TIRANA, March 7 – Albania’s parliament has approved an unanimous resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, following a three-hour plenary session where a series of both ruling and opposition MPs expressed strong support for Ukraine .
The resolution “strongly condemns the Russian military aggression in Ukraine and the grave violation by the Russian Federation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” adding that Albania “supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and the protection of the principles of international law and European security.
All 123 PMs attending voted in favor, a rare sight in the typically deeply divided and feisty parliament.
MPs wore ribbons with the colors of the Ukrainian flag on their chests, each of them holding a sign with the note “We support Ukraine,” while many chairs had t-shirts on them with Albanian and Ukrainian flags.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Tirana, Volodymyr Shkurov, was the guest of honor in parliament for the vote.
The resolution states that Russia’s invasion is an act that violates the international order, openly and flagrantly violates the UN Charter, the Helsinki Final Act, the Budapest Memorandum, the Minsk Agreements, as well as a number of other international and bilateral documents, which Russia has signed voluntarily.
Through the resolution, the parliament backs the diplomatic activity and the measures taken by the Albanian government, in coordination with strategic allies — the United States and the European Union — in support of the sovereignty of Ukraine and the principles of European security.
The parliament also supported the economic sanctions and diplomatic measures taken by Albania’s strategic partners on the Russian Federation as well as the military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and its people.
The resolution also called for an immediate cessation of the use of force by the Russian Federation in Ukraine and for the withdrawal of Russian military forces from the territory of Ukraine according to internationally recognized borders.
Opposition MP Petrit Vasili proposed an amendment to the resolution, according to which the parliament would ask the government to immediately withdraw from the Open Balkans Initiative and repeal the agreements of this initiative, due to Serbia’s pro-Russian stances. However, the amendment was not added to the resolution.
A NATO members since 2009 and a historically strong supporter of the United States and the European Union, in which it is a candidate for membership, Albania has already joined the sanctions levied by the two on Russia.
