By Fatjon Cuka
TIRANA, Albania (AA) — It has been 100 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Albania, which has now been transformed into a strategic partnership, with Ankara assisting Tirana in various fields ranging from defense to health care and people-to-people contact through education to Albanians who are now serving their country in various sectors.
Diplomatic relations were officially established with the "Agreement on Eternal Friendship and Cooperation" signed between the two countries on Dec. 15, 1923.
Turkish-Albanian relations, which have been the scene of long-term cooperation, partnership, and different agreements for a century, were crowned with the Strategic Partnership Agreement signed by Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in 2021.
It is stated that the foundation of good relations between Türkiye and Albania, both in political and other fields, is based on the two nations’ traditional friendship and living together for centuries.
- Historical background
Though diplomatic relations were established between the two countries with the signing of the Agreement on Eternal Friendship and Cooperation in 1923, the agreement entered into force on June 15, 1925.
According to the Albanian Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the country's first ambassador to Türkiye, Rauf Fico, presented his letter of credence on April 13, 1926. In the same year, Tahir Lutfi was appointed as the first Turkish ambassador to Tirana.
However, following WWII, a communist government was established in Albania, which refused to recognize the previous governments' foreign relations and agreements.
Although relations between Albania and Türkiye were interrupted for a while during the communist regime, they were restored in 1959. In this context, agreements were signed between the two countries in different fields.
- Strategic partnership
Following the collapse of communism in Albania in 1991, relations between the two countries took on a new dimension.
The program of the Socialist Party of Albania, led by incumbent Prime Minister Edi Rama, who came to power in 2013, stated that the newly formed government would support strong and strategic relations with Türkiye.
Relations developed in this context in areas such as defense, health, education, and culture. Many high-level visits were made by officials from the two countries before the formalization of the strategic partnership.
The formalization of the two countries' strategic partnership during Rama's visit to Ankara in Jan. 2021 is regarded as a watershed moment in Turkish-Albanian relations.
Prime Minister Rama and President Erdogan signed a joint political declaration establishing the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council on Jan. 6, 2021, elevating relations between the two countries to the level of strategic partnership.
In Dec. 2022, a contract was signed in Tirana for the purchase of a fleet of Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs as part of the Albanian Armed Forces' modernization as a NATO member and strategic partner.
With the expansion of Türkiye-Albania relations in political and economic fields, trade between the two countries has also increased. Currently, nearly 600 Turkish companies are operating in Albania, employing thousands of people.
- Türkiye’s assistance and solidarity with Albania
In the last 30 years, Türkiye has provided assistance and support to Albania in various fields, including combating natural disasters.
Following the devastating earthquake that struck Albania on Nov. 26, 2019, Turkish institutions extended their support to the country, with President Erdogan promising to build hundreds of houses for victims.
Türkiye financed 522 houses built in the Lac region of Albania and was handed over to the earthquake victims in a ceremony attended by President Erdogan.
Türkiye also assisted Albania in the health care sector, including the construction of hospitals and the restoration of health care facilities during the difficult COVID-19 pandemic. Ankara also provided various trainings to health care professionals and allowed Albanians to receive treatment in Türkiye.
The Türkiye-Albania Fier Friendship Hospital was built with the financial support of Ankara and began serving Albanians in May 2021, with authorities in Tirana describing it as a "model of success."
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), Türkiye’s state-run aid agency, has continuously contributed to the development of Albania's health sector, from the donation of ambulance vehicles to the restoration of health care centers.
In Albania, TIKA, which has carried out hundreds of projects in agriculture, education, and cultural heritage protection, has also completed work on the restoration of different structures that remain as cultural heritage from the Ottoman period.
Air Albania, Albania's first national airline, has formed a partnership with Turkish Airlines and has begun operations with the assistance of Turkish institutions.
With the commissioning of the Tirana Namazgah Mosque, built by the Presidency of Religious Affairs and the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation and described as the largest mosque in the Balkans, Türkiye has also realized the dream of Muslims in Albania to “have such a structure.”
Türkiye has continuously supported the Albanian Armed Forces by providing military vehicles, equipment, and training to soldiers.
Albanian students studying at different universities in Türkiye also stand out as an important element in the development and strengthening of relations between the two countries. Albanian students who graduated from Türkiye continue to contribute in many sectors in their home country.
One of the main factors that have strengthened the friendship between the two countries for over a century is the presence of a large number of Turkish citizens of Albanian origin living almost everywhere in Türkiye.
Turkish citizens, as in the past, currently play various roles in the Albanian state's political, economic, cultural, and social life.
*Writing in Istanbul by Zeynep Cetin