Albania, Macedonia step up cooperation

TIRANA, May 22 – Albania and Macedonia have increased trade exchanges in the past few years by 25 percent despite crisis impacts, Vele Trpevski, the Macedonian Ambassador to Albania said at a joint business and investment forum held in Tirana this week attended by a high level delegation from Macedonia’s business community. Tourism, food and drink and agribusiness were some of the opportunities unveiled to Macedonian businesses by the Albanian Investment Development Agency (AIDA).
The business forum which was also followed by a mini-trade fair concluded with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between AIDA and the Macedonian Agency for Foreign Investments and Export Promotion InvestMacedonia. Some 141 Macedonian enterprises operate in Albania.
Neighbouring Macedonia has been seriously considering using Albania’s Durres port as an alternative for the transport of goods following ongoing blockade problems in Greece’s Thessaloniki port as the name dispute between Macedonia and Greece remains unsettled.
Albania’s exports to Macedonia were at Euro 30 million in the past two years while imports dropped to Euro 60 million in 2012, down from Euro 64 million in 2011, according to central bank data.
Ethnic Albanians officially account for around 25 percent of Macedonia’s 2 million population, but the figure is estimated to be higher.
The completion of the Arbri road linking Tirana to the northeastern Dibra region will also considerably cut distance to Macedonia.