The Coordination Center for Countering Violent Extremism, in cooperation with the OSCE Presence in Albania, organized, on July 5, a cross-border meeting of officials from Albania and North Macedonia, in Pogradec. In the meeting it was discussed about the coordination and cross-border communication on issues of prevention and countering violent extremism and radicalism leading to terrorism (P / CVERLT).

The meeting was attended by Mrs. Lejdi Dervishi, Director of the CVE Center in Albania,             Mr. Xheladin Ajvazi, Deputy National Coordinator of the Committee for Countering Violent Extremism and Terrorism in North Macedonia, representatives of local government, police, religious communities, as well as staff of the OSCE Mission in Skopje and the OSCE Presence in Albania, including the Deputy Head of the Presence.

The participants discussed the current level of cooperation between the two countries in the field of violent extremism and the benefits of its multi-institutional treatment, focusing not only on local institutions, but also the active engagement of young people and women in the context of intercultural promotion. The main challenges in preventing violent extremism and exchanging experiences for the reintegration of repatriated citizens from conflict areas were also discussed in the meeting.

The OSCE Presence and the Center will continue to coordinate the activities of central and local actors, through a series of meetings in Albania, with the active participation of professionals from neighboring countries.