The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ferit Hoxha, reported to the Foreign Affairs Committee on the situation created by the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, emphasizing that since the beginning of the crisis, a special headquarters has been established that works 24 hours a day in contact with diplomatic missions in the affected countries.
According to him, Albania has been affected politically and humanitarianly by developments in the region, also due to the fact that many Albanian citizens live and work in the countries affected by the crisis. For this reason, their security remains a priority for the government and the diplomatic service.
The Minister announced that at the beginning of the conflict, there were 2,962 resident Albanian citizens in the region, while another 543 had temporary residence. Albanian embassies have contacted 2,511 citizens individually, which makes up about 85% of the total.
Of these:
138 citizens have expressed interest in leaving the conflict zones;
703 citizens have been assisted or instructed to leave in various ways;
around 24 people have left individually;
45 citizens are planned to leave through safe transport channels;
while 17 Albanian citizens have been evacuated with the help of third countries.
Hoxha stressed that the greatest difficulty has been for Albanians in Iran, due to the lack of diplomatic relations between the two countries. For this reason, Albanian authorities have collaborated with the International Red Cross and its counterpart organization, the Red Crescent, to provide them with assistance and to evacuate them from Iranian territory.
The minister also underlined that, unlike some other countries, Albania has not closed any of its embassies in countries affected by the crisis, deeming the presence of diplomats on the ground necessary to assist Albanian citizens.
During the report, Hoxha also referred to the recent cyberattack on the Albanian Parliament system, which he said is related to Iran's hostile activities.
According to him, the Iranian regime has previously attacked Albania, including the attack in 2022, and the latest incident shows that vigilance must be increased. The issue has also been discussed within NATO, while the minister stressed that Albania feels safe thanks to the support of allies. "The Iranian regime will use any means against Albania. We have raised the issue in NATO and we have guarantees that we are not alone," Hoxha declared.
