Albanian delegation visits Croatia’s Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure

with the Albanian delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance, Belinda Ikonomi, accompanied by the President of the Community Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ines Mucostepa , Ministerial Advisers, Majlind Demko and Erald Shtyllab and in the presence of representatives of the diplomatic corps of Albania in Croatia. During the working meeting, Mihotić and Ikonomi expressed mutual satisfaction with the current interstate relations, especially regarding further strengthening of mutual cooperation and exchange of knowledge and experience with the aim of realization of capital infrastructure projects, in road construction, railway sector, port capacities, air transport and knowledge and the experience of protecting and preserving the coastal zone through good quality and economical management of the maritime domain and the system of navigation safety and the protection of the sea from pollution. The Albanian delegation expressed particular interest with regard to Croatia’s experiences and practices in the processes that preceded Croatia’s EU membership, which could be of great importance to Albania on its path to European integration. In this regard, a consensus was reached on further friendly co-operation and Croatian support for Albania, based on a good long-standing co-operation between the two countries, which will continue mutual efforts to further improve their relations. State Secretary Mihotic highlighted the key challenges that Croatia faced before and during its membership in the European Union, especially from the aspect of the line Ministry, which in its scope manages major infrastructure projects, but also supervises the work of key state and public companies in all segments of traffic. The meeting highlighted the possibility of co-financing significant projects with EU funds, and discussed the Croatian experience and knowledge gained from the use of funds under pre-accession funds, in which the Ministry also has significant experience that may be of use to Albanian counterparts. . At the conclusion of the meeting, both delegations stressed the importance of intensifying economic co-operation through the exchange of goods between the two countries, with transport links being one of the key factors for improving interstate relations. Deputy Minister Ikonomi thanked the Croatian delegation for the meeting and conveyed the gratitude of the Albanian Government to the Republic of Croatia for showing solidarity and readiness to provide all available assistance to the Albanian people after the severe earthquake that hit Albania recently, causing severe human and material damage. Source: Government of Croatia