Statement of the Ambassador Eglantina Gjermeni for the side event on the Tirana Declaration

Excellencies,
Colleagues,
Distinguished guests,

It is a pleasure to join you today and to open this side event marking the fifth anniversary of the Tirana Declaration on Strengthening Co-operation in Countering Transnational Organized Crime. I am proud that Albania is co-organizing this discussion together with Finland, the United Kingdom, and TNTD/SPMU with the support of Switzerland.

For Albania, the Tirana Declaration carries a particular significance. It was one of the key political outcomes of our 2020 OSCE Chairpersonship—a year marked by unprecedented challenges, when the pandemic disrupted our societies and widened the space for criminal networks to exploit uncertainty, vulnerability, and institutional strain. Against that backdrop, the participating States recognized the urgent need for a coherent, co-ordinated, and comprehensive approach to transnational organized crime.

The Declaration set out exactly that: a shared vision for how our institutions, our law enforcement bodies, our civil societies, and our communities can work together to counter one of the most persistent threats to security across the OSCE area.

Five years later, we see clearly that the Tirana Declaration was not just timely, it was prescient.

Organized crime has continued to evolve rapidly. It exploits technological innovation, digital platforms, financial systems, and social vulnerabilities with increasing sophistication. Its impact reaches into every layer of society, undermining development, trust, and democratic governance.

The OSCE has risen to this challenge. As the product “Strengthening co-operation in countering transnational organized crime: taking stock of five years of the Tirana Declaration” being launched today demonstrates, the Organization has translated the political commitments of the Tirana Declaration into concrete, practical support across the region.

We see this in:

• initiatives that strengthen community resilience, including Albania’s own Local Safety Councils, which bring together police, civil society, and local authorities to identify risks early and protect vulnerable groups;
• regional work on asset recovery and illicit financial flows, ensuring that crime does not pay and that seized assets can be returned to communities;
• programs that empower youth and counter recruitment into criminal networks, whether in Central Asia, South-Eastern Europe, or beyond;
• research that sheds light on the gender dimensions of organized crime and promotes the meaningful participation of women in prevention and response;
• and platforms that enable States to co-operate more effectively on cybercrime, arms trafficking, trafficking in human beings, and emerging hybrid threats.

All these efforts demonstrate the same message: that co-operation is the most powerful tool we have. Exactly as envisioned in Tirana five years ago.

But the story does not end here. If anything, the need for co-operation has only grown. The technological transformation of organized crime—its use of encrypted communications, cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence, and online recruitment—demands an equally modern, agile, and coordinated response. No country can manage these challenges alone.

Excellencies,
Colleagues,

The Tirana Declaration was born in a difficult moment, but with a forward-looking vision.

Today, that vision remains fully relevant. If we continue to strengthen our partnerships—across institutions, across borders, and with our societies—we can build safer, more resilient communities and deliver on our shared commitment to counter transnational organized crime.

Albania is proud of the legacy of the Tirana Declaration, and we remain fully committed to supporting its implementation—today and in the years ahead.

I wish you a productive discussion and I look forward to hearing the insights of our partners on how we can take this work into tomorrow.

Thank you.