TIRANA – Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on Wednesday said his talks Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhaçka on Wednesday had focused on accelerating dialogue in Tirana on the basis of the existing political agreement, in order to find a compromise that will allow them to draw up an agreement for referring the issue of delimiting the two countries’ maritime zones and continental shelf for arbitration by the international court at The Hague.

“The resolution of this matter, the resolution of the state of war and two other agreements, the agreements against incidents on the borders and maintenance of border pyramids, will send a message to the international community that international law and the international law of the sea are the basis for the resolution of all differences between states,” Dendias noted in joint statements after the meeting.

“I believe that, being a truly significant approach, it will open a new major chapter in our excellent, mutual joint relations,” he added.

Dendias said that Greece was always a warm supporter of the EU perspective of Albania and all the Western Balkan states “in the context of a just conditionality, which is strict but fair”.

He reaffirmed Greece’s total readiness to offer any EU accession assistance to Albania in any sector it considers useful.

“We believe that this is, practically, the only way and acquires huge importance in today’s conjucture, during which revisionist forces have emerged that wish to return to other eras and to other periods and perceptions,” Dendias said.

The foreign minister said that his visit to Tirana was the last stop after a meeting with the Foreign Minister of North Macedonia in Athens, his visit to Belgrade on Monday and to Pristina on Tuesday. It proved, he added, the priority given by the Greek government to its neighbourhood, a region of major importance for Greece. “Stability, prosperity and peaceful co-existence are the top priority, as is the European perspective of the Western Balkans. It is a major challenge and we must meet it successfully,” he added.

Dendias called for “a de-escalation of tension in northern Kosovo,” and urged all sides to “show pragmatism, a constructive stance and make the indicated moves”. He pointed out the need for Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue to continue, with the aim of finding an overall solution.

The two ministers also discussed the role of the Greek ethnic minority in Albania, as well as the Albanian community in Greece. “They are bridges between our peoples,” Dendias said.

Both sides agreed on the need to deepen cooperation in trade and investments and they also discussed their cooperation in environmental protection, and especially the case of the Aoos River.