In this Conference organized in cooperation by the Academy of the German National Academy Leopoldina and the Academy of Sciences of Albania, presidents and high representatives of the academies of sciences of the countries of the region and beyond, rectors of public universities, as well as representatives have participated of European states that support the Berlin Process.

Rector Bajraktari, who represented Kosovo at this Conference, in his speech spoke about higher education in general, and in particular about the development of UASF from its foundation until today, specifying the cooperation with the European Union countries, and in particular with Austria, namely the University of Applied Sciences in Salzburg. Also, he mentioned the experiences that have made UASF to be on the same level as universities of applied sciences in Europe.

During this Conference, Rector Bajraktari also had separate meetings with the President of the Academy of Sciences of Germany, prof. Gerald Haug, President of the Academy of Sciences of Albania, Mr. Skender Gjinushi, from Austria, prof. Heinz Fassmann, as well as presidents of other academies in the region and beyond. Also, the Rector met with the president of the Rectors’ Conferences, the rector of the College of Europe, also the former high representative of the European Union for foreign policy, Federica Mogherini, as well as with the president of the forum of rectors of South-Eastern Europe and the Balkans West, Snjezana Prijic-Samarzija. In all these meetings, it was discussed about the issues discussed in the Conference and the possibilities of cooperation in certain segments, with the aim of advancing higher education and science in general.

The conference was also welcomed by the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, who expressed his happiness for the fact that this meeting took place in Tirana, where the meeting of the Berlin Summit for the Western Balkans will also take place, for the first time in the region, outside of a country of the European Union.

Likewise, Prime Minister Rama has expressed the desire for further and joint actions to slowly but steadily integrate the Academy of Sciences of Albania and the Academies of sciences of the Western Balkans into the wide network of European science academies, to ensure more knowledge and support for scientific research in the region.

The Berlin Process, launched in 2014, is an interstate initiative to support the integration of the Western Balkan countries into the European Union and to promote regional cooperation in Southeastern Europe.