Albania

Countries

Albania gained independence in 1912, recognised in 1913, from the Ottoman Empire, which had controlled its territory for several centuries. A country located in the Western Balkans, it borders Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Greece and faces the Adriatic and Ionian Seas.

Following the brief period of Italian occupation, Albania was ruled from 1944 to 1990 by an isolationist and authoritarian communist regime, which collapsed after the end of the Cold War, leaving the country in dire economic straits. Since 1998, it has been a parliamentary republic, and in recent years the country has managed to embark on a process of economic revival and political and institutional consolidation, so much so that it has joined NATO and applied to join the European Union.

Capitalising in particular on its territory, landscape and natural beauty, Albania has recently invested considerably in the tourism sector. It is now one of the emerging countries in Europe and a market in which numerous foreign, including Italian, capital has been invested. The population amounts to around 3 million inhabitants, but it should be noted that Albania has a large number of its own citizens abroad, who have emigrated since the 1990s mainly for economic reasons.

Albania has a solid tradition of excellent relations with Italy. Several Italian companies operate in the country and the interchange is very strong: in 2022, Italy reconfirmed itself as the first trading partner, with an interchange close to 3.6 billion Euros.

The Albanian community in Italy is certainly one of the best integrated, second only to the Romanian one, and counts about 420 thousand members. In the country, among other things, the Italian language is widespread and well known.

The main religions are Islam and Christianity. The capital is Tirana.

The Western Balkans between Euro-Atlantic aspirations, ties with Russia and China, and inter-ethnic tensions

Tensions and winds of crisis in the Balkans. The article by Antonio Stango, published on the 25th of May 2024 in Il Giornale

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