Good morning everyone,

Dear Prime Minister,

First let me express my pleasure for the cooperation so far, dear Nikolin, with the aim of promoting the economic opportunities of our country. I hope it would be a good omen for what comes next, which means more investment for the Albanian economy.

Tirana Business Matching’s co-ordination comes at a crucial moment as our country is moving in the grip of a sustainable, consolidated economy, right at the negotiating table for EU membership.

There are several factors whose impact on the economy will be decisive at least in the next two decades:

• The degree and speed of climate change;
• Energy resources;
• The pace and expansion of the effects of globalization;
• Consequences of fundamental changes regarding different social values and systems.

Unfortunately, we exercise little control on these factors because we live in an interchangeable world that is changing rapidly. And in this area, Albania must of course find its place.

We are a small country with limited resources, therefore our approach has a more regional perspective, where economic activities are shared with other countries, with the aim of sharing common benefits for the benefit of our citizens.

In order to create more job opportunities in Albania, it is necessary to engage in entrepreneurship with and in other countries. As long as Albania benefits, this should be seen as expanding our choices for our future. I believe this is the first model that has been created by the joint economic roundtable with Serbia, or the efforts being made under the Berlin process for the establishment of the Regional Economic Zone.

The creation of a stable and competitive economy coupled followed by an increase of the welfare of citizens is a priority that exceeds the goals of a government. It is a national mission.

The very notion of economic diplomacy is closely related to this mission. If traditionally the focus of diplomacy was on the administration of inter-state relations, today diplomacy has become an instrument that promotes in particular the economic interests of the country. This is due to the opening up of entrepreneurial activities, interdependence and multilateral engagement.

Effective economic diplomacy means promoting Albanian products and services in the world by influencing trade investment policies of partner countries and foreign companies as well as influencing international regulatory entities.

For a successful and effective economic diplomacy in function of increasing trade volumes and investments in the country, our focus has been on:

• Advancing the country’s economic interests,
•  Promotion of priority areas,
• Encouraging and negotiating bilateral agreements on the completion of the legal framework,
• As well as establishing contacts with different partners and harmonizing their sectoral interests with national priorities.

In this context, we have tried to adapt and develop a proactive economic diplomacy using instruments such as:

• Our missions and representations abroad;
• International organizations and other economic forums;
• Business Groups and Chamber of Commerce and Industry;
• The network of our honor consuls;
• And our diaspora

The Prime Minister has rightly asked to re-dimension the concept of economic diplomacy to give it a primary role in supporting the economy and entrepreneurship. That is why we are working to transform our diplomatic representations as contact points for economic development not only in attracting foreign investment but also in Albanian exports (as the showcase of the Made in  Albania), and as promoters of tourism and cultural Albania, what has been shown this election summer has the image that is changing faster.

We are cooperating with the Ministry of Finance and Economy, to create a clear chain, from business contacts to foreign countries, to the implementation of foreign investment in Albania, to establish a clear procedure. We aim to create a procedure as straightforward and transparent as possible, bringing investors and investment to the needs of the economy.

However, in this regard, the best ambassadors of our country are you, entrepreneurs – you are the best example that can be shown and the best example of the success of your projects implementation. For this reason, we will remain committed to improve the procedures, the functioning of our diplomatic headquarters, our contacts to better serve entrepreneurship. And here a special role is played by the Chamber of Commerce, as is clearly illustrated in this activity, because at the end of the day are indispensable points of contact between entrepreneurs of other countries and Albania.

Thank you.