Croatia strengthens strategic ties with Albania and vows to help clean up its beaches

Tirana, Albania | July 19 (Tirana Echo) – Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović has told Albanian leaders that her country wants to strengthen strategic ties with Albania and promised her country will help its southern neighbor clean up its waste polluted beaches, a major headache for the Croatian tourism industry.

The statement was made by Grabar-Kitarović during a visit in the Albanian main port of Durrës where she participated at a ceremony to launch a new clean-up project initially funded by Croatia, a regular recipient of plastic waste washed on its shores from Albanian maritime waters.

Talking at the ceremony, Grabar-Kitarović said that “a lot of effort and funding has gone into cleaning the shores of the Adriatic. We would prefer to invest our money into preventing environmental pollution.”

Grabar-Kitarović also reminded Albanian authorities that environmental matters are a key complex issue during accession talks to join the European Union, which Croatia joined 5 years ago, hinting in a diplomatic manner that Albania needs to get its act together in cleaning up its plastic waste from maritime territories.

The exuberant President Grabar-Kitarović visited Abania freshly from her popular World Cup participation, at the invitation of Albania’s President Ilir Meta.

During a joint press conference with her counterpart, Grabar-Kitarovic said that Croatia strongly supports Albania’s European integration and welcomes the progress made in meeting the criteria for EU membership.

“I congratulate you on the Council’s decision recognizing Albania’s progress and paving the way for the opening of accession talks in June 2019, and Croatia is looking forward to further strengthening its strategic relations with Albania” – said Grabar-Kitarović.

This will, as she pointed out, contribute to positive processes in the neighborhood, both in terms of stability and security, as well as in improving economic security, as Croatia and Albania can do a lot of things together.

During a speech in front of the Albanian Parliament, she also referred to a “lasting and inseparable friendship” between the two countries and the role of the Albanian national minority in Croatian society.

“We were literally brothers in arms before we joined NATO in 2009 together. Many Albanians have sacrificed their lives for Croatia and believe me – Croatia will not forget this.” – she said in a strong statement which pleased Albanian lawmakers but raised eyebrows in neighboring Serbia.

Albania and Croatia are both members of NATO and together with Montenegro’s accession into the Alliance last year, they have landlocked the Adriatic Sea shores into NATO territory.