Lindita Nikolla

Bulgaria's commitment to Albania's EU aspirations and bilateral cooperation took center stage during a meeting between Rosen Zhelyazkov, Speaker of the National Assembly of Bulgaria, and Lindita Nikolla, Speaker of the National Assembly of Albania, in Tirana.

Bulgaria has received assurances from Albania regarding the protection of the rights of the Bulgarian minority within its borders, alongside a commitment to ensure transparency in the upcoming census.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) during a welcoming ceremony with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama (L) at Tirana airport, January 17 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/MALTON DIBRA

The complex was financed and built by Turkey for Albanians who lost their houses in the magnitude 6.3 earthquake in late 2019, which killed 51 people and displaced nearly 17,000 people.

Prime Minister Edi Rama on Friday axed seven of his 14 ministers after a year of popular protests against government policies.

Rama summoned the National Assembly of his governing Socialist Party in Tirana and insisted that the changes were "not the result of failures".

Albania's opposition centre-right Democratic Party has referred the Ministry of Education and the Prime Minister to prosecutors for what it calls a brazen attempt to use schools to collect voter information for election-related purposes.

Turkish and Albanian Education Ministers on Wednesday attended a first Albanian class in the village of Halil Beyli at the Alija Izetbegovic Middle School near Izmir, where a significant portion of the residents have Balkan origins.

Some Albanian teachers and professors have criticised a government initiative to include religious education and history as a compulsory course in secondary and high schools.

Prime Minister Edi Rama on Friday announced the move at a ceremony commemorating the birthday of the Prophet Muhammed and the Minister of Education, Lindita Nikolla, confirmed the plan on Monday.

Albania is to pay a British agency, Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, QAA, around 700,000 euros to rank the quality of its 35 public and private universities.

Albania's parliament adopted controversial government-sponsored higher educational reforms at 2.30am on Wednesday after nine hours of debate. The law was approved by 78 votes out of 140.

Outside parliament, protesters, professors and civil rights activists protested against the law that they call an attack on public universities.

Albanian officials have made it clear that Albania is not planning to act on demands by Turkey's President for the country to close down the Gulen movement.

President Erdogan made his request in Tirana last week when he called the Gulen movement a terrorist organization.