„Slow pace of EU enlargement process is unacceptable and shameful”

Only in the Balkans will Europe find economic growth potential, and maintaining its competitiveness calls for the speeding up of the region's integration, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in Tirana.

Orbán Viktor Albániában Fotó: Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Fischer Zoltán

Viktor Orban and his Albanian counterpart stated that major results have been achieved in bilateral cooperation in recent years, and the two leaders agreed to continue this work in the coming years.

Hungary's prime minister noted that Hungary and Albania are also bound by their shared history of suffering, as both countries had been under communist rule for 40 years. 

He said he was pleased to hear Edi Rama say that Hungarian investors are characterised by a respectful attitude, and expressed confidence that this will remain the case. He also invited Albanian investors to come to Hungary, saying that the country is ready to receive them.

Both see the two countries as sharing a deeper relationship than traditional bilateral relations. PM Rama is grateful for Viktor Orban's long-standing faith in Albania, and that the cooperation has taken a new direction since their last meeting in Budapest. He also highlighted the Hungarian government's support in EU integration, citing the sending of experts and the transferring of experience in accession areas where Albania needed it, and Hungary's key role in establishing the fund to support Western Balkans integration. The relationship between the two countries is excellent, President Katalin Novak also visited Tirana recently, he pointed out.

Edi Rama values PM Orban's efforts as the foremost promoter of Hungarian investments in Albania. He pointed out that Hungarian businesses have brought many innovations to the country, Tirana is very satisfied with them, and especially values their respect for the laws and their attention to local interests. In return, Hungarian companies can feel at home in Albania, he emphasised.

The Hungarian presence in Albania is particularly outstanding in the field of telecommunications and the banking sector - here PM Rama mentioned the operations of 4iG Nyrt. and OTP Bank. New opportunities are opening up mainly in the fields of energy and tourism. Tourism serves as a bridge between the two countries, he said. On this topic his Hungarian counterpart said that although Hungary has no sea coast, tourism accounts for more than 11 per cent of gross national product.

In response to a press question, Edi Rama touched on the situation in Kosovo. He recalled that the international community had already outlined a proposal for a solution to the seriously escalating tensions between Kosovo and Serbia, and that this would be a historic opportunity for reconciliation. He believed that members of the Kosovo police who were arrested on Serbian territory should have been released because they had not committed a crime. He added that all possible channels will be used to make this happen as soon as possible.

Also in response to a question, Viktor Orban noted that he will soon meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, and that he hopes the mentioned problem will be resolved by then.

Both trade and bilateral relations between Tirana and Budapest are gradually developing - wrote the Oeconomus Economic Research Foundation in its analysis. Currently, there are 23 state, intergovernmental and interministerial agreements in force between us. Hungary clearly supports the accession of the Western Balkan states to the European Union, including the integration of Albania. Bilateral cooperation also extends to agreements in the fields of education, legal aid, culture, science, tax, investment protection and incentives, and extradition agreements.

Cover photo: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama (Photo: Prime Minister's Press Office/Zoltan Fischer)