Updating trade cooperation agreements and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Romanian and Albanian Ministers of Agriculture were the highlights on the agenda of a bilateral meeting on agriculture this Thursday between Undersecretary of State with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) Mihael Leonov and a delegation from Albania led by Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Megi Fino. Albanian ambassador in Bucharest Enkeleda Merkuri also attended.
The meeting aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation on agriculture tackled topics of shared interest such as expanding collaboration, the legal framework of the partnership and the technical assistance offered by Romania in the context of Albania's EU accession negotiations, a top priority for this state at this time, the Agriculture Ministry said in a release.
The Albanian side pointed out that agriculture is one of the most important sectors of the Albanian economy and reviewed the steps regarding the country's integration with the European Union, emphasizing the work and progress made and also expressing its appreciation for the support offered by Romania in this regard.
In his turn, Undersecretary of State Mihael Leonov emphasized Romania's constant support for Albania's European path, expressing his and the MADR's openness to developing programs for the exchange of best practices and field visits, as well as providing technical expertise at institutional level for Albania's specific needs, such as the harmonization and adjustment of national legislation to European law.
"A major topic of the talks was the updating of trade cooperation agreements and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the relevant ministries, as a basis for taking cooperation even further. Referring to fisheries and aquaculture, the MADR official highlighted the cooperation opportunities, given Romania's experience in aquaculture research and Albania's potential in this field. Also, the Albanian side showed interest in receiving assistance for developing the organic agriculture sector, agricultural research, the activity of paying agencies, phytosanitary regulations," the release states.
The head of the MADR Directorate General for Agricultural Policies conveyed the Ministry's readiness to support Albania, based on its expertise, by providing assistance and technical consultancy in various fields such as: CAP, organic farming, animal breeding and improvement of their genetic value, the homologation of new plant varieties, beekeeping, the functioning of paying agencies, various twinning programs, meetings, visits, the organization of fairs and exhibitions and other types of events.
Another area of interest for cooperation is represented by the exchange of agricultural experience at academic level, between the specific Albanian and Romanian universities, and in this regard the Romanian official highlighted the well-acknowledged tradition of Romanian higher education institutions that are open to collaboration opportunities. Various agricultural research institutes and stations were mentioned which can share the results of their projects or research and innovation cooperation partnerships.
At the end of the meeting, Undersecretary of State Leonov expressed his interest in continuing bilateral cooperation for the development of agriculture so as to benefit of both states, the MADR release also states.
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