Albania and the Western Balkans must be seen as an integral part of Europe’s future, not its periphery, Speaker of the Albanian Parliament Niko Peleshi stated during the Parliamentary Summit of the Three Seas Initiative held in Zagreb.
In his address, Peleshi emphasized the growing importance of infrastructure connectivity, energy cooperation, and regional integration, especially at a time of increasing uncertainty across Europe. He praised the Croatian Parliament for hosting the summit and highlighted that such platforms are essential for strengthening economic, political, and energy ties across the region.
He underlined that the Western Balkans should no longer be viewed as Europe’s outskirts but as a core component of its future architecture. According to him, the region’s geography, political choices, and cultural roots firmly support its European perspective.
Peleshi also stressed Albania’s evolving role as a strategic hub connecting the Adriatic and Ionian regions with broader European networks. He pointed to major infrastructure and energy projects—such as Corridor VIII, the Blue Corridor, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, and the planned Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline—as key drivers of regional integration, linking ports, energy routes, and economic centers across east-west and north-south axes.
Within this framework, he noted that the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union is not merely a political objective, but a strategic necessity for Europe itself, directly tied to the continent’s long-term stability and security.
He further highlighted Albania’s role as a stabilizing factor in the region and stressed the importance of regional cooperation and parliamentary diplomacy in advancing the broader European project.
