Latest News from Albania

Hahn sees 'restructuring' of Greece-Albania maritime borders

European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Commissioner Johannes Hahn sparked controversy in local media Wednesday after suggesting that negotiations between Albania and Greece to delineate maritime borders in the Ionian sea could lead to a "restructuring of borders."

Albania PM eyes 'strategic partnership' with Greece

Athens and Tirana will wrap up a bilateral agreement with "a new document of strategic partnership," Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama told the Athens-Macedonia news agency (ANA-MPA) on the sidelines of an EU-Western Balkans summit in London on Tuesday.

"Old, New, Orthodox" - CIA predicts a fragmented Europe

Namely, the CIA sees the European continent as quite different to what it is today in the near future - divided in three parts: "new," "old," and "(Christian) Orthodox" - and Serbia would be a part of the third.

Balkan Leaders Flock to Erdogan Inauguration

Balkan leaders were high on the foreign guest list as Turkey's strongman for 16 years, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was sworn in as President once again at the country's parliament in Ankara on Monday.

FHP calls on authorities to solve murders of Bytyqi brothers

The brothers Bytyqi traveled to Serbia to fight in the ranks of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during the 1999 war in Kosovo. They were captured by Serbian authorities shortly after the war and sentenced to 15 days in prison for having illegally crossed the state border between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Albania.

Albania Stalls on Search for Communist Victims' Remains

The International Commission on Missing Persons, ICMP is still awaiting parliamentary ratification of the Albanian Council of Ministers' decision on June 7 to start work on the search for missing victims of the Communist regime.

A spokesperson for the ICMP confirmed that the organisation is still waiting for final approval.

London Set to Host Western Balkans Leaders

The fifth Western Balkans Summit opens on Monday in London with key EU member states and UK leaders meeting the heads of six Balkan governments to "strengthen the reform agenda in the region" so that they can meet the criteria for EU accession.

Greek-Albanian issues are put on back burner

The acrimonious aftermath of the Macedonia name deal has prompted the government to defer efforts to resolve bilateral differences with Albania. According to reports, the Prime Minister's Office is reportedly waiting for the name deal's ratification in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Greece before it tackles the Albanian issues.

Saudi Arabia Remains Key Buyer of Balkan Arms

A new SEESAC report reveals that Saudi Arabia remains one of the biggest buyers of obsolete arms from the Balkans, as other Middle Eastern markets become more interesting for arms dealers from the region.

A third of tourists arrive by car

The number of people visiting Greece by land last year came to 8.3 million - i.e. more than 30 percent of all tourism arrivals in the country (excluding cruise ship passengers) - according to a study by the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE).