Newsletter, Issue No.10, April 30, 2015

Issue No. 10, 30 April 2015
Minister Bushati, on official visit to U.S., signs "Joint
Declaration on Strategic Partnership between the U.S.
and Albania”
ISSUE NO.10, 30 April 2015
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Minister of Foreign Affairs Ditmir Bushati held an official visit to the United States of America, where
he was received in a special meeting at the Department of State by the Secretary of State, Mr.
John Kerry. Parties assessed bilateral relations as being of priority and strategic importance,
particularly the materialization and concretization of this strategic partnership through the "Joint
Declaration on Strategic Partnership between the United States and Albania", a document signed
during the visit.
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Also, Minister Bushati extended his gratitude for the continued support of the United States to
Albania in fully meeting its European aspirations, and reiterated the commitment of the Albanian
government to continue being a strong partner of the U.S., in terms of stability, peace and
prosperity in our region and beyond, as well as in the fight against terrorism, violent extremism and
protection of human rights.
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Focusing on bilateral cooperation in the economic field, Minister Bushati noted the measures
undertaken by the Albanian government to improve the investment climate and underlined that
Albania welcomes the increased presence of U.S. companies and expertise in our country.
U.S. Secretary of State praised Albania's role as a reliable partner and contributor to global security,
a strong ally and a very strong friend and NATO ally, as well as a stability force in the Western
Balkans. He expressed gratitude for the important contributions of Albania to the NATO mission in
Afghanistan, the international efforts in Ukraine, humanitarian and stabilization goals in Iraq and the
fight against the threat of international terrorism and foreign fighters.
Moreover, Secretary Kerry praised Albania's progress in consolidating democracy and steps taken
in terms of the European perspective of the country. He reaffirmed the full U.S. support to Albania in
its EU accession path through the continuation of reforms, strengthening of the rule of law and fight
against corruption and organized crime. Secretary Kerry assured that the U.S. will remain a strong
partner and ally of Albania.
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Minister Bushati, on official visit to
U.S., signs "Joint Declaration on
Strategic Partnership between the
U.S. and Albania”
Conference on "Public service and
public administration in the rule of
law in Europe" organized at
the MFA
MFA hosts International Conference
on "European integration and
regional cooperation in the Western
Balkans"
The Embassy of the Republic of
Albania in Washington opens its
doors after reconstruction
Minister Bushati holds official visits
to Japan, the Czech Republic, the
Kingdom of Spain and Canada
First Session of the Joint
Commission on Economic
Cooperation between Albania and
Serbia held in Belgrade
Albanian Embassy in Vienna
organizes “Open Doors Day”
Inauguration of partnership year
2015/1016 in Weberei Kircher
Museum
Day of Albania in Ljubljana
Albania participates in Balkan
Trafik 2015
Besa exhibition in Switzerland
comes to an end
2
During a joint press release between Minister Bushati and Secretary
Kerry, Minister Bushati stated: “Albania and the United States are
strategic partners and allies both in NATO and other international
organizations. We are working closely together in Iraq, Afghanistan,
and most recently on the fight against global terrorism and violent
extremism. The recent crisis in Europe has shown the geopolitical
importance of the Western Balkans, and if our region is nowadays at
peace, it is largely due to the constant engagement of the U.S. Today,
we will discuss ways on how to further streamline our strategic
partnership”.
Secretary Kerry stated that: "Albania is, first of all, a very strong friend
and NATO ally. Beyond that, they’ve been really deeply involved in
working with the United States and our partners on a number of
different fronts. The the U.S.- Albania Strategic Partnership is proof of
our mutual interest in the fight against terrorism, security in the region,
fight against ISIL and other initiatives., ", a commitment reaffirmed also
in the meeting between Secretary Kerry and Prime Minister Rama.
During this visit, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ditmir Bushati and the
Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Mrs. Victoria Nuland signed the Joint
Declaration on Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Albania
and the United States of America. This document constitutes the
cornerstone of cooperation and coordination between Albania and the
U.S. and focuses on the partnership between the two countries in
three spheres: partnership on global issues; partnership on regional
issues and partnership on the bilateral agenda - political dialogue,
security, strengthening the rule of law in Albania, economic
development, energy security and educational and cultural exchanges.
The Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership puts bilateral
relations between Albania and the U.S. at an advanced stage and
thoroughly instrumentalizes bilateral cooperation and coordination.
It reflects the partnership and embodies the cooperation between
our two countries, with a concrete and comprehensive calendar.
In her speech at the signing of the Joint Declaration on Strategic
Partnership Ms. Nuland said: "Today is a historic day for our
relationship with the signing of this document will enable the
deepening of bilateral cooperation in strategic sectors. The United
States strongly supports Albania on the path of democratic statebuilding and consolidation of the rule of law. We have faced huge
challenges together and have proven that ‘a friend in need is a
friend indeed’ ".
Minister Bushati stated that "I'm glad that Albania and the United
States are signing today the Joint Declaration on Strategic
Partnership; partnership with the U.S. is an essential factor
towards democratic consolidation and economic prosperity of my
country. We are grateful to the U.S. for its continued support to
reforms undertaken by the Albanian government on our path
towards European integration. Thanks to the American support,
Albania has played a dynamic and constructive role in the Western
Balkans. Now, we will enhance our cooperation in strategic sectors
and through the signing of this document today, we are taking our
relations to another level."
Conference on "Public service and public administration in
the rule of law in Europe" organised at the MFA
In the framework of the official visit Ministers Harito and Lebranchu signed
the Administrative Agreement between the Ministry of Innovation and Public
Administration of the Republic of Albania and the Ministry of
Decentralization and Public Administration of the Republic of France.
This agreement aims to strengthen cooperation with the Public
Administration of the Republic of France in the context of public
administration reforms, including institutional aspects, legal, technical,
human resource management, performance evaluation systems of civil
workers and digital management systems.
On 3 April 2015, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation
with the Ministry of Innovation and Public Administration and
the Ministry of Decentralization and Public Administration of
the Republic of France organised the conference "Public
service and public administration in the rule of law in Europe".
The focus of the event was to strengthen our cooperation
with the French Public Administration and exchange of
experiences in order to develop best practices for reforms,
consolidation and modernization of the Albanian public
administration in line with the key priorities within the EU
accession process.
In his speech at the Conference Minister Bushati said: "Albania, as a
country that aspires to achieve EU membership, has taken significant steps
to improve its public service. In our journey towards democratic statebuilding we need the experience of countries with consolidated institutions.
What should derive from the French experience of the public service that
embodies ENA’s (Ecole Nationale d'Administration ) global concept of
forming civil servants is not necessarily a method to obtain the elite, but a
guide to establish accountability, impartiality and uninterrupted efficiency of
the administration with individual principles. Only by working on the
individual who covets civil service, we can strive to be an impartial State
that is only befriended by common interests".
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MFA hosts International Conference on "European
integration and regional cooperation in the Western
Balkans"
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Austro-French
Centre for Access to Europe and with the support of the Ministries of
Foreign Affairs of Austria and France organised the International
Conference on "European integration and regional cooperation in the
Western Balkans" on 27 April 2015, at the Albanian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs,
In this conference issues addressed were on EU enlargement in the
Western Balkans - priorities for the next five years, political and
economic dimensions of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans
and future challenges in the framework of the Berlin Process.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Odeta Barbullushi, in her opening
speech, greeted the guests at the Conference and also highlighted the
importance regional and EU cooperation has in areas such as economy,
security, finance and youth, which are essential for the future.
The High-level conference was divided into three panels, in which policymakers and decision makers from the Western Balkans, representatives
of EU institutions and international experts participated.
The main topic of the first panel was "EU enlargement policy in the
Western Balkans: Priorities for the next five years". It was chaired by Mr
Hannes Swoboda, former Member of the European Parliament and the
discussions focused on topics such as: "Eu Enlargement: making the
most of the next five years"; "The Western Balkans between Russia’s
revisionism and the Middle Eastern meltdown. Where is the EU?";
"Getting ready for 2020, 2025, 2030? Conditions for a speedy accession
to the EU" and "Five years of waiting and the deserts of 'transition': a
godsend for authoritarian tendencies ".
