Monti hails partnership with Albania
'Italy top export partner'
07 May, 15:15
(ANSA) - Rome, May 7 - Italy is Albania's top trade partner,
Premier Mario Monti said in Rome Monday at a meeting with
Albanian Premier Sali Berisha.
"Italy holds the top spot with Albania in terms of exports,
which reached 1.145 billion euros (in 2011), up 18% since 2010,
and imports hit 657 million, up 14%," said Monti.
He added that despite the need to limit public spending,
Italy continues to take development in the Balkan country
seriously."In the past decade, our combined contribution between aid and credit was 247 million euros," said the Italian premier. "In addition to those funds, we added another 51 million in 2010". Monti has said he will visit Berisha in Albania later this month to discuss the proposed Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which would transport natural gas from the Caspian Sea through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea to southern Italy, and from there to Western Europe.
The project is a part of the EU's Southern Gas Corridor initiative, which aims to bring 60 to 120 billion cubic metres per year of natural gas directly to Europe.
Italy has endorsed Albania's candidacy to join the European Union, which currently recognizes it as a "potential candidate country" following its application in 2009. Italy's Albanian population is one of the largest immigrant groups in the country, which Monti said was becoming "more and more integrated". "Also for this reason Italy has strongly supported the process to open up more visas between Albania and the European Union," Monti said. photo: Albanian Premier Sali Berisha (l) with Italian Premier Mario Monti.
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