Niko Peleshi

Albania's defense ministry said on Saturday that Defence Minister Nikos Dendias declined an invitation to the opening of a refurbished NATO air base in Kucova earlier in March, rejecting a press report that the Greek official had been snubbed.

Albania is fighting a large wildfire near the western town of Lac, the army and firefighters trying to keep away the flames threatening houses, the interior minister said on Tuesday.

Police showed video of a man being arrested and Interior Minister Taulant Balla said he was suspected of arson.

The Albania government said on Monday that it is seriously examining an incident at the weekend in which two Russians and a Ukrainian passport holder were detained while entering an arms factory in Gramsh and allegedly assaulted soldiers.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has announced his new cabinet following the April 25 elections, creating a new record in the country by giving women 12 of the 16 posts in his team.

The Albanian government's new plan to restructure the public administration, drastically cutting the number of central and local institutions, has drawn criticism from experts who say they doubt it will deal with the administration's real problems.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Wednesday published a list of 100 names of people holding positions in the public administration and the judiciary - all accused of not being very helpful to ordinary citizens.

Albania's Minister of Justice, Ylli Manjani - from the junior coalition party, the Socialist Movement for Integration, LSI - has accused Prime Minister Edi Rama of sacking him for speaking out against corruption.

Albania's government has set up a working group at ministerial level to prepare for a possible influx of refugees, although Albania has not yet been affected by the mass movement of people across the Balkans.

Deputy Prime Minister Niko Peleshi said the government was preparing itself for a possible influx amid internet reports of expected arrivals.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama agreed to disagree on Kosovo and sought closer cooperation between their countries.

This happened at the meeting of the two leaders on Wednesday, which is part of the two-day visit of Vucic to Tirana, Tanjug news agency reports.

On a historic trip to Albania by the Serbian Prime Minister on Wednesday, the two sides underlined the importance of regional cooperation and agreed to disagree on the independence of the former Serbian province of Kosovo.

Vucic arrived in Tirana on Wednesday morning and was welcomed at the airport by Deputy Prime Minister Niko Peleshi.