
He agreed with Mr Rama to continue bilateral cooperation: Hungary welcomes business actors from Albania and is ready to take part in the modernisation of the Albanian economy even more intensively than before, Mr Orbán stated.
