In a post on social media platform X, a day after a cabinet meeting in the south-eastern town of Pogradec, Hoxha said the meeting had provided an opportunity to assess priorities in detail and set clear objectives through the end of the year, including in foreign policy.

“The successful continuation of the EU accession process remains our primary objective and will require an increased pace, clear focus and full diplomatic commitment,” Hoxha said.

He said Albania would also step up efforts to strengthen regional cooperation, contributing to a Western Balkans that is “more stable, interconnected, sustainable and closer to Europe.”

Another priority will be to modernise and simplify consular services, making them faster, more accessible and more citizen-oriented, Hoxha said.

He also identified continued reform of the Foreign Service as a key focus, aimed at building a modern, professional and merit-based diplomatic service with a capable and agile corps committed to representing Albania, protecting national interests and creating greater added value for the country.

Hoxha said Albania’s diplomatic priorities also included strengthening the country’s international image and cultural and social profile, closer links with the economy and trade, more partnerships and opportunities, and delivering more tangible results for Albania and its citizens.

“European Albania also requires European diplomacy,” Hoxha said.

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The Albanian government head was invited to speak on the role of states and the future of the European Union. During his address, Rama emphasized that Albania remains a loyal follower of Europe, with its foreign policy fully harmonized with that of the EU.

“It would be different if the Slovenian Prime Minister were to openly criticized Brussels, since he has much to lose; we have nothing to lose. We must remain very open, and beyond what we say and express, one can never doubt our loyalty. We understand clearly our size, weight, and challenges. As Europeans, we want to be free to express our views, but when it comes to following Europe, we are loyal followers. Our foreign policy has been 100% aligned with the EU’s foreign policy for a long time,” Rama said.

The government head added that Albania has never wavered or doubted its loyalty, describing it as “almost blind” in that respect.

Rama identified a key issue facing Europe and Albania: the state does not act as an active entrepreneur but increasingly seeks funds from the budget.

“I think the core issue in initiatives like yours, and our relationship with entrepreneurs, is twofold. First, the problem of entrepreneurs seen not as partners but as opposing what the government and state should do. Second – and more problematic – is that unlike the US or other realities, Europe is not used to having an entrepreneurial state. Essentially, we keep demanding more money from the budget, more spending, more debt, more funds, and so on.

“If we succumb to this, debt grows and we get stuck. Instead, we must empower institutions and ministries with full executive power so they can act with an entrepreneural spirit. They should work with entrepreneurs to generate profits for their benefit and also for the public interest,” Rama said.

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The 2025 state budget for the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs is also earmarked to support a range of key initiatives, diplomatic and consular services abroad and the country’s involvement in the regional and EU programmes.

The budget will also support efforts to advance Albania’s relations with the European Union, as well as the efforts to boost economic diplomacy.

Investments include innovative projects, modernization of online consular service and e-Visa system, aimed at further improving service delivery to Albanian citizens living and working abroad.

Some of main foreign policy priorities in 2025 include efforts to speed up the European integration agenda and preparations for the country’s EU accession by 2030 through commitment to reform processes and agenda; active participation in regional initiatives, the Berlin Process, the EU’s new Growth Plan and other EU programmes aimed at the region’s gradual accession to the bloc.

Maintaining Albania’s profile in multilateralism and proactive engagement in international bodies as UN Human Rights Council and the UNESCO’s Executive Board member;

Deepening relations with strategic partners, namely the US, the EU and the UK, to strengthen cooperation in various areas, such as security and economic development;

Strengthening economic diplomacy, with a focus on enhancing trade exchanges, promoting exports and attracting foreign investment to boost the country’s economic development;

The role of the Albanian diaspora as a valuable resource for the country’s development, supporting the modernization of consular services and strengthening ties with Albanian communities abroad;

Improving service delivery through digital platforms, providing immediate assistance and protecting the interests of our citizens abroad;

Support Kosovo’s international recognition and strengthening the cohesion of the Albanian factor in the region, promoting constructive dialogue and close cooperation.

The 2025 state budget will support Albania’s commitment to expand its diplomatic network by opening four more new embassies, namely in Bosnia and Herzegovina, India, Indonesia and Kenya, as well as consular offices in Presheva Valley, Toronto and Dublin, in a bid to enhance Albania’s role in the international stage and deliver on ambitious foreign policy objectives.

The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs allocated over 3.87 billion lek in the draft budget, a substantial increase aimed at reinforcing Albania’s diplomatic infrastructure and governance, and strengthen ties with other countries.

A fund of 3.56 billion lek will support diplomatic efforts, a significant increase compared with the previous years. The government will earmark 2.96 billion lek to support Albanian missions overseas, where services for diaspora communities and businesses are a focus.

An amount of 598 490 000 lek is projected in planning and management funds, showing the government’s special attention to planning strategies and effective management of resources.

An additional 318.5 million lek is earmarked for consular and diplomatic representation worldwide, reflecting the Ministry’s goal of strengthening Albania’s international presence.

The 2025–2027 objectives include advancing EU membership talks, bolstering dialogue with EU institutions on joint security policies, and increasing Albania’s contributions to international organisations such as the United Nations, where it holds a seat on the Human Rights Council until 2026.

