
The case of SHISH director Vlora Hyseni, who is being investigated on suspicion of leaking classified information, was considered concerning by Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki.
According to Deputy Minister Bosacki, although this is a worrying case, Albania is on the right path to EU integration.
"When a head of an intelligence service is involved in a scandal in a country, this is worrying. And this is rare. But I would like to see the glass half full and not half empty. Yes, Albania, like many other countries, has problems with corruption or unclear connections between politics, special services and business. But Albania is on a good path towards the European Union," he told A2 CNN.
Regarding Albania's challenges, the Polish official underlined the need for political unity, harmonization of legislation, good electoral processes and democratic standards.
"What Albania needs most is unity. But membership in Western structures and especially in the European Union requires determination and unity from all political forces and parties in the country. What concerns me here is that perhaps you need to have a clear vision to unite the country around this goal."
Along with this comes good relations with the population, harmonization of laws, good electoral processes, democratic standards. Albania is on the right track. But yes, there are some things that need to be changed, to make them even better. We are keeping our fingers crossed that Albania and its people will soon become members of the European Union. I truly believe that this is possible within a few years. And the unity of the government and other political forces in the country can help in this ambitious task”, he emphasized.
The Polish Deputy Foreign Minister also praised Albania-Poland cooperation in the field of security and European integration, saying that Warsaw is ready to assist Albania with its expertise and experience in the EU accession process.
"We closed three chapters just a few months ago. We are helping. I have held talks with your Foreign Minister, Mr. Hoxha, with your chief negotiator, Ms. Duka. And we agreed that Polish experts, but also Polish negotiators from 22, 23, 24 years ago, when Poland joined the European Union, will help you. But I must also tell you that I have held extensive talks with the deputy head of your anti-corruption institution, SPAK.
"So, yes, we want to help the government to better prepare the country, the administration and the legislation for EU membership. But we also see the potential, the obstacles and the problems that this great country faces. And we want to help in this regard as well," he said.
During the interview, he also spoke about the threats posed by Russia to European security, hybrid warfare, cyberattacks, sabotage and the use of drones, as well as the importance of supporting Ukraine:
"Europe and European security are in a very difficult situation because of one person and one country. The person is called Vladimir Putin and the country is called Russia. Of course, there are other destabilizing factors in the world, such as the ongoing war in the Middle East. But for Poland and for NATO as such, and for the European Union, the main threat is what Vladimir Putin and Russia are doing in Ukraine, but increasingly also the so-called hybrid activities in Europe.
"We have missiles and drones, Russian missiles and drones. In Poland and the Baltic states, we have Russian special services activity against airports in Germany and Denmark. We have assassinations all over Europe, from Great Britain to Poland. This is dangerous. Putin is playing with fire."
For these reasons, he suggested that Europe be united and toughen sanctions against Russia:
"What we need to do as the European Union, as Europe as a whole and as NATO, is to stand together, help Ukraine and show Putin that he cannot divide us. And Albania and Poland are really the best examples of this. We coordinate our policies. We are tough on sanctions against Russia.
"And if Putin sees that the North Atlantic Alliance and Europe as a whole are united, he will think twice or three times before attacking any other country in Europe except Ukraine."