Blanar Leaves for Albania, S3 Ministers to Hold Talks with Hoxha There

Bratislava, 30 April (TASR) - Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) left for an official visit to Albania on Thursday. Along with the heads of diplomacy of the Czech Republic and Austria, Petr Macinka and Beate Meinl-Reisinger, respectively, Blanar will hold talks with Albanian European and Foreign Affairs Minister Ferit Hoxha within the framework of the Austerlitz format (S3). The main objective of the visit is to reaffirm the common commitment of the S3 countries to the EU integration of the Western Balkan states and to support their reform efforts. The visit was initiated by Slovakia as the S3 presiding country. The discussions in Tirana will focus on supporting Albania's EU-accession process, current developments in the Western Balkans region, and issues such as energy interconnections, transport corridors and illegal migration. The meeting will also serve to coordinate approaches ahead of the upcoming ministerial meeting of the Friends of the Western Balkans group, which will be hosted by Slovakia in Bratislava on 12 May, said the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry. ko/df