As a NATO member, Albania will continue its support for the alliance’s eastern operations and expand regional ties, notably with Kosovo, while promoting its economic and tourism interests.

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Addressing the international the International Conference “President Rugova and the West” on the 25th anniversary of NATO’s intervention in Kosovo, the government head noted that a recent foreign and internal policy approach is “increasingly depriving Kosovo of trust of friends and international allies.”

Rama stated that “Kosovo’s most successful period regarding its international relations as a subject, although still unrecognized by many countries as an independent state was during the so-called Unity Team.”

“Ibrahim Rugova never took advantage of his reputation and international personality for political gains internally by exploiting the foreign policy,” Rama said.

On the contrary – he went on saying – “Rugova humbly sit as a member of a unity team, with everyone being equal.”

“That was the time when Kosovo recorded its most important diplomatic achievements and defeated Serbia in the talks. Today we are through an increasingly deepening process and an increasingly disturbing approach to the foreign policy for internal political gains and as communication platforms to gain more votes,” he stated.

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In his remarks at parliament session on a motion put forward for debate, the government head said “Albania doesn’t help Kosovo by supporting it when Kosovo’s leadership exposes the inescapable weakness in the geopolitical chessboard, when resorting to a position governed by the domestic politics need.”

PM Rama stated that Albania has “openly and decisively told Serbia everything the country has to tell Serbia in the eyes of the whole world.”

He said that “the line of strategic action of Albania’s foreign policy in the region has not been faltered due to the most recent crisis in Kosovo.”

“My feeling of kinship and responsibility for Kosovo as inseparable part of our homeland has not been faltered at this stage of risk to lose peace after winning the war, higher than ever before over all these years, also due to the increased Russia’s actions against the region’s stability, and the risk of escalating weapons by fueling the conflict in the north,” he said.

Rama underlined that the Berlin Process enjoys the Kosovo government’s enthusiastic support and that the next Berlin Process Summit will for the first time ever take place outside the EU borders in Tirana next week.

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In his remarks at parliament session on a motion put forward for debate by the DP lawmaker Kreshnik Çollaku on Albania’s position regarding the most recent events in northern Kosovo, PM Rama underlined that “this is the first time in the last decade when Albania doesn’t align itself with the EU statement.”

“That statement was mainly about Kosovo and its obligations in the dialogue process and there was almost no reference to Serbia at all. Although the truth is that its approval by the 27 member countries procedurally coincided immediately after the serious event of the murder of the Kosovo policeman and the declaration of national mourning in Belgrade for the criminals and this was not reflected in the statement approved prior to the incident. We didn’t oppose the statement itself, as Kosovo should definitely reflect about the critics and the requests forwarded by Brussels and Washington. However, it is unacceptable that the declaration was released as if nothing else had happened,” he stated.

The Premier said that the decision not to align with the EU’s foreign policy statement was not made in a bid to score political gains domestically.

“We didn’t make a gesture to gain electoral support, as it is unfortunately the case for a long time now a series of gestures by the government in Pristina regarding the normalization dialogue, including gestures towards our government. Instead, we took a principled and political position in order to encourage Brussels to make sure that the 27-member bloc takes a unified position, not just in relation to the event and the Belgrade’s unacceptable attitude, not just in words, but also through meaningful measures against Serbia and in view of what may ensue in the future,” he added.

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The Albanian diplomacy chief noted that 2022 recorded a series of unprecedented accomplishments.

“This year began with Albania taking its seat as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for first time in 65 years. Albania’s EU accession negotiations were launched in July, taking the country’s integration process to a whole new level. This year ended with the EU-Western Balkans Summit being held in Tirana, the first time ever for the Summit to take place in a non-EU Member State and in the Western Balkans. All these achievements are evidence to the huge transformation Albania has gone through, becoming a country that enjoys respect from partners and allies,” she said in her message.

“2022 was not an easy year. The pandemic effects, although mitigated, they have yet to disappear, whereas the Ukraine war consequences have left their mark not only on the life of the country, but also on every Albanian family,” she added.

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In her message, Foreign Minister Xhaçka said that “Albania is no longer just a spectator in the global arena, but a contributing country through concrete ideas.”

“The high-level week at the UN General Assembly is always a very specific and incredibly intense event. In this 77th session of the UN General Assembly, Albania was truly and unprecedentedly committed, also due to the fact that Albania is a Security Council member. I can proudly state that our country already enjoys a serious and respected image in the international arena. Albania is a country whose voice is heard and respected today. We are no longer, as it is often the case with small countries, just a spectator in the big global arena, but a contributor to the big debates through our ideas about the food crisis, the Russian aggression in Ukraine, and even the UN reform,” Foreign Minister said.

Xhaçka said that Albania has confirmed its firm alignment with the allied and partner nations to put an end to the war in Ukraine, condemn Russian aggression and the need for the international community to hold Russia accountable for the crimes it has committed in Ukraine, the food crisis that is affecting tens of millions of people worldwide or the need for unanimous response and actions to defend the international order that guarantees peace and security in the world.

“We certainly attached special attention to the ways how these crises are affecting our region and the ways how peace and security should be guaranteed in the Western Balkans,” she added.

Xhaçka also informed that a visa-free travel deal was signed with Kazakhstan in the margins of the UN General Assembly.

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