Albania

TIRANA, Sept 5 (NNN-XINHUA) – Albanian Prime Minister and leader of the ruling Socialist Party, Edi Rama, announced yesterday, the reshuffle of his cabinet, during a national assembly of his party, replacing six ministers.

The changes affect six ministries, with the Ministry for Standards and Services merged, and the Ministry of Local Government added to the cabinet.

These steps are aimed at accelerating reforms, Rama said.

The changes will be presented to Albanian President, Bajram Begaj today, to be decreed.

TIRANA, Albania, May 15 (NNN-XINHUA) – Local elections were held in Albania yesterday, to elect mayors and councils for the country’s 61 municipalities.

The competition is ongoing between the ruling Socialist Party of Albania, led by Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Together We Win coalition.

The opposition coalition comprises the centre-right Democratic Party, the Freedom Party and several other smaller partners.

Of all the 23,907 candidates, 144 ran for mayors, and the rest for municipal council members.

TIRANA, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Albanian opposition leader Sali Berisha was punched in the face by a male bystander as he led a crowd of his party's supporters to central Tirana on Tuesday for anti-government protests taking place at the same time as an EU summit in the city.

Thousands of opposition supporters had gathered in Tirana as Albania hosts its first EU-Balkans summit, attended by leaders of European Union member states, to protest against the administration of Prime Minister Edi Rama and demand early elections.

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — EU leaders and their Western Balkan counterparts gathered Tuesday for talks aimed at strengthening their partnership as Russia’s war in Ukraine threatens to reshape the geopolitical balance in the region.

The EU wants to use the one-day summit in Albania’s capital to tell leaders from Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia that they have futures within the wealthy economic bloc and give them concrete signs, rather than just promises, that they will join one day.

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — The war in Ukraine has put the European Union’s expansion at the top of the agenda as officials from the Western Balkans and EU leaders gather Tuesday for a summit intended to reinvigorate the whole enlargement process.

The EU’s executive commission has repeatedly promised Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia that they have futures within the bloc. But the progress of the six nations toward getting there stalled in recent years.

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian special forces police forced the door of the Iranian Embassy in Tirana on Thursday and officers surrounded the compound in which it stands, shortly after the last staff members left the building following the government’s order to expel them.

The officers, in full fighting gear, entered the building first and were followed by other officers carrying equipment and accompanied by a dog.

07 Sep 2022; MEMO: Albania is ending diplomatic relations with Iran and has ordered Iranian diplomats and embassy staff to leave within 24 hours following an investigation into a cyberattack in July, Prime Minister Edi Rama said today, according to Reuters.

"The government has decided with immediate effect to end diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Rama said in a video statement sent to the media.

TIRANA, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Albania severed diplomatic relations with Iran on Wednesday and kicked out its diplomats after a cyberattack in July it blamed on the Islamic Republic, a move Washington supported as it vowed to take action in response to the attack on its NATO ally.

Albania ordered Iranian diplomats and embassy staff to leave within 24 hours.

"The government has decided with immediate effect to end diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Prime Minister Edi Rama said in a video statement.

TIRANA, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday that Spain is ready to support Albania to continue its reforms to improve people's quality of life and integrate into the European Union (EU).

He made the remarks at a joint press conference in Albania's capital Tirana with his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama following a meeting.

Albania is the last stop of Sanchez's Western Balkan tour, which took him also to Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia.

TIRANA, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday that Spain is ready to support Albania to continue its reforms to improve people's quality of life and integrate into the European Union (EU).

He made the remarks at a joint press conference in Albania's capital Tirana with his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama following a meeting.

Albania is the last stop of Sanchez's Western Balkan tour, which took him also to Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia.