Albanian PM "wants to deepen collaboration" with Serbia

"We want to deepen collaboration with Serbia and advance together on the path of peace, cooperation and integration in the EU," says Albanian PM Edi Rama.
Source: B92, AFP, Tanjug Monday, May 25, 2015 | 15:27

(Tanjug, file)

He spoke for AFP ahead of Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic's visit to Tirana this week, the first ever of a Serbian prime minister.
Vucic will "have talks with his counterpart on Wednesday and will be speaking Thursday at an economic forum in which regional country leaders are participating," the French agency reported, noting that Rama six months ago visited Belgrade as the first Albanian prime minister in 68 years.

AFP said that "relations between Serbians and Albanians are strained over the question of Kosovo," describing it as "a territory with an ethnic Albanian majority that declared independence from Serbia in 2008, with the support of the United States, but remains unrecognized by Belgrade and its ally Russia, as well as others."

According to announcements, Vucic and Rama will have a meeting, followed by that of the two delegations, while the prime minister will later hold a press conference.

According to the Albanian ATA agency, the Vienna Economic Forum on Thursday will gather "prime minister from several Adriatic and Black Sea countries."

In an interview for B92 late on Sunday, Vucic said that Albania and Albanians are "in expansion, both economic and political," and that Serbia should maintain good relations and attempt to have as much investments as possible in that country, "and a trade surplus."

On May 21 Vucic said that he was optimistic ahead of his trip to Albania and that he would go there to build good relations and discuss "all the things that currently divide us that can be bridged so that the differences are not so great."