The Republic of Azerbaijan and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania have officially signed an agreement aimed at the mutual waiver of visas for holders of standard international passports.
In an announcement made on Friday, March 1, at the X platform, the ambassador of Azerbaijan in Albania, Anar Huseynov, disclosed the dialogue between the Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, Besart Kadia, and the representative of Azerbaijan, emphasizing the intention to strengthen bilateral ties, especially in the field of economic cooperation, VisaGuide. World reports
H.E. Mr Fariz Rzayev, Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, and H.E. Besart Kadia, Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, talked about deepening bilateral relations between our countries with a focus on economic interaction and people-to-people contacts. The meeting was followed by signing a visa exemption agreement – another strong contribution to bilateral relations.
Albania & Azerbaijan Strengthen Economic Ties Through Intergovernmental Agreement
During the same day, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy of Albania, Belinda Balluku, engaged in discussions with the Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan, Mikayil Jabbarov, exploring ways for bilateral economic cooperation. As a result, they formalized their commitment by signing an Intergovernmental Agreement on Economic Cooperation.
Diplomatic ties between Albania and Azerbaijan were officially established on September 22, 1993. Over the years, there has been a marked increase in political engagements between the two nations, particularly evident in recent times. A significant event to highlight is the official visit of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to Baku on April 14, 2022.
During this visit, both sides identified energy and tourism as key sectors with tremendous potential for deepening cooperation. Albania took a proactive step towards increased cooperation by removing short-term visa requirements for citizens of Azerbaijan in 2011.
Following the regulations defined on December 29, 2021, entitled “On determining the criteria, procedures, and documentation for the entry, stay and treatment of foreigners in the Republic of Albania”, Azerbaijan is included in the list of countries whose citizens are granted permission to enter in Albania without a visa for short-term stays.
According to data released by the State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan, in January 2024, there was a significant increase in the number of foreign visitors to Azerbaijan compared to 2023, with 165,800 foreigners or foreign citizens from 152 countries worldwide, marking a 39.3percent rise.
Among these visitors, 27.5 percent were citizens of the Russian Federation, followed by 19.8 percent from Türkiye, 9.7 percent from Iran, 6.1 percent from India, and 4.9 percent from Georgia.