Athens, 6 November 2023

Courtesy meeting of 1st Vice-President of Hellenic Parliament I. Plakiotakis with 1st Deputy Speaker of Parliament of Albania Ermonela Velikaj Felaj

The 1st Vice-President of the Hellenic Parliament Ioannis Plakiotakis met today with the 1st Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Albania Ermonela Velikaj Felaj. The meeting took place in the Parliament, on the sidelines of the 35th Regional Assembly Europe of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie, hosted by the Hellenic Parliament.

Mr Plakiotakis, highlighting the historical, economic and cultural ties connecting Greece and Albania, referred to the potential of developing important synergies in the field of the "Blue Economy", either at the bilateral level, or in the context of the two countries’ membership in the Adriatic & Ionian Initiative. The 1st Vice-President of the Parliament noted Greece’s readiness to contribute to the neighbouring country’s development, providing know-how in fields such as marine tourism, e-government, Renewable Energy Sources, environmental protection, etc. Furthermore, he emphasised that, for Greece, respect for the Rule of Law is of paramount importance for the achievement of this goal; in this context, a crucial issue pending resolution is the still pending oath of office of the newly-elected, Mayor of Himara Freddy Beleri.

Mrs Felaj underscored Albania’s progress in the fields of economy and e-government, while making special reference to the reform under way regarding the separation of powers and independence of the Judiciary. Moreover, Mrs Felaj expressed the Albanian Government‘s gratitude over Greece's support towards the country’s regional and European integration.

Closing the meeting, the two Vice-Presidents agreed to work in the direction of consolidating and deepening the two Parliaments’ cooperation in every possible way: In Mr Plakiotakis’ words "History has shown that through dialogue we can solve problems. Parliamentary diplomacy can play an important role in promoting our two countries’ relations ".

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