Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned Western Balkan states that Russia will do everything to destabilize the situation.
“Today’s summit is about unity and I think the Balkan states must unite today. Russia will do everything to destabilize the situation,” Zelensky said at a press conference after the Ukraine summit held in Tirana, Albania.
“Russia will not stop. Russia is drawing the consequences of the mistakes it made on Ukrainian territory and will destabilize even more, using other tactics,” he added.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama also acknowledged that there is a clear risk to the Balkans from Russian aggression.
“What is happening there (in Ukraine) could be repeated in different ways,” Rama said.
According to Rama, war can happen, even if it seems impossible, and “we should not play with fire.”
“If we lose this clarity, we risk entering a dark phase. »
During the press conference, Rama called on states to continue their aid to Ukraine, which has been facing Russian occupation since February 2022.
He said the issue of aid to Ukraine should not be used for domestic political issues in critical states.
Rama said he was aware that states like Albania could not meet Ukraine’s defense needs. He therefore urged large and rich states to help kyiv.
According to him, claims that stopping the supply of weapons to Ukraine would bring peace “are not only cynical but also absurd, because you don’t stop the war by disarming the victim.” You stop the war by stopping the aggressor.”
“Ukraine deserves to be supported and assisted by all means necessary to resist and ensure that any peace resulting from this war will be a just peace, supported first and foremost by Zelensky’s 10-point plan, which we support and want that all States are discussing. ” Rama said during a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The summit discussed security issues and support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
“We have made it very clear; I am proud to say that it is not only the government, Parliament and institutions, but the entire nation, the entire population of our country, which stands with Ukraine and supports the Ukraine, without any hesitation,” Rama said.
In a statement to journalists, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said that the agreement reached at the summit for Ukraine held in Tirana does not mention sanctions against Russia or Russia’s negative influence.
According to him, this was made possible at the request of Serbia.
“The participants agreed to delete the part regarding sanctions and the negative influence of Russia… We have been informed that this has been accepted. There are no sanctions, we don’t talk about sanctions, we don’t talk about the negative influence of Russia,” Vučić said.
Serbia did not impose sanctions on Russia over its aggression against Ukraine, but supported UN resolutions condemning the Russian occupation.
During the summit’s opening speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian leader Vladimir Putin was using past dictatorships to force states to act as he wanted.
At the “Ukraine – Southeast Europe” summit held in Tirana, Albania, Zelensky said that Europe should be a space where each state determines its own destiny.
“We have seen in the past that people have tried to determine the fate of other nations. This happened in the Balkans, Eastern Europe and other parts of Europe. This is now what Putin wants. All his enmity, all he does, is to force other nations to act as he wishes. So it is important for all our states that Putin, his regime, loses, because his failures are our common security,” he said.
The Ukrainian leader thanked the states of Southeast Europe for the help given to his country in the war, but also in European integration.
He said all states in the region, sharing European values, should integrate.
He also said that all states in the region that cultivate European values should integrate into “The EU and NATO have given Europe the longest and strongest era of security, peace and economic development, and we deserve to finally be part of the European Union and the Eurozone. -Atlantic Community”.
Speaking about defense, Zelensky said he was interested in increased cooperation with the Western Balkan states, especially in the field of joint production of munitions.
“We see that ammunition problems are affecting the situation on the battlefield (in Ukraine). We are interested in joint production with you and all other partners. Our government team will present the details of holding a defense industry forum for Ukraine and the Balkans in kyiv or one of your capitals,” he said.
In his opening speech, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama called on the region’s democratic states, as well as the richest ones, to continue supporting Ukraine financially and militarily because, according to him, Ukraine’s survival depends of this support.
“The way to end war is not to disarm the victim so the aggressor stops. Rewarding an aggressor who occupies the territory of a sovereign state does not bring peace but paves the way for more war,” Rama said.
Rama said Putin launched the unjustified war against Ukraine in February 2022 because he was “motivated by an old dream of an imperial past.”
“Your presence here reminds us that it has failed: despite its military might and toxic propaganda, neo-imperialist Russia has failed to suppress the democratically elected Ukrainian government. He failed to suppress the desire of Ukrainians to live in a free, independent and democratic state. He failed to silence the truth,” Rama said.
Rama and Zelensky with a friendship treaty
Zelensky had previously met with Rama in Tirana. After the meeting between the Albanian Prime Minister and the Ukrainian President, delegations from the two states also met.
The meetings ended with Rama and Zelensky signing the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between the two states.
“The treaty serves to consolidate the friendship between the two countries and peoples, through the expansion and strengthening of cooperation in various areas of mutual interest,” said a statement from the Albanian government.
The Ukrainian leader arrived in Tirana shortly before midnight, according to Albanian Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Igli Hasani.
This is Zelensky’s first visit to Tirana, just a few days, two years after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Albanian Prime Minister said he was proud to have organized this summit.
While participating in the exhibition “Ukraine, a War Crime” at the Center for Openness and Dialogue (COD) in Tirana, Rama said that in addition to being a “co-organizer” of the summit, Zelensky would also hold bilateral meetings with political leaders. leaders of Albania.
These meetings will take place before the summit, which is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m.
The Ukrainian delegation will also include the country’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Kuleba: Summit sends message that we stand united
On the morning of February 28, he met his Albanian counterpart, Igli Hasani.
Kuleba said he was grateful to Albania for hosting the summit, which he said “sends a clear message that we stand united.”
He thanked Albania for the assistance provided as his country faces Russian aggression.
“It is very important that Russia be held accountable for the crimes of aggression and war crimes committed during the war,” Kuleba said.
The Ukrainian foreign minister also spoke about the NATO summit to be held in Washington, reiterating his country’s goal of being part of the Western military alliance.
“We hope that, among other things, one of the outcomes of the Washington summit will be a step towards Ukraine’s accession and ultimately making this part of Europe more secure,” he said. -he declares.
Furthermore, the head of Albanian diplomacy Igli Hasani announced that the authorities were in the preparation phase for the opening of the Albanian embassy in Kiev, hoping that the inauguration would take place “in the coming months”.
“Albania supports the freedom, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Albania strongly condemns Russian aggression against Ukraine,” Hasani said, adding that his country will continue to support kyiv during the war and in the post-war phase, in the reconstruction of the state.
Relations between Albania and Ukraine
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, Albania stood with the European Union and the United States in support of Ukraine.
As part of this support, several decisions were taken allowing Ukrainian citizens to enter and stay in Albania without a residence permit for a period of one year.
According to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for 2022, out of 32,000 Ukrainians who entered Albania after the start of the war, about 2,500 remained beyond 2022 in this country.
Former Albanian Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Olta Xhaçka said last January that Albania would open an embassy in the Ukrainian capital, kyiv. However, this has not yet been achieved.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on January 13, 1993, and Ukraine opened its embassy in Tirana in September 2020.
Its ambassador is Volodymyr Shkurov, still in office.
Around 3,500 Albanians live in the Odessa region of Ukraine.