It is with great honor and pleasure that I welcome to Athens the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, Elisa Spiropali.
Dear Elisa, we know each other and have worked together in the past in our previous capacities. I am particularly pleased that one of your first visits abroad after assuming your new duties is to Greece, a fact which demonstrates the importance you attach to good neighborly relations.
Greece and Albania are connected by long-standing ties of friendship and cooperation. We do, of course, acknowledge that we have also gone through difficult moments and trials.
However, our shared geography and the current geopolitical situation require to look ahead. We must work closely to improve our relations.
We firmly believe that where there is a will, there is a way.
For this reason, we must focus on what unites us for the benefit of stability and prosperity in the region, and view the future of our bilateral relations with vision.
Indeed, the indigenous Greek National Minority in Albania continues to serve as a bridge of communication and understanding and constitutes the uninterrupted link between our two peoples.
Equally important in this direction is the contribution of Albanian migrants who live and prosper in Greece, having demonstrated a considerably significant degree of functional integration into Greek society.
With the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania, we had the opportunity to exchange views on issues of regional and international interest, on our cooperation within NATO and the United Nations, as well as in other international organizations and fora.
One of the main issues addressed in today’s discussions was the Enlargement, which we all recognize as a geopolitical necessity for the European Union.
As at our recent meeting in Vienna, where we met within the framework of the Friends of the Western Balkans group, I emphasized the importance of giving new momentum to the European perspective of the Western Balkans.
Greece, through the Thessaloniki Agenda, was a pioneer in promoting the idea of the integration of the Western Balkans into the European family. Twenty-two years later, Greece remains at the forefront of this effort. With the Greek Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2027 on the horizon, we are ready to undertake initiatives to accelerate the European path of the Western Balkans.
We are convinced that the integration of the Western Balkans into the European family constitutes the only path toward creating an environment of peace and security in a region with a long history of divisions and conflicts.
It will also contribute to overcoming the risks posed by undue external interventions, as well as by the resurgence of stereotypical perceptions and outdated nationalist and revisionist rhetoric—elements that do not contribute to building trust and good neighborly relations.
Greece remains consistent with its declared position on the convergence of the Western Balkans with the EU, based on own merits and reforms. In this regard, we welcome Albania's progress, which led this year to the opening of the accession negotiation chapters, where Greece adopted a truly constructive stance.
Within this framework, we attach particular importance to the fulfillment of all relevant obligations, especially with regard to the "Fundamentals”, progress in which determines the overall pace of negotiations.
Particular care must be taken to the respect for the protection and safeguarding of the rights of the indigenous Greek National Minority, which constitutes a major priority for us and, more broadly, a crucial dimension for the consolidation of the rule of law.
We have already agreed to strengthen our cooperation within the framework of the operation of the State Cadastres, with the aim of granting property titles in the fastest way possible, in areas of interest to the Greek minority.
Honorable Minister,
At our meeting today, we agreed that there is significant scope for quantitative and substantive expansion of an already multifaceted cooperation, particularly in areas such as trade, connectivity, energy, investments, cross-border cooperation, tourism, education, and culture.
Moreover, almost all the issues that concern the contemporary world and in particular the multiple challenges, including in the fields of security, the climate crisis, and connectivity transcend national borders and require consultation and joint action at the regional and broader international level, all the more so between two countries with a long tradition of coexistence and cooperation within our shared geographical space.
Dear Minister, I welcome you once again to Athens, wish you every success in your new duties, and look forward to our close cooperation for the benefit of our two peoples.
December 16, 2025