The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, met with the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, in Tirana ahead of the Summit for Ukraine.
Several leaders of Southeastern Europe will participate at the summit, which starts at 11:30.
After the meeting between the Albanian Prime Minister and the Ukrainian President, delegations from both states also met.
The meetings concluded with the signing by Rama and Zelensky of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between the two states.
“The Treaty serves the consolidation of friendship between the two countries and peoples, through the expansion and strengthening of cooperation in various fields of mutual interest,” the Albanian Government said in a statement.
The Ukrainian leader arrived in Tirana shortly before midnight, according to Albanian Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Igli Hasani.
This is Zelensky’s first visit to Tirana, coming just a few days after two years since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Albanian Prime Minister expressed pride in organizing the summit.
During his participation in the exhibition “Ukraine, a war crime” at the Center for Openness and Dialogue (COD) in Tirana, Rama stated that, besides being a “co-organizer” at the summit, Zelensky will also hold bilateral meetings with political leaders of Albania.
These meetings will take place before the summit, which is set to begin at 11:30.
The Ukrainian delegation will also include the Foreign Minister of the country, Dmytro Kuleba.
Kuleba: The summit sends the message that we remain united
On the morning of February 28, he met with his Albanian counterpart, Igli Hasani.
Kuleba said he is grateful to Albania for organizing the summit, which he said “sends a clear message that we remain united”.
He thanked Albania for the assistance provided while his country is facing Russian aggression.
“It is very important for Russia to be held accountable for the crime of aggression and war crimes committed during the course of the war,” Kuleba said.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister also spoke about the NATO summit, to be held in Washington, reiterating his country’s aim to become part of the Western military alliance.
“Our expectations are that, among other things, one of the results of the Washington summit will be a step forward towards Ukraine’s membership to ultimately make this part of Europe safer,” he said.
Meanwhile, Albanian Chief Diplomat Igli Hasani announced that authorities are in the preparation phase for the opening of the Albanian Embassy in Kiev, hoping that the inauguration will take place “in the coming months”.
“Albania supports the freedom, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Albania strongly condemns Russian aggression against Ukraine,” Hasani said, adding that his country will continue to support Kiev during the war and in the post-war phase, in the reconstruction of the state.
What is the Summit for Ukraine?
Rama had announced this summit since January 22, during his participation in the conference “Western Balkans Growth Plan and Faster EU Integration”, held in Skopje, North Macedonia.
At that time, he said that it would address security issues and support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
According to the agenda published, Rama and Zelensky are expected to deliver opening speeches followed by a closed-door meeting.
The summit will conclude with their participation in a media conference.
Who will participate?
In addition to Rama and Zelensky, participants will include several leaders from Southeast European states and the EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Oliver Várhelyi.
Kosovo is represented at this summit by President Vjosa Osmani.
As understood, present will also be the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, the President of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, the Chair of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Krišto, and the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu.
Leaders of six Western Balkan countries – Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Montenegro – are expected to stay in Tirana until Thursday.
On February 29, a regional summit for the growth plan and faster integration into the EU will be held in the Albanian capital.
Commissioner Várhelyi will also participate in this summit.
For now, it is not clear if anyone from Kosovo will participate. Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who has previously attended summits related to the EU enlargement plan, is currently in the UK this week.
Relations between Albania and Ukraine
After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Albania stood alongside the European Union and the United States in support of Ukraine.
As part of this support, several decisions have been made that allow Ukrainian citizens to enter and stay in Albania without residence permits for a one-year period.
According to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for 2022, out of 32,000 Ukrainians who entered Albania after the start of the war, about 2,500 remained beyond 2022 in this country.
Albania’s former Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Olta Xhaçka, said last January that Albania would open an embassy in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. However, this has not yet been realized.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on January 13, 1993, and Ukraine opened its embassy in Tirana in September 2020.
Its ambassador is Volodymyr Shkurov, who is still in office.
About 3,500 Albanians live in the Odessa region of Ukraine.
