TIRANA, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Albania and the European Union (EU) signed an agreement on Friday on border management cooperation between Albania and the EU border agency Frontex.

"The migratory and security challenges do not stop at our external borders. Nor should we," said Dimitris Avramopoulos, EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship.

"Today's agreement with Albania -- the first of this kind with a third country -- is a milestone in the EU's external cooperation on border management. I hope it will pave the way for greater cooperation with the whole Western Balkan region," Avramopoulos said.

According to Avramopoulos, the agreement allows the Frontex to coordinate operational cooperation between EU member states and Albania on the management of the EU's external borders.

The Frontex will be able to take action at the external border involving one or more neighboring member states and Albania. "This can include intervention on Albanian territory, subject to Albania's agreement," the European Commission said in a statement.

The actions under the agreement are aimed at fighting irregular migration and cross-border crime, according to the European Commission.