OREANDA-NEWS. April 06, 2010. At the meeting held today with Sali Berisha, the Prime Minister of Albania, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip expressed strong support for all necessary reforms that bring the country closer to joining the European Union. With respect to the cooperation possibilities between the two countries, both Prime Ministers saw the greatest potential in the field of information and communication technology.

Prime Minister Ansip assured Prime Minister Berisha that Estonia supports the development of Albania in the direction of the European Union and is ready to share relevant experience in reforms. According to Ansip, Estonia’s experience showed that during accession to the European Union, homework and the consistent implementation of reforms are of crucial importance. “Estonia’s experience in reforms was positive, but we conducted the reforms for our own sake, not for others”, he stressed. At the same time, Prime Minister Ansip stated that accession to the EU requires the fulfilment of not only economical, but political criteria as well. “The establishment and preservation of democracy is a continuous process and requires daily work that must be done in every country that appreciates welfare.”

Prime Minister Ansip also expressed his support for Albania’s aspirations towards meeting all technical criteria for establishing visa freedom with the European Union. The process of Albania joining the European Union began in January 2003. In the European Commission progress report, published in October of last year, it was noted that the country has managed to move forward with important key political reforms. During 2009, the support of the public for accession to the EU has increased to almost 90 per cent, which is the highest in the region.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Berisha thanked Estonia for the support already given to Albania and stated that fruitful cooperation is expected especially in the field of information and communication technology. According to him, Albania is mainly interested in Estonia’s experience in the field of e-governance and public e-services. In Berisha’s words, the digitalisation of the country is one of the top priorities of the government of Albania. In order to promote economic relations between the two countries, the Prime Ministers signed the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between Estonia and Albania at the meeting held today.

When discussing the relations between the two countries, both Prime Ministers stated that they are very good. “We are great partners with Albania on the NATO level, which means we can trust each other,” Ansip declared. He also expressed hope that, in the future, cooperation will take place in the form of Member States of the European Union as well.

Today, Prime Minister Ansip also met with Jozefina Topalli, the Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, and Dritan Prifti, the Minister of Economy, Trade and Energy. At these meetings as well, the main subjects discussed were the cooperation opportunities between the two countries, the issues related to the region and the process of Albania joining the EU.

Tomorrow, the Prime Ministers will open the Estonia-Albania business seminar. Tomorrow, Prime Minister Ansip will also open the Estonian Honorary Consulate in Tirana.