Foreign minister urges Albania’s Euro-Atlantic integration

Budapest, June 21 (MTI) – Hungary supports Albania’s Euro-Atlantic integration and has urged the European Commission to make a proposition for accession talks with that country, the Hungarian foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Peace and stability in the western Balkans is a “strategic and national security priority” for Hungary, Péter Szijjártó told a press conference after talks with his Albanian counterpart Ditmir Bushati. The simplest way to achieve stability is for these countries to join the European Union and NATO.

The talks also covered the link between immigration and terrorism, Szijjártó said. He argued that the current migration wave had been partly triggered by terrorist organisations gaining ground, while migration provides an opportunity for terrorists to smuggle themselves into Europe.

Szijjártó urged cooperation with countries in north Africa and in the Middle East to set up migrant hotspots and reduce the number of migrants to a minimum.