On May 24th, 2024, Cătălin Predoiu, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs, had a meeting with H.E. Enkeleda Mërkuri, the ambassador of the Republic of Albania in Bucharest.
During the discussions, the two dignitaries evoked the similar visions of the two sides, on topics of interest at the regional and European level, starting from the historical, traditional bound relations that create a solid foundation for future development.
The Romanian official emphasized the very good relations that exist between the two ministries, at the political and technical level, the active contacts on various topics of common interest, expressing the interest in intensifying police cooperation, the exchange of data and information in order to combat organized crime, with an emphasis on drug trafficking. He emphasized that the Romanian-Albanian relations in the field of internal affairs have registered an upward dynamic recently, with the two ministers having an official meeting within the high-level segment of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), organized during the time period March 14th -15th, 2024 in Vienna.
Fighting drug trafficking is the MIA’s main priority at the moment, with hundreds of operations being launched to destroy networks that endanger, through their actions, the future of a generation. Minister Predoiu emphasized that the subject, being a transnational phenomenon, is also extremely sensitive at the EU level, being addressed in different formats, the Belgian Presidency recently launching the Alliance of Ports, an initiative that tries to intensify the fight against drug trafficking. Success is guaranteed if we improve cooperation by setting up joint investigation teams made up of professionals from both ministries. In this context, it was agreed to organize, in the next period, an operative meeting at the level of the heads of the National Police from the two countries.
Her Excellency, Mrs. Ambassador, thanked for the exemplary cooperation between the two ministries, recalling the fact that Albania is in full negotiation process for joining the EU and requesting Romania’s support for meeting the technical criteria and aligning the legislation with the Community acquis. He conveyed the appreciation for our country’s support in Albania’s European journey and for the permanent interest in promoting stability and development in the Western Balkans region.
He also reminded that Romania is an important partner in the region, the regional cooperation formats in which the two states are active and emphasized the need to develop new opportunities and synergies through these platforms. He expressed his satisfaction for the development of business and tourism, conveying his appreciation for maintaining the alert pace of the development of bilateral relations in the recent period.
Minister Predoiu assured that our country will continue to support Albania’s efforts, through the transfer of expertise, know-how issues, support for the training of human resources, but also the development of joint projects under the EU umbrella. He also added that another area in which Albania can be part of the solution at the European level is the fight against illegal migration, a topic that is repeatedly on the European agenda. The ambassador pointed out that Albania has the experience of very good cooperation with Italy, France, and the Netherlands in this field and expressed the desire to intensify cooperation with Romania on this level as well.
Mr. Deputy Prime Minister also mentioned the need to complete the restitution procedures, to the Romanian state, of the Iorga House in Saranda and emphasized the desire of the Romanian authorities to resolve, amicably, this matter of interest for Romania.
