The Minister of the Interior, Bledi Çuçi, has shed a lot of light in parliament on Thursday on the draft law “On the ratification of the agreement, between the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania and the Government of Montenegro, for the opening of the joint point of the border crossing Saint Nicholas- Pulaj for international road traffic and the performance of joint border control activities”.

“The opening of this common border crossing point will give a new breath and benefits, not only for the residents of the areas around the Buna River, but also an alternative impulse for the free movement of people and the development of a more cohesive tourist ecosystem. on both sides of the border”  Mr. Çuçi said.

According to him, “the movement of the residents of the areas of Subshkodra, an integral part of the Shkodra Municipality and the areas of Ulcinj from the side of Montenegro, the Highlands of Kraja, will be facilitated”.
The Ministry of the Interior said that “the distance will be significantly shortened and the flow of entry and exit will be reduced at the common border crossing point in Muriqan. Today this distance is 70 km and with the investment in the infrastructure, with the construction of the new bridge, an agreement which we passed here in the parliament, this distance will be only 310 m,”  Mr. Çuçi said.

For the Albanian interior minister, this project and the new connecting point will also impact the international reputation of tourism in the Balkan region. “Albania is a country where tourism has already received an extraordinary development and is growing year after year, and any investment in infrastructure that helps this sector is always more than welcome,” Mr. Çuçi said.

Albania and Montenegro estimate that the establishment of joint border crossing points where the “one-stop-shop” principle is applied, as will be applied at the joint border crossing point Saint Nicholas-Pulajne, is considered one of the highest levels of cross-border cooperation between the two countries. “The application of the standards of the Schengen countries brings us closer to the European family,” Minister Çuçi added.

The interior minister said that “in our assessment, all border crossing points on the state border between Albania and Montenegro should be like this, that is common border crossing points. the experience so far has shown the advantages and direct benefits of carrying out joint border crossing procedures. We are working with the Montenegrin side to change the status of the other border points we have to turn them into common points. The opening of the other common point, that of the border crossing in the village of Zogaj is not only in our interest, but also of Montenegrins.”  

/k.s/