With messages of support for the Western Balkans and its rapprochement with the European Union, EU leaders appeared at the start of the Tirana Summit.

French President Emmanuel Macron, upon arriving at the Summit, said that the war in Ukraine is a security issue for the entire region, adding that energy and the integration process are two other important issues that the leaders of the region and the European Union will discuss today.

- I am happy to be in Albania today, I thank Prime Minister Rama for this important summit. Within the framework of the Czech presidency, we have specific projects to discuss. It is important to have concrete projects for energy and the integration process. It is important to work on further solidarity. We will have the opportunity to draw conclusions on energy, Macron said.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fijala, on the other hand, assessed that the rapprochement of the EU and the countries of the Western Balkans is succeeding. Kamko said that the fact that the meeting will be held for the first time in the region is a signal of support for the very close partners EU.

- Rapprochement succeeds, as shown by today's Summit, which is being organized directly in the Western Balkans region for the first time. It is a clear signal of support for countries that are very close partners of the EU. Stability in the region is in the interest of the EU, Fiala told reporters in Prague before leaving for Tirana.

The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, which will preside over the EU until the end of the year, announced that at the Summit they will also discuss the joint platform of the EU and the Western Balkans for the procurement of gas and hydrogen and concrete steps to mitigate the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on prices in Europe, in which the Western Balkans could also participate.

– In a tense situation, this should lead to lower prices and greater availability of energy sources. The EU helped the Western Balkans with a package of one billion euros to reduce the region's dependence on Russian gas, Fiala said.

According to Fiala, an important topic of the Summit will be illegal migration through the Balkan route, and in this context he believes that an important element in the fight against illegal migration will be the rapid harmonization of the visa policy in the region with the visa policy of the EU.

– The protection of the Schengen zone should be moved to the south, in front of its borders. The Western Balkan route is used by smugglers. We must stop these human traffickers and reduce the number of illegal migrants. The EU and its member states support the countries of the Western Balkans to protect their borders, noted the Czech Prime Minister.

For the first time after taking office, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni before the start of the summit said in a short statement to the media that "we have a great responsibility towards the Balkan countries".

- We have a great responsibility towards the countries of the Balkans, especially after the Russian aggression. It is important to complete the membership procedure and there are many issues that we need to work on together, on the economy, cyber security and other issues, which you know Italy is committed to. We will do our best, count on Italy, said Meloni.