The Foreign Affairs Minister of the Netherlands, Bert Koenders is on an official visit to Tirana. During a joint press conference with the Albanian Foreign Minister, he appealed for the political parties to dialogue, as according to him, this is the only way to progress with the judicial reform.
Mr. Koenders stated that free and fair elections and the advancement of the vetting process are significant to Albania’s negotiations towards the European Union. He said:
“The upcoming elections are of course an internal issue and I do not want to intervene, but I think that political dialogue is important. Free and fair elections and progress with vetting are also important. We strongly support the progress in the field of justice so far.
I can’t wait to see further progress with EU integration, the implementation of judicial reform, and free and fair elections”
Meanwhile, the Albanian Foreign Minister, Ditmir Bushati confirmed an increase in Dutch investments in Albania by 30% and announced the launch of low cost flights to Amsterdam, saying:
“Recently, there has been an increase in the presence of Dutch companies in Albania. I assured Mr. Koenders of the commitment from the Albanian government to continue with the reforms.
A low cost airline will fly three times a week from Amsterdam to Albania starting May 10, 2017”
Both counterparts also discussed the recent developments in the region and security issues. Albania has an important role as NATO member.