The Speaker of Parliament, Lindita Nikolla has received the support of Germany and the President of the Bundestag, Bärbel Bas for Albania's integration into the EU. 

President Bas and Speaker Nikolla discussed the progress of bilateral and parliamentary cooperation, the process of integration of Albania and the Western Balkans into the European Union, regional cooperation and the impact of the war in Ukraine in the Western Balkans. 
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"Albania has met the conditions and recommendations for the integration process and the First Intergovernmental Conference must be held immediately. You have the constant and unstinting support of Germany, the Bundestag and mine. When a country performs its tasks, it is the EU's duty to take the decision to hold the Intergovernmental Conference immediately. You are moving forward with the advancement of reforms and good governance, and the Bundestag encourages you to continue to do so. The Bundestag is ready to assist the Parliament with expertise to increase transparency, accountability, parliamentary oversight, the functioning of investigative committees and the modernization of parliamentary services," said the President of the Bundestag. 

After thanking President Bas for the very warm and friendly reception, President Nikolla underlined that Albania and Germany have an excellent political cooperation. Such is the intensive cooperation between the Assembly and the Bundestag. 

"I express my gratitude for the contribution of the Bundestag in supporting the reforms for economic development, advancing and deepening the democratization and integration reforms, in particular the justice reform, as well as the monitoring with German experts of the Vetting process. Germany's contribution through grants, soft loans and technical assistance in the sectors of energy, infrastructure, sustainable development, environment, vocational education, etc., is an important resource for the development of Albania. We highly appreciate Germany's commitment and support on our path to the EU, as a strong promoter and supporter of the opening of membership negotiations with Albania and Northern Macedonia. We are confident that this support will continue for the holding of the First Intergovernmental Conference within the French Presidency of the EU. The merit-based enlargement approach, for both aspiring countries and member states, should separate the bilateral problems from the framework of negotiations with the EU," Nikolla stressed. 

President Nikolla acquainted President Bas with the achievements of Albania in fulfilling the recommendations of the European Council and the Bundestag, focusing on justice reform, electoral reform, the fight against organized crime and corruption, protection and respect for fundamental human rights and of minorities, public administration reform, etc. 

"Joining the European family is a popular desire. It is important that the EU and the countries of the Western Balkans work together to accelerate the integration process to avoid non-Western and undemocratic influences in the region. With the return of the opposition to the Assembly, parliamentary activity has normalized. I am doing my best for the opposition to have its space, role and voice in the Parliament because a strong opposition is the premise for a healthy government, for increasing transparency, accountability and parliamentary control," said the Speaker. 

Speaker Lindita Nikolla underlined that Albania continues to contribute as an engine and leader of regional cooperation. As an active participant and beneficiary of the Berlin Process, Albania believes that this process should be strengthened and economic and trade cooperation between the countries of the Western Balkans should be strengthened and expanded. 

The "Open Balkans" initiative, as a cooperation between the three countries of the region, Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia, aims to implement as soon as possible the four fundamental freedoms of the EU and to complement the cooperation between these countries in the framework of regional initiatives. 

Albania strongly supports the resumption of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, in coordination with Kosovo's strategic partners, the EU and the US. Nikolla praised the efforts of special envoys of the EU, Great Britain, Germany and the US for Dialogue and the Western Balkans. 

Focusing on Russia's illegal, unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine, Nikolla noted that Albania supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. This aggression is challenging the European security architecture, global order, regional stability and security, interethnic coexistence, democratic reforms and social cohesion in the countries of the region as well. As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Albania continues to lobby to secure the widest possible support for Ukraine and to support the German proposal to establish a Global Food Safety Alliance to address the global food crisis. Albania participated in the International Donors' Conference in Warsaw and was among the 38 states that referred crimes in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court. 

Speaker Nikolla also thanked President Bas for the important financial support of Germany for the reconstruction process for overcoming the consequences of the earthquake of November 26, 2019 and in coping with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Speaker Nikolla and President Bas also discussed the experiences of increasing gender representation in governance, parliamentary life and the development of the country. She invited President Bärbel Bas on an official visit to Albania. President Bas gladly accepted the invitation and promised to come to Albania as soon as possible and at the same time invited President Nikolla to jointly visit the Land of North Rhine-Westpalia, where she was elected as a member of the Bundestag.