Tirana, September 10, 2024 - The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Igli Hasani, participated in the 10th edition of the Tirana Connectivity Forum (TCF24), organized by the Cooperation and Development Institute, under the patronage of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

In his opening remarks, Minister Hasani emphasized that in the region, among neighbors, common geopolitical, economic, and social objectives must be a priority, and that the mechanisms of the Berlin Process need to be better integrated with those of the European Union.

"The war in Ukraine strongly highlighted the importance of regional stability and prosperity, along with the alignment of the region with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). Monitoring the systematic implementation of the Berlin Process commitments to create more engagement and sustainable results will be of utmost importance. The EU and the Western Balkans must be more open to finding pathways for accelerated integration before full membership. Being de jure part of the EU's normative context and the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy, and de facto part of its socio-economic sphere, we must acknowledge this reality and make enlargement tangible," Minister Hasani emphasized.

Speaking on regional cooperation, Minister Hasani noted that convergence with the EU is an essential instrument for the shared European perspective. He stressed that the ongoing discussion on the EU's Cohesion Policy and the new multi-annual financial framework post-2027 could serve as the tools through which these proposals will play their role in gradually bringing the Western Balkans closer to and into the European Union.

TCF24 coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Berlin Process and is part of the official calendar of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.