The Diplomat
The Albanian ambassador in Madrid, Gazmend Barbullushi, expressed his country’s gratitude to Spain for its support for its process of accession to the European Union during a reception on the occasion of Albania’s National Day last Thursday.
Barbullushi recalled that on 28 November 1912, Albania declared its independence and said that today the great Albanian aspiration is to join the European Union, to join its “natural European family”. He added that such integration, not only of Albania, but also of other Western Balkan countries, is the right solution to a complicated history of the region.
For this reason, the ambassador thanked Spain for its “continuous and full support” for Albania in its integration process, while stressing that bilateral relations are “excellent” and recalling the visit to Madrid this year of the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama.
He also indicated that the “common values” shared by the two countries unite them in the international arena. In this context, he affirmed that Albania has seen its international presence grow, having held the presidency of the OSCE in 2020, and is preparing to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the 2022-2023 biennium.
In his speech, Gazmend Barbullushi encouraged Spanish companies to invest in Albania, where he said that investors will have very favourable conditions. Referring in particular to the tourism sector, he pointed out that despite the travel restrictions imposed by the pandemic, Albania is already a destination for Spanish tourists. We hope,” he said, “that the important investments of Spanish companies in the tourism sector in Albania will increase the quality of the attention of individual travellers and also of Spanish travel agencies.
The ambassador also emphasised that interest in Spanish language and culture in Albania has grown rapidly in recent years, and said: “We are working with Spanish institutions to deepen cultural cooperation, especially in the university sector, to respond appropriately to this trend”.
Finally, he had a few words for the Albanian community in Spain, which he said feels very well integrated into Spanish society.
The reception was attended by numerous ambassadors from other countries, as well as representatives of Spanish civil society and members of the Albanian community. Also present were the recently appointed Spanish Ambassador to Tirana, Álvaro Renedo; the former Spanish Ambassador to Albania, Vicente Canelles; the Deputy Director General for EU Candidate Countries, European Economic Area Countries and other European Countries, José Miguel de Lara; and the adviser to the Cabinet of the Presidency of the Government for international affairs, Borja Lasheras.
