Political and economic cooperation between North Macedonia and Albania, as well as the joint contribution of the two countries to regional cooperation and economic development were in the focus of Thursday’s talks between Deputy PM for Economic Affairs Fatmir Bytyqi and Albanian Ambassador to North Macedonia Fatos Reka. Bytyqi pointed out that North Macedonia and Albania are an example of good cooperation between countries in the region.

He stressed that the two countries are leaders in the processes for promoting business conditions, implemented through the parallel processes of the ‘Open Balkan’ initiative and the Berlin Process, whose basis is to increase competitiveness of each of the countries and the whole region of the Western Balkans and facilitating the region’s full integration in the European Union, the Deputy PM’s office said in a press release.

Discussing the bilateral economic cooperation, adds the press release, the two welcomed the growth rates and trade turnover, as well as export and import, which reached a record high in 2021. In addition, the interlocutors agreed there’s much greater potential to promote cooperation in several economic areas, as well as possibilities to realize investments by companies from Albania in North Macedonia and vice versa, which would lead to additional movements in trade.

Bytyqi also stressed that North Macedonia works intensively on the implementation of several infrastructure capital projects to provide better road, rail and energy connection with Albania, which is yet another solid basis to promote the economic cooperation between the two countries. Participants in the meeting voiced readiness and openness to continue and intensify mutual communication in promoting economic cooperation and creating even stronger relations between the two friendly countries, the press release reads.

Source: MIA