Part of this panel were Mr Wolfgang Petritsch, President of the Austrian
Marshall Plan Foundation, Mr Alexis Vahlas, Institute for Political
Studies, University of Strasbourg, Mr Kristof Bender, Deputy Chairman of
the European Stability Initiative and Mr Jean-Arnault Dérens, Editor of
the 'Courrier des Balkans.
The second panel focused on "The political and economic dimensions of
regional cooperation in the Western Balkans". It was chaired by Ms.
Teuta Arifi, Mayor of the municipality of Tetovo.
Part of this panel were Mr Mario Holzner, Deputy Director and
Research Economist from the Vienna Institute for International
Economic Studies, Mr Peter Grk, Western Balkans Coordinator,
Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Paskal Milo, former Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Mr Florian Raunig, Ambassador of the OSCE Presence
in Tirana and Mr Dorlhiac Renaud, Associate Member of the School for
Advanced Studies in Social Sciences, Paris, discussions were on:
"Economic development and infrastructure investment in the Western
Balkans", "Enhancing the enlargement process through connectivity
and concrete infrastructural projects", "From reconciliation to
cooperation - the common challenges of the Western Balkans" and
"Integration between consensus and compromise. Framing South East
European integration ".
The third panel, Chaired by Mr Dominique David, Executive Vice
President of the French Institute for International Relations, had as a
main theme: "Challenges ahead in the framework of the Berlin
process". Guests on the panel included, Ms Romana Vlahutin,
Ambassador of the EU Delegation to Albania, Mr Hannes Swoboda,
former Member of the European Parliament, Mr Aleksandar Pejovic,
Chief Negotiator for EU accession negotiations of Montenegro, Mr
Johann Sattler, Head of the Western Balkans Unit, from the Austrian
Ministry of European and International Affairs and Mr Florent Marciacq,
Associate, Chair if Research at the Parliament of Luxembourg and
Austro-French Centre, the panel commented and had in depth
discussions about: "Chances and obstacles on the way towards EU
integration"; "Montenegrin perspective on the Berlin Process"; "Closing
the Balkans Gap - the Berlin process as additional impetus for the EU
accession process of the Western Balkans"; and "What response to the
withering of democracy in the Western Balkans".
The Embassy of the Republic of Albania in Washington
opens its doors after reconstruction
In a special ceremony held in Washington, the Embassy of the Republic of Albania to
the United States of America opened its doors after total reconstruction. Lack of
representation not worthy of Albania comes to an end, paving the way for a more
honourable and active representation in the US.At the inauguration ceremony, senior
representatives of the US Department of State, ambassadors accredited in
Washington, representatives of key institutions, the diaspora, the business
community in America and representatives of the media were invited. Thanks to the
complete reconstruction, the Embassy of the Republic of Albania (Albanian State
owned property) will not only offer a modern and improved working environment for
our diplomatic staff but Albanian citizens and foreigners will benefit from the services
of this Embassy. Albania’s Government is committed to better represent Albania in
the world and will continue with other initiatives that increase the quality of service
and representation.In his speech at the inauguration the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Mr Ditmir Bushati said: Improvement of representation in Washington is a clear sign
of responsibility as well as concrete proof of our commitment to our strategic ally.
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Minister Bushati holds official visits to Japan, the
Czech Republic, the Kingdom of Spain and Canada
During the month of April 2015, Minister Bushati traveled to Japan,
the Czech Republic, The Kingdom of Spain and Canada.
During his visit to Japan, which aimed at enhancing political dialogue,
increasing economic cooperation between the two countries and
encourageing Japanese companies to invest in Albania, Minister
Bushati met with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, the
Speaker of the House of Representatives Nobutaka Machimura, the
Japan – Albania Parliamentary Friendship Group and Deputy
Presidents of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA),
Masakazu Ichikawa and Domichi Hideaki.
During his two-day visit to the Czech Republic Minister Bushati met
with Prime Minister Sobotka, Speaker of Parliament Hamáček and
Minister of Foreign Affairs Zaorálek, with whom he discussed the
prospects of Albania's integration into the EU, focusing on advancing
towards the opening of accession negotiations.
