Athens and Tirana will advance in cooperation on issues of energy, culture, technology and innovation. This is what they agreed to two mayors during a meeting they had yesterday, Tuesday, January 30. The mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, traveled to the Albanian capital yesterday and met with his counterpart, Erion Velai. The two men discussed the possibilities of cooperation between the two cities, while also committing to frequent communication with a view to promoting sustainable development in the Balkans.

THE mayor of Tirana handed Mr. Doukas the key to the city, while the mayor of Athens offered him a head of Athena.

Afterwards, Mr. Doukas participated in the Annual Meeting of the B40 Network of Balkan Cities and handed over the presidency of the B40 Network to Mr. Veliai. In his speech he developed the theme “Urban resilience and crisis management”.

As he mentioned, “Sustainability and development are not contradictory concepts, but complementary, with technology being an invaluable tool for both. Technology can help us protect the most vulnerable and those most affected by the climate crisis. The challenges facing Athens are not unique to our city. To meet these challenges we need to change the way we assess and approach situations. This change is vital for all city administrations. Even more so in our “neighborhood”. We all face the need for a paradigm shift in our approach to urban planning and resource management. We have a responsibility to work together to share best practices, exchange knowledge and find innovative solutions.”

As part of the visit to Albania, the mayor of Athens had a series of meetings with other mayors of Balkan cities, such as with the mayor of Podgorica, the mayor of Sarajevo, the mayor of Sofia, but also with the former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and of Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, the Minister of Tourism and Environment of Albania, Mirela Koumbaro and the Minister of Local Self-Government, Arbdjan Mazniku.