The Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Annalena Baerbock, declared today in Tirana that the time has come for the European Union to keep the promises made by the European Union, while adding that the pace of integration into the European Union should be accelerated.

Baerbock stated that “It is a pleasure that the Summit of the Berlin Process will be held for the first time in the region, where it is at home, here in Albania in the heart of the Western Balkans. “On Monday, I was together with my colleagues from the EU and the EC in Kiev, where there was enthusiasm for Europe,” she said.

Baerbock emphasized that it is clear that the region’s future belongs to Europe”.

“If Europe does not come to them, they will find out a way to it. Therefore, we all need to speed up the pace of EU integration. The visit to Kiev has made it clear to us that Russia’s attack on the changes in the EU and the Western Balkans region is necessary in the dimension of geopolitics”, she said.

The German chief diplomat emphasized that in this context, young people rightly expect from us.

“They want to break free from the chains of the past and have perspective on their future. The opening of a branch of the College of Europe in Tirana, a symbolic European institution, shows that Albania has arrived safely in our European family. Germany will also allocate 300 thousand euros to the fund for building bridges between young  artists of the Western Balkans, paving the way for reconciliation”, she added.

“For the first time, young people can visit one-another without having to invest a lot. Their degrees are equally valid. We want to walk side by side with you towards the EU. For this, we need new and related reforms in the region, but also the rest of us together within the EU. The time has come to keep the promises we made a long time ago”, Baerbock was quoted as saying.

/k.s/