Host Albania has high hopes for EU-Western Balkans summit

By LLAZAR SEMINI
Associated Press

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s prime minister says a European Union summit in his country’s capital this week demonstrates the EU’s heightened geostrategic interests in the Western Balkans region during Russia’s war in Ukraine. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama is set to host the Tuesday meeting aimed at rekindling the EU’s expansion process. “Nobody could imagine this only until two years ago, and now it’s happening,” Rama told Associated Press on Monday. Rama previously criticized the EU for dragging its feet on admitting new members. The six countries that are the focus on the summit – Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – received assurances for years but saw their steps toward membership stall.