Ahead of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Tirana on Monday (17 January), the presidency’s directorate of communications will hold the Peace, Stability and Development in the Balkans: Turkey-Albania Relations Panel on Friday in the Albanian capital.
The panel, according to pro-government media the Daily Sabah, the panel “aims to take the relations between the two countries, which have gained momentum recently, to a higher level and to evaluate cooperation opportunities.”
Topics on the table include further areas of cooperation between the two countries such as in the fight against terrorism, developments in the Balkans, Turkey’s policy in the Balkans, economic cooperation and the contribution of the two countries to the stability in the Balkans.
Erdogan recently said, “We are planning to increase investments in infrastructure and tourism in Albania. We want to lift our economic cooperation to a new dimension,” Erdoğan had said.
The relationship between Turkey and Albania has grown significantly during Prime Minister Edi Rama’s terms in power. Turkey most recently built a hospital in Fier and over 500 apartments for families made homeless by the earthquake in Lac. In addition, Albanian authorities have expelled and tried to expel Turkish citizens and alleged Gulenists in what the UN calls “extraterritorial abductions”.
Erdogan is expected to address the Albanian parliament on Monday in a somewhat unprecedented event.
Comment: Erdogan Focusses on Balkan Diplomacy While Turkey Suffers
