In a joint conference with Prime Minister Edi Rama from Brussels, the Hungarian Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó, said that the union's aim is to close the Western Balkans membership process as soon as possible after long years of waiting.
According to him, the European Union owes respect to the Western Balkans because in almost 3 decades it has failed to make it a part of itself, blocking the integration process time and time again thanks to inappropriate policies.
"We think that we should speed up the expansion and access policies for the countries of the Western Balkans. We are neighbors of the Western Balkans and we understand very well the concerns of the region and the importance of peace and development in this region. We have been waiting for access for almost 50 years and this is not the right thing. We owe these countries some respect and this process has had dates constantly pushed back and there has been nothing but gridlock for nearly 15 years we have seen neither action nor significant steps forward towards expansion so we would like to for all BP countries to be part of the EU", declared Szijjártó.
Regarding the journey of Albania, which today opened Chapter VI at the third intergovernmental conference, Szijjártó said that the country has made progress in two months in the Hungarian presidency of the EU Council, more than it had achieved in the last 15 years.
"In the last 15 years, you've heard about the merit-based approach, which has been there. In the last 6 months we have made all our efforts to speed up the expansion process. Since 2009, Albania has submitted its application for membership. In 2014, the country obtained candidate status and in 2022, negotiations began and the foundation for negotiations was laid only under the Hungarian presidency. In just two months we have had two intergovernmental conferences, two groups of chapters have been opened and this is unprecedented speed. More has happened in the last 2 months than in the last 15 years. This shows success for Albania, the Hungarian presidency and the EU. Albania has shown excellence for the 6 chapters that will be in this chapter group for foreign relations and security, so we are opening this chapter today. This chapter set is important to open. It is important for the BP countries and Albania itself, as its membership would strengthen the EU, seeing also the economic progress it has made and Hungarian companies are now part of the Albanian market. One of the Hungarian Telecom companies maintains an important role in the Albanian economy", said the Hungarian Foreign Minister. (A2 Televizion)
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