Greece's financial woes will affect Albania's economy, but should not set back the emerging Western Balkans countries' long-term plans to join the European Union, Albania's foreign minister said on Friday.

"Of course, there are some economic impacts also in our country because Greece is one of the main trade and economic partners of Albania," Ilir Meta told Reuters during a visit to Serbia. "About the EU integration of our countries, I think this situation is not creating problems."

The fiscal problems of Greece, Albania's southern neighbour and the EU member that backs speedier EU accession for the Balkans, have weakened the euro, prompted high-level EU crisis meetings, forced spending cuts and sparked public protests.

The Greek debt crisis could have an impact on Albania's foreign trade, remittances from 650,000 Albanians living there and the cost of lending by Greek banks.

Athens has proposed bringing the whole region into the EU by 2014.

Many diplomats and analysts say it is unrealistic to expect that countries such as Albania, Serbia and Bosnia could join the bloc as early as 2014, and some say Greece's woes could increase scepticism about the emerging Balkans' readiness to join.

But Meta, who is also deputy prime minister, was more optimistic. "This is going to be a short-term critical situation," he said in an interview.

It is "not affecting in the mid and long term, the credibility of the whole region in order to integrate the Western Balkans into the European Union," he said.


Reuters