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He recalled that it had taken Albania 13 years to start the accession talks with the European Union.
Europe only has untapped economic growth potential in the Balkans, and should accelerate the region’s integration also in the interest of maintaining its own competitiveness, Mr Orbán pointed out, confirming that Hungary – as to date – continues to firmly support Albania’s accession process.
The Prime Minister recalled that changes are currently taking place in the world economy which are severely affecting Europe as well, and these changes highlight the region’s weaknesses, while its competitiveness is continuously deteriorating on the global scene. He stressed that in this context the integration of Albania and the Western Balkans should be seen as a unique opportunity. Also at present, Central Europe is responsible for the European Union’s dynamism, he pointed out.
He said the region of Europe must be reinforced in both an economic and security sense.
Western Europe is, however, still not convinced that the EU’s enlargement promotes integration, and therefore, this issue must be kept on the agenda, “we must continue to work” for Albania’s EU membership as well, he underlined.
He said Hungary supports the concept that by 2030 the cohesion grants received from the European Union should reach pro rata the level of grants that Member States having joined the EU earlier are eligible for. The government also welcomed the proposal that regarding the enlargement of the Schengen Area, there is no need to wait for a member to become a member of the EU, he added.
The Hungarian Prime Minister paid an official visit to Tirana. He also had talks with Speaker of the Albanian Parliament Lindita Nikolla.
During the visit, the Hungarian and Albanian delegations signed multiple cooperation agreements, including in the areas of the water industry and water management as well as with respect to the European integration process. Members of the delegation included Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó and Minister for Economic Development Márton Nagy. An intergovernmental joint commission on economic cooperation between the two governments has been operational for ten years.
Together with his host Mr Orbán further confirmed that in recent years significant results had been achieved in the area of bilateral economic cooperation, and the parties agreed to continue this work also in the years ahead.
The Hungarian Prime Minister recalled that the two countries were tied together by “a shared story of suffering” as both of them were forced to live in communist regimes for 40 years.
He stressed that he had been pleased to hear Mr Rama’s assessment that Hungarian investors behave fairly in Albania, and expressed hope that this will remain so also in the future. He added that he asked Albanian investors to come to Hungary, Hungary is ready to receive them.
Both leaders took the view that the two countries are connected together by a relationship that is deeper than a set of traditional bilateral relations. Mr Rama spoke in words of praise about the fact that “Mr Orbán has believed in Albania for a long time,” and since their last meeting in Budapest, cooperation “has taken a new turn.”
He pointed out that the Hungarian government was also supporting Tirana’s integration with specific forms of assistance, including by sending experts to Albania, sharing experience in all areas where Albania needs Hungary’s expertise, and having also played an important role in setting up a fund designed to support the integration of the Western Balkans.
Relations between the two countries are excellent, President of the Republic Katalin Novák has recently paid a visit to Tirana, he underlined.
Mr Rama spoke in words of praise about the fact that Mr Orbán is the main force behind Hungarian investments in Albania. He highlighted that Hungarian businesses had introduced a number of novel solutions to Albania, Tirana was very satisfied with them, and thanked them especially for observing Albania’s laws and also bearing local interests in mind. In return, Hungarian businesses can feel at home in Albania, he stressed.
According to Mr Rama, Hungarian presence in Albania today is particularly outstanding in the telecommunications and banking sectors – in this regard he made specific mention of the activities of 4iG Nyrt. and OTP Bank – while new opportunities are emerging mainly in the energy sector and tourism. Tourism is a bridge between the two countries, he said.
In this context, Mr Orbán stated that while Hungary has no sea, tourism nonetheless accounts for more than 11 per cent of the gross domestic product.
In answer to a question, Mr Rama also spoke about the situation in Kosovo. He recalled that the international community had already outlined a proposed solution to the current severe tensions between Kosovo and Serbia, and this would be “an historic opportunity” for appeasement.
He took the view that members of the Kosovar police who were apprehended in the territory of Serbia should have been released because they committed no crime. He added that they will use every possible avenue to achieve this within the shortest possible time.
In answer to another question, Mr Orbán observed that he will meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic shortly, and it is to be hoped that by then this problem will have been resolved.
