Albania strongly hopes that the European Union will decide to begin membership talks with the former communist nation at the European Council meeting on June 28-29, to help cement its transition to a full-fledged market economy, the country's foreign minister said in an interview with The Japan News on Monday in Tokyo.
"The time is ripe" for the EU to launch membership negotiations with Albania, Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati said. In April, the European Commission -- the EU's executive arm -- recommended that the leaders of the 28 member states decide to start accession talks with Albania and Macedonia, in light of the two countries' progress in political and economic reforms.
The 41-year-old foreign minister on Sunday kicked off a three-day visit to Japan to promote bilateral ties, and was to meet with Foreign Minister Taro Kono and officials from the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) among others.
Regarding the EU enlargement, Bushati welcomed the commission's February report suggesting that Western Balkan nations, including Albania, may become EU member states by 2025. "We see it as a motivating factor" to accelerate reforms to meet the conditions for membership, he said.
The EU's renewed interest in the Balkans -- even amid internal strife such as the rise of anti-Brussels forces and a backlash against migration -- is widely seen as an attempt to counter the increasing regional influence of Russia and China. "We have heard European leaders speaking about the risk of the Western Balkans falling apart or falling under the influence of other actors," Bushati said.
Over the last three decades, Albania has achieved a radical transformation from one of the world's most isolated communist nations to a NATO member, although it is still one of the poorest European countries with a GDP per capita of a little over 4,000 dollars.
Bushati stressed Albania's commitment to liberal democracy by listing such values as human rights, separation of powers and respect for minorities. It's important "for the EU to continue showing strength and unity when it is confronted with Russia on issues where they do not have the same view," he said.
Even so, the minister sounded a cautious tone on the EU's position. "We have not seen yet a clear strategy [from the EU] on how to work with the Western Balkans," he said, calling the region a "neglected garden" of the EU.
Tokyo has recently demonstrated its commitment to the region by announcing in January a policy called the Western Balkans Cooperation Initiative to promote dialogue, in what could be seen as an effort to counter Beijing's massive infrastructure aid to the region.
He highlighted Albania's need for more Japanese investment in such sectors as infrastructure and automobiles.
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