The forum brought together business representatives and chambers of commerce from Albania, Turkey, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro, with the aim of establishing new trade links and promoting investment across the region.

In her speech, Minister Ibrahimaj stressed the importance of regional cooperation for the economies of the Western Balkans, highlighting that pooling resources and leveraging competitive advantages could make the region’s countries more attractive to investors and create new opportunities for trade.

“We in the Western Balkans have small economies, and only by working together, investing jointly and leveraging our capacities where each of us has a competitive advantage can we attract more investment and boost trade,” Ibrahimaj said.

Turkey is one of Albania’s main trading partners, accounting for 7.3% of the country’s total trade volume in 2025. However, trade exchanges continue to be dominated by imports, highlighting, according to the minister, the need to increase the presence of Albanian

Turkish investment in Albania totalled around €111 million in the first six months of 2026, according to the minister. Ibrahimaj said the aim was to broaden cooperation beyond trade and contractual agreements, encouraging Turkish companies to invest directly in a wider range of sectors of the Albanian economy.

“We will provide the necessary conditions, but businesses must also take a more active approach. I hope Turkish companies will look beyond supplying goods and securing contracts in Albania and consider investing in the country,” she said.

Ibrahimaj highlighted the development of a common regional market as an important step towards reducing barriers, cutting the time required to do business and enhancing the competitiveness of Western Balkan countries ahead of their integration into the European single market.

The minister also expressed confidence that the work of the joint Albania–Turkey commission would lead to concrete initiatives and action plans by the end of this year, further strengthening economic ties between the two countries.

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