Toptan visits Albania

After completing his contacts in Macedonia, Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan yesterday began official talks in Albania. He first had a meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha in the capital Tirana, followed by talks with Parliament Speaker Jozefina Topalli. Turkey has very close cultural relations with the Balkans, Toptan said. "Turkish-Albanian relations are very important for us," he added. "Albania has a great influence on the Balkans." For his part, Topalli said that Albania had been pleased to see Turkey's support during hard times in Kosovo, and thanked Turkey for ratifying an agreement on Albania's accession to NATO. The two leaders also expressed their willingness to boost parliamentary ties between the two countries.