Bulgaria backs Albanian EU-NATO bid

In October, NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly approved a resolution that endorses the possible issuing, at next year’s Bucharest summit, of invitations to Albania, Croatia and Macedonia to join the Alliance.

The Speaker of Bulgaria’s Parliament, Georgi Pirinski, declared his support for Albania’s NATO bid during a meeting with Albanian Premier Sali Berisha on Sunday.

“The Bulgarian National Assembly is engaged in supporting Albania’s integration into NATO and the EU,” said Pirinski during the meeting.

In October, NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly approved a resolution that endorses the possible issuing, at next year’s Bucharest summit, of invitations to Albania, Croatia and Macedonia to join the Alliance.

The resolution calls on these three candidates, known as the Adriatic Charter countries, to push through the necessary reforms, while urging NATO members to initiate discussions on the candidate countries’ accession.

The two leaders also discussed the situation in Kosovo, following the failure of Serbian and Kosovar Albanian leaders to reach a compromise on the UN-administered entity’s future at their final round of talks, chaired by a “Troika” of international mediators, last week.

Berisha restated his call to the Kosovo Albanian political class, preparing to declare independence, not to take any unilateral actions.

“Though Belgrade has an unrealistic stance, the Kosovar political class should coordinate every action with the United States and the European Union,” he said.

Pirinski appreciated Albania’s stand on the issue of Kosovo, noting it was a factor of peace in the region.

“The moderate stance of Albania on the Kosovo issue makes it possible to avoid the danger of a new conflict in the Balkans,” said the Bulgaria parliamentary speaker.