Prime Minister Victor Ponta (photo R) sees Albania as a potential beneficiary of Romania’s surplus energy. After meeting his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama on Friday, Ponta declared they have discussed a possibility of ‘concrete collaboration’ on energy, Agerpres reports.
‘We have discussed a possible concrete collaboration in the energy domain. Romania has a surplus of energy and Albania could benefit from it, to the extent that we find a contract solution. The Commercial Bureau we have recently opened in Tirana will also have the task of intensifying the economic relation,’ Ponta said in a joint media statement with Rama at Victoria Palace.
The head of the Romanian Executive also mentioned the signing of an agreement on the collaboration in social protection and the fact that ‘the concerned ministers of the two countries will submit proposals to their governments for improving the relations in the fields of education, cultural relations and shared cultural heritage.’
‘Romania wants to keep playing a significant regional role, to continue its excellent relations both with countries that are already members of the European Union and with all the countries that follow the path of European integration. Just like Albania’s integration into NATO represented a strong support for the whole region, the integration of all the Western Balkans countries into the European Union will represent a great support and advantage for Romania,’ Ponta added.
Albania’s PM Rama: I came here repeatedly with demand of recognition of Kosovo independence
Albanian Prime minister Edi Rama said on Friday, after official talks with Romanian Prime minister Victor Ponta, that he has asked Romania once again to recognise the independence of Kosovo and support this state.
“I come here repeatedly with the demand of recognition of Kosovo independence and also with the demand that Romania gives permanent support so that this country will become a member of the countries of whose family it is part of. We are certain that the problem of recognising the state of Kosovo is not only a bilateral issue, but a common problem, which regards us all, in support to the guarantee of the regional safety and to blur certain trends and frustrations from other neighbour countries,” the Albanian Prime minister said.
PM Rama announces Albanian students could study in Romania in IT sector, on scholarships
Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama, at the Government House, on Friday, during a joint statement session with his Romanian counterpart, underscored the importance of signing the agreement between the two countries in the social protection area, but also the future collaboration on a governmental level in the area of education, aimed at granting a number of scholarships to Albanian students who will study in Romania in the IT sector.
The Albanian Prime Minister reiterated the good relation between the two governments and brought to mind that, following the visit the Romanian Prime Minister paid last year to Albania, part of the agreed bilateral projects have begun being implemented.
“During the discussions carried out today I have also said we initiated the implementing and substantiation of some of the already discussed projects. We have signed a very important agreement in the area of social protection, which guarantees all Albanians working in Romania the ensuring of their social contributions in Romania. Mutually, Romanians who work or have worked in Albania are guaranteed the same conditions concerning their social contributions,” the Albanian Prime minister said.
Edi Rama also pointed out the fact that the two Governments reached a final stage of the discussions on projects aimed at a collaboration between the Education Ministries of the two countries “on granting a number of scholarships to some Albanian students who will study in Romania in the IT sector.”
“Moreover, we have talked, something also under discussion within the European Commission, about making up a network of experts in our administration and institutions, who will help us in the process of Albania’s European integration. We are speaking of those experts who have already brought their contribution and helped Romania and other countries in their pre-accession stage. Certainly, these experts voiced their promptness to come to Tirana, to concretely help us in our integration process, but also to contemplate the beauties of the nature and landscape of Albania,” Edi Rama also said.
Chairman of Romania’s Senate meets Albanian PM Edi Rama
Chairman of Romania’s Senate Calin Popescu-Tariceanu on Friday met visiting Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama.
According to a press release of the Senate, during the meeting, Tariceanu addressed Romanian-Albanian cooperation in a bilateral framework, both through the prism of Albania’s prospects for accession to the European Union and in terms of economic and cultural exchanges.
“The Senate Chairman congratulated the Albanian officials on Albania’s becoming an EU candidate country in 2014 and also on its progress of late related to the start of negotiations. At the same time, Tariceanu underscored that as far as political and economic security and stability are concerned, it is important to Albania and the Western Balkans and the entire European continent that Albania becomes an EU member state. To this end, the chairman recommended sustained continuation of domestic structural reforms for the beginning of the negotiations,” reads the press release.
In his turn, the Albanian Prime Minister thanked Romania for support in the accession process, saying that there is a favourable moment in the bilateral relationship that must be capitalised upon to develop economic and cultural cooperation through Romanian investments in Albania, through scholarships awarded to Albanian students to study in Romania and also by increasing the number of Romanian tourists to Albania.
Toward the end of the meeting, the Albanian officials extended an invitation to Tariceanu to pay an official visit to Albania, in the name of the chairman of the Albanian Parliament, the quoted source adds.
Also attending the meeting on behalf of the Romanian Senate was Senator Titus Corlatean of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), who chairs the joint committee of the Romanian Parliament on Romania’s accession to the Schengen area and is also a member on the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Affairs. The Albanian delegation also included Minister of Labour and Social Security Erion Veliaj and Albanian MPs, Agerpres informs.
Romanian, Albanian Labour Ministers sign agreement on social security
The Labour ministers of Romania and Albania, Rovana Plumb and Erion Veliaj, respectively have signed an agreement on social security on Friday, at the Victoria Palace, in the presence of the two prime ministers, Victor Ponta and his counterpart, Edi Rama.
Romania’s Prime Minister Victor Ponta saluted the new visit to Bucharest of the Albanian Prime minister Edi Rama and assured the latter of Romanian Government’s full support as regards Albania’s European path. Ponta highlighted it is important that the Tirana authorities take over the good practices used by Romania in the process of EU integration and, also to learn from mistakes in this field made by the Bucharest governments.
“Should you succeed to do all the good things Romania has done all the way to the European Union integration and avoid its mistakes, you’ll make it faster and better than we did,” the Romanian Prime minister said.
The Albanian Prime Minister underlined, in his turn the significant moment of the bilateral political, economic and social relations between Romania and Albania, and stressed the availability of the Tirana government to take over from the Romanian side the good practices in respect of EU integration.
Edi Rama also thanked for the availability of the Romanian Government to signing the agreement regarding the social security between the two states.
