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In the press conference that followed the meeting, Bahor warned against the idea of a newly created “mysterious political community” that would not integrate the Western Balkan countries into the European Union.
He emphasized that he had recently spoken with many leaders of Western Balkan countries, and they were all very concerned about this idea coming from leaders of some Western European countries.
They fear that over time, the idea of enlargement will be replaced by the idea of a political community that sees the region not as part of the union, but as part of a broader political community that will not be fully integrated into the European Union, Pahor explained.
Like other Western Balkan leaders, Meta also took the position that the European Union should not go down this path, as it would make a historical mistake.
The Albanian President thanked Slovenia and Pahor for supporting Tirana in its efforts to start EU accession negotiations. The two heads of state agreed that the countries of the Western Balkans should continue to do everything in order to join, they should stick to reforms and achieve good results.
Meta said EU membership should remain a driving force for Albanian society, adding that it is vital not only to democracy, rule of law, economy and living standards, but also to stability and peace in the region and Europe.
In the meantime, the EU needs to better understand the importance of the Western Balkans to the Union and Europe as a whole
Noted dead.
That is why we supported Brussels’ decision to grant candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova. The Albanian president said it is important to note that the expansion process will continue.
Two decades after he promised European Union membership to the Western Balkans, the process stalled. Greece and Bulgaria have hampered the start of accession talks between Albania and North Macedonia due to bilateral issues with North Macedonia, and the European Union insists on dealing with the two countries together.
Meta expressed the hope that the upcoming summit of the Brdo-Brigoni process, scheduled for September 12 in Slovenia, will give a new impetus to the enlargement process and the efforts of the Western Balkan countries.
Cover image source: Getty Images
