Albania to Open First Embassy in Kyiv for Solidarity, Potential Economic Prospects

Albania is planning to open an embassy in Kyiv, the first in Ukraine since it first opened diplomatic ties with Ukraine in 1993.

As reported by Tirana’s official news outlet Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), the nominated ambassador to Ukraine, Ernal Filo, told Albania’s Commission for Foreign Policy that opening an embassy in Kyiv can help bolster Albania’s international diplomatic standing. 

“The proposal to open the representative office of the Republic of Albania in Kyiv for the first time and the actual situation in which Ukraine is located, show that our country is giving due importance to countries and regions which today are at the center of the international diplomatic focus and which constitute an issue both critical and challenging for peace and security on the European continent,” Filo said during the Commission hearing on May 29.

He added that there are also prospects for economic development for the Balkan nation in opening the embassy in Kyiv.

“I think that the situation in the future can be beneficial for us, and here I mean the commitment that we can offer together with other countries in the region, where our companies can benefit from the reconstruction funds of the destroyed cities of Ukraine when the war ends and when Russia must be held responsible for the economic damage and the loss of innocent civilians,” Filo said.

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Filo also said economic ties with Ukraine are less developed than their political and diplomatic cooperation, but work is ongoing to strengthen business and financial links with Kyiv.

“Trade is done through third countries. Currently, we have 63 Ukrainian-owned companies operating in Albania…  We have a consolidated legal framework with Ukraine, with about 15 signed agreements, which affect almost all areas of cooperation, from those of political and strategic orientation, to investment protection, tourism, education and health,” Filo said.

During the hearing, Filo also repeatedly emphasized Tirana’s solidarity with the West and Ukraine. He criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – including Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea – and voiced Tirana’s support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s 10-point peace plan.

Albania will also participate in the Swiss peace conference on June 15-16. 

Filo also noted Ukraine’s recognition of the independence of Kosovo, the former Albanian-majority province of Serbia that declared independence in the 2000s with Western support following a bloody conflict with Serbia in the late 1990s.

According to Albania’s Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Artemis Malo, Filo is an experienced diplomat whose career started in 1997.

“Filo is a diplomat with a very long experience in the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEPJ). He currently holds the rank of ‘Minister Plenipotentiary’ and serves in the Directorate of State Protocol,” Malo said.

Albania, a Balkan nation that once was allied with communist China following splits from Yugoslavia and the USSR and was ruled by a communist regime between 1946 and 1991, has maintained a pro-Western stance since the 1990s and joined NATO in 2009 alongside Croatia.

In February, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama co-chaired the Ukraine–South-East Europe Summit in Tirana with the Ukrainian president. In his speech, Zelensky called on participating nations to unite with Ukraine against the Kremlin.