In the course of his official visit to Berlin, the Acting Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Gent Cakaj met the Chair of the Committee on European Union Affairs of the German Bundestag Günther Krichbaum. Other MPs engaged in the European integration process, including Mrs. Katja Leikert, Mr. Christian Petry, Mr. Carl Julius Cronenberg, Mr. Joachim Valenski, and Mr. Manuel Sarrazin, attended the meeting, as well.
The Acting Minister Cakaj expressed his appreciation to the parliamentarians for Germany’ all-round contribution to Albania in the course of the European integration process, as well as of the thorough reforms that Albania has carried out in the justice system, and the fight against corruption and organised crime.
The Acting Minister Cakaj drew a detailed picture of the progress of the vetting process, and of the work performed by the new institutions of justice during the last trimester.
‘The establishment of the new judicial institutions confirms that with the reforms and the vetting process success a point of no return has been reached. Albania has fulfilled all the obligations due to it so as to deserve a positive recommendation for launching the negotiations,’ Acting Minister Cakaj said.
‘A positive decision by the Council this coming June will not only help give a new impulse to reform processes within the country, but it will be best intended to create a new synergy and cooperation among the countries across the Western Balkans, and it will help strengthen stability and security across our region,’ the head of Albanian diplomacy underscored.
The Chair of the Committee Krichbaum said that the Bundestag is following very keenly and with greater attention the progress surrounding the priorities agreed upon for launching negotiations with Albania, with the focus being on setting up the new institutions designed for the justice reform, and the filling of vacancies in the Constitutional Court.
Krichbaum positively appreciated the activity of the Independent Qualification Commission, in compliance with the expectations of the German side.
‘The Federal Republic of Germany has supported and will continue to support the European integration process for Albania,’ Krichbaum stated.
The representative from The Greens, Manuel Sarrazin, said that, ‘We have promised Albania the start of negotiations subject to meeting the five priorities. I think that Albania has made tangible progress, and just as they have fulfilled their promise, now it is our duty to keep the promise we have made.’
While also appreciating the achievements so far in the justice reform, the representative from the CDU, Valenski, invited the Government of Albania to step up their commitment by producing other concrete results in the fight against organised crime and corruption.
In the course of the talks, Acting Minister Cakaj and the German parliamentarians shared their thoughts on the recent developments in the Western Balkans. Special attention was devoted to Albania’s relations with the neighbouring countries, as well as to regional cooperation from the perspective of the Berlin process.