On his official visit to the Kingdom of Spain Minister Bushati
was received by the President of the Senate, Mr. Pio Escudero,
Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Mr. José
Manuel García-Margallo, the President of the Foreign Affairs
Committee, Mr. Duran i Lleida, as well as the State Secretary
for EU Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Inigo
de Vigo. During these meetings the parties underlined the
importance of revitalizing relations between the two countries,
focusing on the need to increase the quality of this collaboration
at political, economic and trade level.
On 28 April Minister Bushati began his official visit to Canadda,
where he held meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Rob Nicholson, the Speaker of the House of Commons, Andrew
Scheer, as well as the Canada-Albania Parliamentary
Friendship Group. During the visit, Minister Bushati and Minister
Nicholson signed the Declaration of Intent, as a commitment to
finalise the Agreement on Social Security, which will help many
Albanians who live and work in Canada.
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Economic and Public Diplomacy
First Session of the Joint Commission on Economic
Cooperation between Albania and Serbia held in Belgrade
Furthermore, parties addressed issues of
bilateral economic and trade cooperation.
After an overview and assessment of the
current stage of this cooperation, they
agreed that given the new dynamics of
recent
developments
and
the
complementary nature of respective
economies, it is necessary to work with a
view to further boost economic-trade
cooperation
ties
and
investment
promotion.
At the end of the meeting, the heads of
the two delegations signed the Protocol
on Economic Cooperation and agreed that
the Second Session to be held in Tirana
on a date to be determined between the
parties through diplomatic channels.
Within the Economic Diplomacy framework, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Ministry
of Economic Development, Tourism, Trade and Entrepreneurship, held the First Session of the Joint
Commission on Economic Cooperation between Albania and Serbia on 15-16 April 2014, in Belgrade.
The Albanian delegation was headed by the Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Tourism, Trade
and Entrepreneurship, Mrs. Brunilda Paskali, and the Serbian delegation by the State Secretary of the
Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, Mr. Stevan Nikcevic.
Heads of the two delegations made a general assessment of the economic and trade developments in
Albania and Serbia, exchanged information on macroeconomic indicators, the implementation of policies in
the private sector and measures undertaken by both governments to achieve sustainable economic
growth.
This
protocol
marks
a
concrete
achievement in the field of economic
cooperation and serves as a platform for
concrete commitments, upon which
relevant institutions in both countries will
cooperate
and
organize
activities,
promote direct investment, especially in
infrastructure,
energy,
environment,
agriculture, tourism, ICT etc., enhance
business contacts between institutions
and provide concrete assistance to them.
Albanian Embassy in Vienna organizes “Open Doors Day”
The Albanian Embassy in Vienna, in cooperation with the municipal unit
4 of the city of Vienna, organized the “Open Day of the Embassy”. The
doors of the Albanian Embassy in Vienna stayed open for several
hours, thus inviting the inhabitants and authorities of the neighborhood
to visit. In his welcoming speech, Ambassador Roland Bimo thanked
the authorities of the municipal unit 4 of the city of Vienna for the fruitful
cooperation and the support given to the Embassy in the organization
of this event.
That same day, an exhibition of Albanian painting was inaugurated in
the premises of the Embassy. This exhibition was the result of a
productive cooperation of the Albanian Embassy in Vienna with
Albanian painters working in Austria. The artists that showed their
works in the Embassy were Gazmend Freitag, Iliriana Mala, Keti
Berisha si dhe piktorja austriake "Sonjuschka" Sonja Vlahovic.
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Inauguration of partnership year 2015/1016 in Weberei
Kircher Museum
th
April 25 2015 was the inauguration day of ‘Partnerland Albanien 201516’ in the city of Wahlsburg of the Land of Hessen. This initiative, which
aims at promoting the cultural values of Albania, was undertaken by the
Weberei-Kircher Museum in cooperation with the Friendship Association
between Albania and Germany.
This event was attended by the Minister for Science and Culture of the
Land of Hessen, Ms. Eva Kühne-Hörmann, the Head of with the
Friendship Association between Albania and Germany, Mr. Andreas
Hemming, the General Director of Museums of the Land of Hessen, Ms.
Ulrike Adamek, the Deputy President of the Land of Hessen, Ms.
