The Embassy of the Republic of Albania in Stockholm covers diplomatic relations with the following countries:
- Kingdom of Sweden
- Republic of Finland
- Kingdom of Norway
- Republic of Iceland
- SWEDEN
Sweden is the largest country in the Nordic Region, with an area of approximately 447,435 km². Sweden shares land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast. It also has coastlines opposite its Nordic neighbors Denmark, Norway, Åland and Finland.
The capital of Sweden is Stockholm. Sweden is a constitutional monarchy and King Carl XVI Gustaf is the non-political head of state. The king has mainly ceremonial and representative duties.
Sweden is a member of the EU, but has retained the Swedish krona as its currency. Sweden joined NATO in March 2024, becoming the Alliance’s 32nd member.
Briefing
Diplomatic relations between Sweden and Albania were (re)established on June 20, 1969. Our embassy in Stockholm was opened in April 1972. During the 70s and 80s, relations between our two countries were limited. The first visit of a Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs to Albania took place in May 1991, when Mr. Sten Andersson visited our country in the capacity of Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
BILATERAL RELATIONS
During the last two decades, Sweden has unwaveringly supported the integration-membership process of our country in the European Union, first for the conclusion of the Stabilization-Association Agreement, then for obtaining the status of a candidate country and subsequently for the opening of negotiations accession to the EU. This support was given and is given not only in the political aspect, but also through development assistance for strengthening administrative capacities and other directions. The main instrument for concretizing Swedish development aid in our country is the activity of the Swedish Development and International Cooperation Agency (SIDA). During the visit of the Swedish Minister for International Cooperation for Development, Per Olsson Fridh, on October 6-7, 2021, the II AIDS Strategy for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2021-2027 was launched, of which Albania is also a part.
Throughout the last years, there have been, on a continuous basis, exchanges of high-level visits between our two countries.
- NORWAY
Norway is located in Northern Europe – it shares borders with Sweden, Finland and Russia to the north-east, and on the west side it has a wide coastline on the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea to the north. The population is approximately 5.4 million, over 1 million of whom live in and around the capital, Oslo.
Norway’s political system is a representative parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy. Although not a member of the EU, Norway is part of the European Economic Area and a member of NATO.
Briefing
Diplomatic relations between Albania and Norway were (re)established on May 29, 1971. Diplomatic coverage of Norway is carried out by the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Stockholm, while Norway covers relations with Albania from its Embassy in Ankara.
BILATERAL RELATIONS
The first visit of a Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs to Albania took place in April 1998, when Mr. Knut Vollebæk visited our country to discuss not only bilateral but also regional issues, especially Kosovo (at that time Norway was part of the OSCE Troika). In the 1990s, Norway began financing several projects, among which the most important was the one for the modernization of the Albanian Telecom.
Political dialogue is considered one of the main pillars of bilateral relations, while high-level visits have taken place between the two countries.
Norway is not a member of the EU, but it is part of NATO, the European Economic Area and the Schengen Area. Oslo remains very interested in security issues in general, including stability in the Western Balkans. In this context, Norway has supported Albania’s European integration process in concrete ways.
- FINLAND
Finland is located in Northern Europe and has an area of 338,440 km2. It shares land borders with its Nordic neighbours, Norway and Sweden, and the borders of the three countries all meet at Treriksröse (The Three-Country Cairn). Finland also has a land border with Russia and sea borders with Estonia and Åland. Its capital is Helsinki. The official languages in Finland are Finnish and Swedish.
Finland is a parliamentary republic. Finland became part of the EU on 1 January 1995. Finland joined NATO in April 2023.
Briefing
Diplomatic relations between Albania and Finland were established on August 27, 1956. Both Albania and Finland do not have diplomatic representation in their respective capitals. Albania covers diplomatic relations with Finland from its Embassy in Stockholm, while Finland covers diplomatic relations with Albania from its Embassy in Athens.
BILATERAL RELATIONS
During the last two decades, Finland has continuously supported the integration-membership process of our country in the European Union, first for the conclusion of the Stabilization-Association Agreement, then for obtaining the status of a candidate country and subsequently for achieving the objective of membership. In addition to political support, Helsinki also contributes to various development projects in Albania.
In recent years, there have been exchanges of high-level visits from both sides.
- ICELAND
Iceland is an island nation in the North Atlantic, with an area of 103,492 km2. Iceland shares no borders with other countries, and its closest neighbors are Greenland, Norway and the United Kingdom. The capital and largest city is Reykjavík.
The form of government is a parliamentary democracy with a president elected directly by the people. Although Iceland is not a member of the EU, it is part of the European Economic Area.
Briefing
Diplomatic relations between Albania and Iceland were established on May 9, 1976. Both Albania and Iceland do not have resident diplomatic representation in Reykjavik and Tirana, but Iceland’s diplomatic coverage is carried out through our Embassy in Stockholm, while Iceland covers Albania through its Ministry of Foreign in Reykjavik.
BILATERAL RELATIONS
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, both sides have expressed their good will to cooperate. The legal framework between the two countries is still fragile and has room to expand.
