The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Igli Hasani, in a press conference on the eve of the end of the year, listed the priorities of the Albanian diplomacy for the next year.

Hello to everyone,

Thank you for being here with us today in this conversation about the work of Albanian diplomacy.

First of all this is an opportunity to take stock of the year that is coming to an end, but also a good moment to share with you and the citizens what will be the priorities of our work for the coming year.

For Albanian diplomacy, the end of 2023 marked the end of an unprecedented period of achievements and successes. A period that began with the assumption of the mandate for the presidency of the OSCE in 2020 and closes after 3 days with the end of the two-year mandate in the UN Security Council.

As never before in its history, during these few years, Albania had the opportunity to play a leading role in the highest forums of international politics. We were given this opportunity in difficult times.

At a time when the functioning of these large international organizations was anything but routine. But we managed to have a dignified and respected performance, contributing ideas and solutions to global discussions on the most pressing issues that challenge the world today, starting from the war in Ukraine and the security situation in Europe, the food security crisis, the fight against violent extremism, the women’s rights agenda and environmental protection.

And recently during these three months we have been strongly engaged with ideas and proposals in the Security Council with our partners to address the situation produced in the Middle East by the terrorist attack of October 7 by Hamas and the war in Gaza, which unfortunately still continues.

But we managed to evacuate Albanian citizens from Israel and Gaza, and for that a special thanks goes to the Albanian diplomats in our embassies in Israel and Egypt, but also to our international partners who got involved. This performance proved that even small countries like Albania, which are destined to be spectators in the big debates of international politics, have a lot to contribute with ideas and solutions.

Our diplomacy has known how to do this in the best way, with a lot of prudence and courage, with a lot of ingenuity and staying true to the values and principles. Thanks to this performance like never before, we enjoy today the trust, respect and admiration of our friends and partners and allies.

A respect and admiration which has already given concrete results since our country’s candidacies in the Human Rights Council and in the Executive Board of UNESCO were massively supported by votes, in a competition where we had the Russian Federation as a direct rival.

I want to thank Ministers Xhaçka and Cakaj for managing the work during these last years, the Mission in New York, and Ambassador Ferit Hoxha, the Mission in Geneva and Paris for maximum commitment.

The year 2023 was also the year of significant progress in the European integration process. Albania’s work to deepen Europeanization and modernization reforms, full alignment with EU security policies and foreign policy, and a particularly constructive role in the region, have been evaluated as a model of success for the entire BP.

More specifically, during this year, the process of analytical review of Albanian legislation to assess compliance with acqui, the so-called screening process, was successfully completed. And I take the opportunity at this point to congratulate and thank the entire team of about 1,000 experts headed by Chief Negotiator Dhuka, for the extraordinary work they have done.

Albania is today ready for the Second Intergovernmental Conference according to the evaluations of the European Commission, according to the evaluations of the member countries, but also according to the conclusions of the Council of December 12. We expect that at the beginning of 2024 we will have good news about the further advancement of the process.

Let me also remind you that in October, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Berlin Process Summit were held in Tirana, during which the European perspective of the region was strongly reaffirmed, but also concrete decisions were taken to advance regional cooperation and to support us in our integration journey.

Another direction for which a lot of work was done and there were concrete achievements during 2023 was the constant cooperation with the Albanian factor in the region, with our brothers in Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Preševo, but also with the Albanian diaspora around the world. Just a few weeks ago, Arbëresh Day and the Diaspora Summit were organized in Tirana, in which concrete ideas and initiatives were articulated that will be pursued with great dedication in the future to further strengthen the cooperation between us.

I am glad that the Diaspora Summit welcomed our proposal to declare November 22, Alphabet Day, as a national holiday.

In the coming year, we will work to continue with this good performance and advance the country’s interests in all these directions.

Further consolidation of cooperation with the diaspora and the Albanian factor, coordination of diplomatic activity and the creation of new synergies between us will be our main priority for 2024. I am convinced that this cooperation has an extraordinary potential that we still only we have touched it and working together, we will know how to release great energies in the field of economy, science, education and diplomacy. But we will also know how to further consolidate the strategic role of the Albanians as a factor of stability and guarantor of the Euro-Atlantic orientation of the region.

We will continue maximum coordination with our strategic ally, the US, as worthy members of the North Atlantic Alliance.

Of course, we are fully aware that our best future is based not only on the cooperation between Albanians, but also on the ties we have with our neighbors. Albania is proud of its increased contribution to regional processes and in this respect, the presidencies of several regional initiatives, such as: the Adriatic Charter, the South-East European Cooperation Process or the Central European initiative, which we take in 2024 will serve for further deepen cooperation and regional integration.

Another direction for which we will work more than in the past and with a much more ambitious vision is economic diplomacy. Today, Albania is a success story in terms of absorbing foreign investments and implementing large projects in tourism, energy, infrastructure and agriculture. With 10 million tourists in 2023, we have projections for even greater numbers in 2024.

Albania today is a confirmed tourist destination, which undoubtedly translates into more interest for investments and projects.

On the other hand, today Albania is a country that enjoys a much higher and appreciated profile in the international arena than a few years ago. Today, thanks to this work, we have further expanded and consolidated cooperation with a number of countries, of course with the EU, but also from the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East and Central Asia, in order to advance economic cooperation.

The Foreign Service will work proactively to further advance these partnerships, to attract as many projects and investments as possible and to promote the opportunities offered by Albania as best as possible.

In 2024, we will open diplomatic missions in Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ukraine, and work will continue to increase diplomatic representation around the world.

We are also working to leverage Albania’s positive reputation to provide direct benefits for Albanian citizens, for all of us. One of the main priorities is to further facilitate the movement of our citizens, by expanding the map of countries where we can move without visas, or with simplified procedures for obtaining visas.

Of course, the implementation of these priorities will also require a reform and restructuring of the Foreign Service, to make it even more professional, flexible and efficient. This restructuring will also be one of our priorities for 2024.

I am confident that with their work the diplomats of the Albanian Foreign Service will know how to build on the achievements of the year we left behind and a year from today, we will continue not only to meet and talk about successes but also to discuss achievements based on our work, where we will deepen the contribution and the greater advancement of the interests of Albania and the Albanians themselves.

I wish you a good, beautiful 2024 and with as much positive news as possible. Thank you for your time and I welcome your questions.