Susanne Selbert, the Mayor of Wahlsburg, Mr. Jörg Otto Quentin, and by
numerous civil servants.
The event highlighted the extraordinary values of Albanian culture,
especially of artisanal work, as a centuries old tradition of our country.
The museum showcased a broad collection of artisanal clothing, made
from Albanian female artisans, while accompanying it with Albanian
traditional music.
Day of Albania in Ljubljana
The Iliria Association of Koper, the Albanian
Association Illirida, the Association of Albanian Students
in Slovenia and the musical band of Dino Myrtezani also
participated in the organization of this cultural event.
The ceremony was opened by the beautiful dance of
Tropoja, performed by the dancers of Iliria Association
of Koper.
The activity continued with the presentation of stands,
installed in the main city square, which showcased
different products from Albania, Albanian culinary
delicacies, and provided information on Albanian
history, tourism and culture.
This event was organized thanks to the work of the
Albanian Embassy in Slovenia, the Department for
Economic and Public Diplomacy in the Albanian MFA
and the Albanian National Tourism Agency.
On 4 April 2015, the main square of the city of Ljubljana hosted “The day of Albania –
Tourism and Culture”, an activity that was organized by the Embassy of Albania in
Slovenia and the Municipality of Ljubljana.
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Albania participates in Balkan Trafik 2015
The Albanian Ambassador in Belgium and Head of the
Albanian Mission to the EU, H.E.Mrs. Suela Janina,
addressed all those present and highlighted that
traditions of Albanian culture and music, together with
those of other Balkan countries, enrich the culture of the
European continent as a whole.
On this occasion, the Vice President of the EU
Commission, Kristalina Georgieva extended her
congratulations and appreciation for Albania’s prestigious
representation.
The wonderful sounds of the polyphonic songs, dances
and the prestigious orchestra led by the well-known
clarinet master, Jorgo Roze, as well as the beautiful
voice of the Grand Master of polyphonic song, Irini
Qirjako, created a joyful and enthusiastic atmosphere.
On the occasion of the International Cultural Festival “Balkan Trafik,” on 25 April 2015, the
great musical rally “Giant Horo” was held in the Grand Place, Brussels.
Among the three guest ensembles invited to perform was the Albanian folk ensemble
“Lunxhëria” and the musical band of the Albanian diaspora in Brussels “Vatra”.
This great cultural rally of Balkan music was attended by thousands of visitors from many
countries, senior Belgian and EU officials, heads of diplomatic missions etc.
The Vice President of the EU Commission, initiator and supporter of this event, Madame
Kristalina Georgieva, as wells as senior officials of the Brussels Municipality, MPs, were also
present.
After performing several musical pieces, the artists of
Lunxhëria joined the thousands of spectators, forming
together a gigantic circle of dances and multicolored
costumes. They were also joined by the young artists of
“Vatra” fluttering the national flags of Albania, Kosovo,
Belgium and the EU.
On 25 April 2015, after the public performance at “Grand
Place”, the Ensemble “Lunxhëria” gave its official
Concert at the Center for Fine Arts “Bozar”, in the
presence of hundreds art and music lovers, friends of
Albania, compatriots and many others.
“Lunxhëria” was also Guest of Honor and gave two other
open performances on 26 April 2015 in another central
square in Brussels,“ Mont des Arts” to mark the end of
“Ballkan Trafik.”
This massive event was widely and prominently reflected
in the Belgian and foreign press and media.
Besa exhibition in Switzerland comes to an end
The photographic exhibition “Besa – a code of honour”, which opened its
doors in Switzerland in April 2014, came to an end on 15 April 2015. The
closing ceremony was held by the Embassies of Albania, Kosovo and
Israle, which were in charge of organizing exhibition possible.
The exhibition was shown in 13 different towns in Switzerland and was
met with enthusiasm by the Swiss public. In the framework of this
exhibition, more than 60 round tables, TV debates and other activities
were organized, while the movie “Besa: the promise”, was screened in the
cinemas of every town that was visited by the exhibition.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Blv. Gjergj Fishta, No. 6, Tirana, Albania. www.punetejashtme.gov.al;
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