Bilateral relations between Cyprus and Albania, Albania’s European path, and regional and international developments were at the centre of talks held in Nicosia on Thursday between Cyprus Foreign Affairs Minister Constantinos Kombos and Albania’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ferit Hoxha.
Kombos noted that this year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, saying that recent high-level contacts reflect “growing political momentum” in bilateral relations.
He said the two sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to further deepening cooperation and agreed to intensify both political and technical dialogue at all levels.
Referring to Albania’s EU accession process, Kombos said Cyprus had committed to acting as an “honest broker and facilitator” of Albania’s reform efforts.
“Today, I firmly believe that Albania stands closer than ever to its European future. There is still work to be done, but rest assured that Cyprus will continue to act as an honest broker and facilitator throughout this process,” he said.
On the Western Balkans, the Cypriot Foreign Minister described the region as “a priority for the European Union”, adding that “the enlargement process must advance in a way that creates a positive environment both for the European Union and for the countries concerned.”
Turning to the Cyprus issue, Kombos said he had briefed his Albanian counterpart on the latest developments and reiterated the Republic of Cyprus’ commitment to the resumption of meaningful negotiations within the framework of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the principles of the European Union.
He also thanked Albania for “its principled stance and European position” on the Cyprus issue.
For his part, Hoxha described Cyprus’ Presidency of the Council of the European Union as “highly successful”, saying the country had “played a significant role in advancing the European Union’s agenda.”
He also expressed Albania’s appreciation for the priority the Cypriot Presidency had attached to the EU enlargement process and its adherence to the merit-based approach, stressing that Cyprus’ support for enlargement and Albania’s European path “has our sincere appreciation.”
Referring to Albania’s accession negotiations, Hoxha said that “thanks to Cyprus’ guidance and leadership, Albania completed the first phase of the accession process.”
On bilateral relations, he said the two countries had agreed to further expand cooperation in tourism, energy, technology, agriculture and services, while strengthening contacts between their respective business communities and chambers of commerce.
He also welcomed the forthcoming launch of a direct air link between Nicosia and Tirana.
On international developments, Hoxha underlined that Albania remains “fully aligned” with the European Union regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine and continues to support Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
Regarding the Middle East, he said Albania remains aligned with the European Union’s position and supports efforts to relaunch the political process with the aim of achieving “a just and lasting peace.”
Replying to a question on Albania’s future contribution to European security following its accession to the European Union, Hoxha said his country, as a NATO member, is actively contributing to strengthening the Alliance’s European pillar and has committed to gradually increasing defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.
He added that Albania’s defence-related spending is expected to reach 2.6% of GDP this year, describing this as “a substantial contribution”, while stressing that the country is “100% aligned” with the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy.