The three-day Conference of Albanian Ambassadors Worldwide, Diplo 2025, opened today in Tirana under the theme “Albania 2030: In Europe, connected with the World.”

This conference serves as an important gathering point for the diplomatic service to define priorities, address key challenges, and strengthen consular services for Albanian citizens.

Prime Minister Edi Rama, who welcomed the participants, said:

“This year’s traditional Conference of Ambassadors comes at a historic moment for Albania’s journey toward the long-dreamed summit of the European Union. Without question, all the energies of our diplomatic service, from Brussels to every other capital, must first and foremost be focused on this historic objective.”

***

Prime Minister Edi Rama:
Greetings to everyone. First of all, on your behalf as well, allow me—as the minister has already done, to extend a warm welcome to a friend, the Foreign Minister of Cyprus, who is here today both in the important role of representing the upcoming EU Presidency, and also, without a doubt, to advance a relationship that is significant for us in several dimensions. Cyprus is a small country but one that has achieved admirable successes. To my knowledge, the President of the Republic has extended an invitation to the Cypriot President to visit Albania, which we await with great pleasure.

This year’s traditional Conference of Ambassadors comes at a historic moment for Albania’s journey toward the much longed-for summit of the European Union. Without any doubt, all the energy of our diplomatic service, whether in Brussels or in any other capital, must concentrate first and foremost on this historic objective, which today is closer than ever before. It must be fulfilled through the successful completion of the EU accession negotiation process and the ratification of the accession decision by all 27 parliaments of the EU member states.

This means that the next four years, which coincide with this agenda, are four years in which not a single day can be lost, time cannot wait, for preparing the ground for precisely the support of the decision that the EU will take on Albania’s membership.

Meanwhile, as far as the negotiations are concerned, of course they are conducted bilaterally between the Republic of Albania and the European Commission. However, the entire atmosphere surrounding them carries its own importance and, as you have seen in the past, can certainly be influenced by various factors. For this very reason, the daily work of our diplomatic service is of great importance, and its daily focus, especially in several European countries where it is vital to feed both policymakers and public opinion with positive energy from Albania, is of particular significance.

I do not wish to take too much of your time, but I want to emphasize the necessity for our service to become more agile— to be a reference point for talent, for young men and women who possess knowledge and ambition to serve Albania— and, on the other hand, to strengthen its capacity to move beyond the daily routine.

I also wish to stress the need to further consolidate our work as a diplomatic service in the region, to maintain and intensify communication not only with governments but with all actors and political, institutional, and social factors. When it comes to the region, without question, we have the greatest strategic interests and the duty to be the most determined promoters of peace and stability in this part of Europe.

At the same time, I do not want to list all the engagements that Albania has had, currently has, or aspires to have at various international tables, but I do want to highlight one historic and very challenging moment: the organization of the NATO Summit in Albania in 2027.

Having said this, one key element that, truth be told, remains the weakest link in the work of our diplomatic service is economic diplomacy. The role of our representatives is weak, and except for very specific and special cases tied to the nature and will of a particular ambassador, the contribution has been almost non-existent.

We have made several attempts to push forward in this direction, including holding a dedicated conference to activate our diplomatic missions in the service of economic diplomacy, but the results leave much to be desired. This aspect must become a priority for our diplomatic representations. To put things as they are: in terms of foreign policy, the government here in Tirana has made your work significantly easier. Unlike in the past, when the main European chancelleries were unreachable from Tirana and entirely distant from our missions, today the most important European chancelleries are only a phone call away. Meanwhile, the work of our diplomatic service in European countries must focus on intensifying ties with the economic world— a world that is highly developed in Europe. By leveraging the impact of Albania’s renewed international image, we can attract much more and achieve much more together. But in this case, the initiative must come from our side.

Beyond Europe, we have elevated relations with some of the key Gulf countries to a completely new level, and we expect our diplomatic service to rise to that level as well. I could go further on this topic, but I will conclude this part on economic diplomacy by reiterating that the results remain far from satisfactory.

Looking ahead, I hope that some initiatives now taking shape— such as the Interinstitutional Council of Economic Diplomacy, the creation of a network of economic attachés, and the establishment of a unified platform for investors— will assist us. Still, all these remain instruments, and without a change in mentality and in the balance of time dedicated to economic diplomacy compared to other areas, even these instruments will not bring us any breakthrough.

The diaspora and consular services have consistently been a focus of ours. The digital transformation of consular services has brought significant progress in easing the burden for Albanians abroad, who for many years struggled to access these services. Yet there is still much more to be done. New technological opportunities give us even greater reason to believe we can further improve our consular service in a meaningful way. Likewise, the participation of Albanians abroad in elections not only strengthens their role in national decision-making but also reinforces our obligation to serve them and to be better organized with them.

Here too, there are isolated cases of success—or rather, of positive developments—but overall, we are lagging far behind, and results remain unsatisfactory. We are a small country, and we are a small nation that does not have the luxury of being unaware of our human resources abroad.

The establishment of the Diplomatic Academy, modeled on the best European practices, is a very necessary and essential step now being undertaken. Equally essential is the reform of the entire legal framework governing the foreign service, to raise professionalism, guarantee continuous education for the entire diplomatic corps, and ensure the systematic improvement of human resources.

And, as the minister mentioned, a draft of this reform is already prepared, and soon, in the Parliament of Albania, we will adopt the new framework that will enable the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to be closer to and more effective in fulfilling the needs of our diplomatic missions.

Thank you all once again for your contribution.