At talks in Rome on Thursday with Albania's premier Edi Rama, Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio voiced solidarity with the quake-hit Balkan nation and European Union candidate county, vowing to cement "strong" bilateral ties.
“Italy and Albania are forcefully committed to further consolidating our already strong bilateral collaboration, within the framework of the strategic partnership we have built up over the past ten years”, said Di Maio, according to a foreign ministry statement.
Di Maio said his talks with Rama were "a useful opportunity to confirm the strong closeness of the Italian institutions and people" after the 26 November earthquake in northwestern Albania that killed over 50 people and wrought devastation in several localities near the quake epicentre.
Di Maio told Rama that Italy also wants "to contribute to the success" of a donors conference taking place in Brussels on 17 February, according to the statement.
The minister stressed to Rama Italy's "full support" for Albania's EU membership bid and the integration of the Western Balkans region.
"Italy will step up its efforts, at the highest levels, to come to a swift decision regarding the opening of accession negotiations with Tirana and Skopje, possibly during the European Council in March," the statement concluded.
Albania is ready to open accession talks with the EU, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi announced on 16 January at a joint press conference in Tirana with Rama.
Albania aims to open accession negotiations before the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Zagreb scheduled for May this year, Varhelyi said.
