TIRANA, April 12 – “Our two countries are connected by an early and strong friendship. Italy has been a valuable friend of Albania in good times, but especially in difficult times. For half a century, Italy has been the window through which Albanians saw Europe and democracy,” said Parliament Speaker Lindita Nikolla, who received the President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies Roberto Fico during an official visit to Albania on Tuesday.
Nikolla said Albanians are grateful to Italy as it has been Albania’s lawyer for European integration and the Chamber of Deputies is the instigator of this advocacy. “Arbëresh and emigrants are strong bridges of friendship and cooperation,” said Nikolla, who praised the initiative of the Italian parliament to start negotiating an agreement on social security, cooperation in the field of education and universities and the preservation and development of the Albanian language and culture in Italy.
“The agreement we are signing today will intensify parliamentary cooperation as a catalyst for relations between the two countries,” said the Speaker.
Fico noted that between Albania and Italy there is a close, friendly and multifaceted cooperation. “The Cooperation Agreement between the two parliaments will be an instrument that will promote not only parliamentary cooperation, but also relations between the two countries. The joint implementation group of the Agreement will start working immediately,”he said.
On this occasion Nikolla and Fico signed the Cooperation Agreement between the Assembly and the Chamber of Deputies.
In the meantime Fico revealed that the Chamber of Deputies is working on drafting legislation to grant citizenship to children of immigrants in Italy after the end of the schooling cycle.
The President of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy, Roberto Fico was also received by the Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj. /Argumentum.al
