Albania to Open Embassys in Ukraine

Thus announced Albanian Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Olta Xhacka, at the time the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

“Albania will support Ukraine and its people with the maximum capacity until it triumphs against the illegal fight of Russia's aggression. Albania and Ukraine belong to the family of free and democratic nations, and both have a future in the Euro-Atlantic family”, Gacka wrote in a Facebook post.

Since February 24th 2022, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, NATO member Albania has been listed with this military alliance and with the European Union in support of Ukraine.

Under this support, several decisions have been adopted, allowing Ukrainian citizens to enter and remain without permission to stay in Albania for a period of 1 year, as well as creating a task force to manage applications for international protection for citizens coming from Ukraine.

Albanian authorities have also supported the UN General Assembly resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and have recently undertaken an initiative to document and investigate war crimes in Ukraine through the UN.

Prior to the start of the war and sanctions imposed on Russia, according to Statistics Institute data (INSTAT), Albania has imported over 40 percent of the total of cereals from Russia, and 4 percent from Ukraine.

According to the Ukrainian Embassy in Tirana, since February 2022, nearly 3 thousand Ukrainian citizens have been sheltered in Albania.

On May 3rd of last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Albania's Parliament online address. In addition to thanks for the support, he demanded that entry into Albania, Russian tourists, be denied.

This request was not taken into account by the Albanian government.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries are established on 13 January 1993, while Ukraine has opened its embassy in Tirana in September 2020.

Her ambassador has been appointed Volodimir Shculov, who is still in office.

In Ukraine, about 3,500 Albanians live in the Odessa region. / REL/