HONORARY CONSUL OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA IN KHARKIV

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Albania in Ukraine Shpresa Kureta arrived with a visit to Ukraine.

September 21, 2016 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Albania in Poland and Ukraine Shpresa Kureta arrived to Ukraine with an official visit. During the visit, Ambassador was accompanied by the Honorary consul of the Republic of Albania in Kharkiv Shahin Omarov. The program of stay in Kyiv provided a number of meetings.

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Ambassador held a meeting with the Director of the Second European Department Yuri Mushka. The results of cooperation between the two countries over the past period were discussed, the importance of intensifying relations was emphasized at the meeting. Special attention was paid to the preparation of an agreement on the abolition of visas for Albanian citizens to Ukrain, for which the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine had recently voted. Director of the Department Yuri Mushka said that it is possible to organize a visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to the Balkan region, in which the signing of this document at the level of Foreign Ministers can take place in Tirana. Also at the meeting the boosting of economic cooperation, the study of the Albanian language in Ukraine at different levels, the study of the Ukrainian language in the University of Tirana, the Albanian Diaspora support issues in Ukraine, tourist exchanges between the two countries was discussed.

At the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine Ambassador and Honorary Consul met with the Deputy Minister Roman Greba. The topic of studying of the Albanian language in schools of Odessa and Zaporozhye region, issues of studying of students from Albania in the universities of Ukraine were specified. Parties at the meeting also discussed the need to make certain changes in the existing bilateral Agreement in the field of education between the two countries. As a separate direction of cooperation the opening of the Department of the Albanian language in one of the universities of Ukraine in the Odessa and Kharkiv region and the mutual exchange of experts in the field were stipulated.

The Ambassador informed about the official opening of the Albanian language class in Zaporizhya region on 24 September.

Also, Ambassador and the Honorary Consul met with the Head of the group of the Verkhovna Rada on inter-parliamentary relations with the Republic of Albania, the MP of Ukraine Vitaliy Kurylo. Cooperation between the parliaments at the level of Chairmen of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the issue of exchange of visits of parliamentary groups were discussed at the meeting