News

On 2 March, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius met with the Ambassador of Albania to Lithuania Shpresa Kureta, who resides in Poland. The officials discussed the political dialogue between Lithuania and Albania, cooperation in multilateral forums, prospects for strengthening economic relations between the two countries, and regional security issues.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister voiced Lithuania’s strong support for the integration of Albania into the European Union. Linkevičius also backs the European Commission’s recommendation of November 2016 for member states of the European Union to open accession talks with Albania, when the country meets the key criteria for accession.

Linkevičius commended Albania for its consistent alignment with all the EU’s common foreign and security policy positions, as evidenced by the country’s clear choice to share our common values.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister and the Ambassador of Albania discussed the security situation and challenges facing the Western Balkans and Baltic countries. Linkevičius expressed his gladness that Albania, the country that stood in solidarity with us as a NATO member country, would send its troops to a NATO multinational battalion in Latvia.

This year, Lithuania and Albania mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations. Albania became a NATO member in 2009. In 2014, the European Union granted Albania candidate status.