On 13 and 14 March, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Angelino Alfano, will be on mission to the Balkans, with scheduled stops in Belgrade and Tirana, to prepare the activities for the Wester Balkans Summit that Italy will host in Trieste next 12 July.
“The integration process of the Western Balkans is essential to complete the European Project,” said Mr Alfano. He added: “Italy staunchly and consistently supports it, also because of the direct interest it has in the stability of a neighbouring country and in promoting Brand Italy.”
In the Serbian capital, Alfano will meet with Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ivica Dacic. With them, Mr Alfano will discuss the common challenges and shared objectives, with a special focus on strengthening the bilateral partnership, Rome’s support for Serbia’s European integration process, within the framework of regional cooperation, and on the migration issue.
While in Belgrade, the minister will also meet with the representatives of the Italian business community in Serbia, where 600 Italian companies operate, and will visit the “Giovanni Falcone” Court of Justice, the only Serbian court dedicated to a foreign magistrate, where Mr Alfano will meet with Italian officers, experts and magistrates in Serbia to provide assistance on legal and security issues.
On Tuesday, 14 March, Mr Alfano’s mission to the Balkans will continue in Tirana, where he will meet with his Albanian counterpart, Ditmir Bushati, to take stock of the situation in the Western Balkans and on the region’s European integration prospect, in preparation for the Trieste Summit.
Mr Alfano will subsequently meet with the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and the President of the Republic Bujar Nishani. On the minister’s agenda is also a meeting with the opposition leader, Lulzim Basha.
