Albania – Croatia Sign Strategic Partnership Agreement

Tirana, December 5

Albania and Croatia signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement to give new impetus to the friendly relationship between the two countries and to further strengthen corporation and promote trade.
The agreement was signed on Tuesday in Zagreb between Albanian PM Edi Rama and his Croatian counterpart Andrej Plenkovic. The two premiers met in the frame of the Central European Initiative (CEI) Summit that took place in Zagreb on 3-4 December. According to Plenkovic, trade between the two countries currently amounts to over Euro 60 million and the recent agreement will help to boost it further. Moreover, he added that a number of Croatian companies are present on the Albanian market and that the country wants them to continue and intensify their work. Plenkovic also expressed appreciation for all that the Albanian minority in Croatia contributes to the Croatian society.
“We want our cooperation to proceed within various trilateral and quadrilateral formats in Southeast Europe, notably as regards the Adriatic-Ionian corridor as well as the Adriatic-Ionian gas pipeline, which is a project that is interesting to both countries,” Plenkovic was quoted as saying by Total Croatia News.
On his part, PM Rama said that Albania and Croatia traditionally had good relations, but they had been growing stronger since Croatia gained independence. Rama also thanked the government of Croatia for the ongoing support and also for the recognition of Kosovo as well as for Albania’s NATO membership.
“We also talked about the further development of economic relations and agreed to organize an economic forum next year,” Rama added.
In the meantime, Plenkovic expressed strong support for Albania in its ambition to join the EU by saying that both Albania and Macedonia have become acquainted with the EU acquis communautaire

News Source: RTSH, TCN
Photo Credit: vlada.gov.hr