The address of President Topi at the Southeastern Europe Cooperation Process Meeting of heads of states
June 30th, 2011 Budva, Montenegro Seizing this opportunity I would like to point out that our presidential Summit is also a positive message conveyed to our citizens, because it re-iterates the friendship and high level of cooperation. We are speaking about a common European space and today we witness the increasing enhancement of the European and regional cooperation space which serves the interest of every country and every inhabitant. A significant part of this historical transformation is the regional component in the framework of South Eastern Europe cooperation process. SEECP was baptized fifteen years ago, as an initiative of a number of countries and today it unites every country of our region. The initial idea presented a challenge to the then dramatic developments taking place at the half of our region, but at the present day the results of SEECP confirm the extraordinary transformations that have taken place in each of our countries and in our entire region. There have been new developments in our region between the time space of each Summit: there were initially wars and conflicts and then the process of establishing peace began, then there was the foundation of new states, two countries were admitted into the European Union, then a few other countries were accepted in NATO and there were many regional integration and cooperation processes marked and recently it was assigned a date for the European Union accession of a regional country: of Croatia. Seizing this opportunity, on behalf of the Albanian state I would like to wholeheartedly congratulate the Croatian President about this historical success of his country, by assessing it once again as an important historical development for our region itself. We will have one added voice in the European Union and Albania, which aims to be a member, will manage to gain more from the Croatian integration model and experience. In this positive regional balance sheet, the SEECP initiative takes a special place as the main political forum of Southeastern Europe. In its framework and under its spirit our countries established a positive model of cooperation based upon the common interests and challenges for regional security, stability and understanding. ***
Since the last SEECP Summit, Albania has marked a positive progress balance sheet regarding both the objectives and the spirit of the principals of the Initiative and also the domestic developments. There are a series of specialized European institutions’ reports that evidence the progress marked in the field of economic and institutional reforms, in increasing the action of the law and rule of law, in progressing in the fight against corruption and the increasingly more professional and independent action of the constitutional institutions. We still face difficulties connected to the capability of political actors to behave in a more cooperative and European manner regarding issues of the daily political debate and interest, but however we have experienced a tangible increase of the public sensitizing about what must serve as the European political agenda and priorities of Albania and what is the responsibility of the political decision-makers on such issues. In the aspect of foreign policy and the issues of inter-state and European integration cooperation, in the relations with the neighboring countries and problems connected to such issues, I am glad to observe that all the Albanian political factors share the unanimity. This position has further strengthened the space and action role of the Albanian state serving the good neighboring policy, friendly policy as well and the active regional partnership. Albania firmly believes on the common European integration and that is why it is giving and will offer even in the future its active contribution to meet this scope. ***
As the chairman in office of SEECP, Montenegro determined certain working priorities about which we have marked tangible achievements. There is no doubt that the future chairmen in office and our common commitments to SEECP will continue on this path. However, this is an opportunity for me to stress that SEECP as any other regional and European initiative needs to adapt and to accept the new political realities in Southeastern Europe and the still open issues of the regional or inter-state relations. Please allow me to dwell upon three issues which I think are important and are related to the overall situation of regional security, stability and cooperation. The first issue is that of the young state of Kosova. The same as the majority of the EU member states, the same as the United States or the majority of the other democratic countries in the world, Albania thinks that the foundation of the young state of Kosova marked an historical and legitimate event and offered a long-term and real contribution to our region’s peace, stability and democracy. Since the proclamation of the independence of Kosova, it has demonstrated to be determined in establishing the European model of a multi-ethnical and multi-religious state, where the civil rights are appreciated and respected and upheld and where the tragic events forcibly imposed in the past did not obstacle its willingness to search and create friendship and cooperation relations with the majority of the regional countries. Albania urges and encourages the dialogue initiated between Prishtina and Belgrade and greatly hopes that it would enable to accept the new political and state realities in the region in order to build reciprocal bridges of cooperation between the two neighboring countries that aspire, the same as we, the Euro-Atlantic integration. Albania assesses that any other idea or theory which views the future of Kosova or any other Balkans country through scenarios of partition of exclusion remains unacceptable and what is most important, remains a destabilizing source for the region itself. Albania would like to enjoy friendship and cooperation with every regional country the same as it believes and supports the great need faced by all the SEECP members to recognize the new political and state realities in the region. Kosova is a young state, a new reality which must be accepted and supported in all the regional interstate initiatives and forums and even beyond those. Any other refusing position, especially in the common regional initiatives threatens our principals of cooperation and imposes the member countries to review their priorities regarding the regional commitments. The second issue which I would like to bring to your attention is Macedonia. We support the accession of Macedonia and Montenegro in NATO and believe that the full Euro-Atlantic integration benefits the very regional peace and democratic stability. The third issue which has been actively dealt with during the Montenegrin chairmanship is the economic aspect of the regional cooperation. The balance sheet of the trading exchanges is marking an increase, but our economies are still running into difficulties in the framework of a sustainable market and regional and European economic situation. Any economic growth or crisis wave in our continent naturally reflects upon the economies of our countries. In this framework the economic crisis of a European Union country cannot pass through without producing consequences for our countries as well, especially for its neighboring countries and those that enjoy a sustainable trading partnership with those countries. Facing the domestic economical reforms and the cost of regional or other economic crisis presents a double and difficult challenge to our modest economies. Hence I think that we feel the need to have a greater enlargement of the regional economic space by entwining with the European space and a greater presence of the European Union and its main composing states economic programs and also of the European policies that would assist with developing technology and programs the huge projects of infrastructure, energy, information technology, etc. ***
Once again I would like to praise the balance sheet of the regional exchanges and cooperation in all the respective fields in the framework of SEECP. Regardless of the levels of the development and integration, our challenges and interests remain common ones not only in the regional and political field, but also regarding tangible issues such as the fight against organized crime, judicial matters, police and military cooperation, cultural and university exchanges, inter-religious and civil dialogue, etc. From this viewpoint, SEECP remains a success story and it will enjoy even in the future our full attention and support.
