TIRANA, October 13 – Parliamentary conference on “The Role of Parliaments in the Berlin Process”, co-organized by the Assembly of Albania and the project “Parliamentary Diplomacy: Regional Cooperation through Extended Parliamentary Dialogue”, a project implemented by a consortium led by the Institute for Democracy, supported by the Federal Foreign Ministry of Germany, as well as with the support of the Regional Cooperation Council, was held in Tirana on Friday.
The meeting was attended by members of the parliamentary committees for Integration/European Affairs from the Western Balkans Region, as well as members of the Parliament of Montenegro who were guests as participants in the project. Members of the German Bundestag attended the conference as guests.
A Joint Declaration agreed between the parties was signed at the end of the conference, which emphasizes the importance of creating the parliamentary dimension of the Berlin Process, which would contribute to the improvement of inter-parliamentary cooperation in the region.
The statement states that the members of the Parliaments present at this Conference and in the presence of regional and international actors declare the belief that the parliaments, as representatives of citizens, should be an integral part of the Berlin Process, to push forward the commitments made in this process, but also to contribute constructively to what will be undertaken in the future.
“We are committed to supporting every initiative undertaken within the Berlin Process and presented to the parliament, to push forward all the necessary actions for their implementation,” the statement states.
In addition it is appreciated the key role of the Regional Cooperation Council in facilitating the implementation of the Common Regional Market and the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans and for its efforts in supporting and facilitating a stronger role of Parliaments in the Berlin Process.
In conclusion, the statement praised the contribution and support for the series of activities taking place in Skopje, Tirana and elsewhere in the Western Balkans by the project “Parliamentary Diplomacy: Regional Cooperation through Extended Parliamentary Dialogue” implemented by a consortium led by the Institute for Democracy, supported by the German Federal Foreign Office, as well as contribution and support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. /argumentum.al
