India opened its Resident Mission in Albania on August 10, 2024
India and Albania held Bilateral Consultations in Tirana on Thursday (October 31, 2024). The discussions, held less than three months after India opened its Resident Mission in Albania, covered the entire gamut of bilateral ties between the two nations.

During the Consultations, both sides undertook a comprehensive review of bilateral, regional and international issues. Bilateral discussions included political relations, trade, cultural relations and people-to-people contacts, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday (November 1, 2024).

Discussions also covered cooperation between the two countries in the international arena. Both sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, the MEA added.

India opened its Resident Mission in Albania on August 10, 2024, with the MEA saying that this would help in expanding India’s diplomatic footprint and deepen political relations between the two nations. “It would assist in the growth of bilateral trade, promote investments and economic engagements and cooperation on multilateral issues. The Indian Mission in Tirana will facilitate people-to-people contacts and also assist the Indian community in Albania,” the MEA noted.

Visiting New Delhi to attend the Raisina Dialogue in February this year, Albanian Foreign Minister Igli Hasani said his country was an important location on the ‘corridor’ that connects Europe with Asia. He also described Albania as one of the fastest growing European economies. 

The minister, who was accompanied by an 8-member business delegation, met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the event. During their meeting, FM Hasani and EAM Jaishankar discussed steps to develop economic contacts between India and Albania. According to official data, the bilateral trade between the two countries stood at USD 1,161.59 million in FY 2023-24.

It may be recalled that in April 2021, India extended humanitarian assistance of 50,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine Covishield to the Republic of Armenia.