Foreign Minister Bushati : Judiciary reform to create new architecture of Albania’s justice system

Albanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ditmir Bushati said in an interview with the Paris-based television network France 24 that key judiciary reform in Albania is a deep and comprehensive reform that will create an entirely new architecture of the country’s justice system, ATA reports.

Foreign Minister noted that the justice reform process will screen all judges and prosecutors screened for their professional and moral integrity and their wealth.

“From the very beginning we in the governing majority have insisted to involve to involve as much as possible international expertise into this process. There will be a committee of vetters elected by the Albanian Parliament on parity. They will be Albanian vetters who will be strongly backed by the international experts,” Bushati said.

FM Bushati underscored Albania’s readiness to move closer to the European Union and its efforts to fight corruption and organized crime.

Asked about the latest political developments in the neighbouring Macedonia, the Albania’s diplomacy chief called the situation a crisis of democracy, although some other countries have also moved backward.

“It is quite unfortunate to see political leaders in our friendly neighbouring Macedonia to play these games also with influences of other actors. But as we closely cooperate with Macedonia within different regional forums, We are hoping Macedonian authorities will find a common ground to overcome their differences and we hope that the country’s new institutions will be duly established,” Bushati said.

Asked about the government policies to fight against cannabis cultivation, Bushati said: “This is the first government since the fall of communist regime that has confronted this phenomenon by first recognizing it and secondly by eradicating this phenomenon from the map of cannabis parts of Albania that were not under the state control before we took office in 2013.”

“We are now working on a preventing strategy, because we’ve realized that it is not sufficient to have police and security forces on the ground, but we also need to discourage this phenomenon by also involving local community leaders. We also need to fight in a more decisive manner corruption and organized crime related to this phenomenon,” he added.

 

Source: European Western Balkans