The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edmondo Cirielli, carried out a two-day mission to Tirana, during which he met with the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania, Ferit Hoxha.
The meeting provided an opportunity to take stock of the excellent bilateral relations and the broad prospects for cooperation between Italy and Albania, including through the activities of the Italian Development Cooperation. During the talks, Deputy Minister Cirielli also reiterated Italy’s firm support for Albania’s and the entire Western Balkans region’s European perspective, underlining the need to strengthen bilateral economic relations and highlighting the role of Italian enterprises operating in Albania.
The Deputy Minister also met with the Albanian Deputy Minister of Health, Eugenia Tomini. The two Deputy Ministers visited the Gliozheni Hospital, one of the healthcare facilities involved in the MATHERNA project implemented by the Local Health Authority Fatebenefratelli Sacco. Funded with EUR 6 million by the Italian Development Cooperation, the project aims to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in Albania by improving the quality and accessibility of care for the most vulnerable groups. Italy’s commitment to cooperation initiatives in the health sector with Albania amounts to over EUR 15 million.
As part of the mission, the Deputy Minister also met with staff at the Tirana office of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and with civil society organisations active in the country, reaffirming the longstanding commitment of Italian Cooperation in the region.