TIRANA, December 22 – Foreign Minister Elisa Spiropali said in Skopje that Albania marked a significant achievement by opening 33 negotiation chapters in just 13 months. She made the statement during an official visit to North Macedonia.

Spiropali spoke at a joint press conference with North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Timčo Mucunski. She stressed the shared will to build an even closer cooperation agenda between the two countries in 2026.

She said this agenda should have no limits. It should include European integration, infrastructure, energy, the economy, security, education, and culture. In addition, she highlighted the importance of strengthening people-to-people contacts.

According to Spiropali, these ties promoted good neighborly relations. She said they also turned the Albanian–North Macedonian space into an axis of stability and opportunity for the region.

Meanwhile, Spiropali said European integration remained the top priority of Albania’s foreign policy and the Albanian nation.

She noted that Albania opened 33 negotiation chapters in 13 months. She added that the 2025 Progress Report clearly assessed deep reforms. These reforms focused on the rule of law, the functioning of justice institutions, the fight against corruption, and respect for minority rights.

Spiropali said the report confirmed that Albania followed the right path. She added that the country’s European future remained inseparable from the Western Balkans’ trajectory.

She emphasized that the enlargement process did not represent a race among candidate countries. Instead, she described it as a shared path toward an inevitable destination and a natural belonging for the region’s peoples.

Finally, Spiropali reaffirmed Albania’s full support for North Macedonia’s European path. She said progress in standards, functional justice, and strong institutions strengthened stability and security across the region.

/a.p./