TIRANA, July 17 – The Italian Embassy in Tirana notified on Monday the interior ministries of both countries will be engaging joint patrols in Albania’s main coastal cities to assist Italian tourists vacating in Albania during the summer.
The patrols will take place in Durres, Vlore and Sarande from July 16 until August 30.
The Embassy’s announcement said the reason behind this decision is the ever-growing number of Italian tourists visiting the country during the summer months, although independent experts have also pointed out to the increasing drugs trafficking going on between the countries as a possible rationale behind the interior ministries’ decision.
“Italian police forces will do walking patrols, wearing uniforms and helping Albanian officers in order to ease the contact between Italian tourists and Albanian authorities and diplomatic and council representations in the country,” the announcement reads.
The embassy’s announcement then proceeds to say that although it welcomes this form of joint cooperation in the field of security, the council network in Tirana and Vlora “is always available for all Italian visiting the country and invites them to consult the necessary information for travel and signal their presence and personal data in the Dove Siamo nel Mondo port.”
Only last week, the Italian government published its annual anti-drug report, in which it was highlighted that Albania was Italy’s main cannabis supplier during 2017, “with a seizure record of over 90 tons, in comparison to the 41 tons in 2016.”
The report also estimates that “drug trafficking routes leading to Italian state borders remained unchanged. Most confiscated drugs, approximately 95%, were seized off the coastline, territorial waters, and across sea borders.”
