The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, today welcomed his Albanian counterpart, Igli Hasani, in Madrid, and they reviewed Albania's progress as a candidate to join the European Union. During the meeting, they also discussed the future UNED campus in Gjirokastra, which alongside the College of Europe will be the first non-Albanian European university campus to open in the country.
At the meeting, Albares reiterated Spain's full support for Albania's efforts to become a leading candidate in the EU enlargement process, and congratulated his counterpart on the progress made over the last year on its path towards the EU.
The EU's growth plan for the Western Balkans, the inauguration of the NATO base in Kuçova, Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, and the current conflict in the Middle East were among the other issues discussed.
UNED campus
Albares and Hasani also had the chance to review bilateral relations between the two countries, particularly highlighting the project to create a UNED campus in 2024 in the city of Gjirokastra, which together with the College of Europe will be the first non-Albanian European university campus to be inaugurated in the country, probably in the coming months.
Cultural and scientific relations have actually improved significantly over the last decade, as shown by the presence of Spanish in the Department of Hispanic Studies at the University of Tirana and the signing, during the ministerial meeting, of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two nations’ Diplomatic Schools.