Albania–Palestine relations

Albania–Palestine relations

Albania	Palestine

Albania and State of Palestine established diplomatic relations in 1990. Albania had previously recognized the State of Palestine as a state since 1988. Palestine has an embassy in Tirana but Albania doesn't have an embassy in Palestine. Both are member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

History

The relations between Albania and the PLO began early, in the middle of the 1960s. Since then, high Palestinian officials have visited Albania. Albania recognized the PLO as the only legitime organization of the Palestinian people by the middle of the 1970s and it was followed by the opening of a Diplomatic Representative, resident in Romania.

After the proclamation of the Palestinian Independence, Albania officially recognized the Palestinian State in 1988 and in 1989 the Embassy of the State of Palestine, with full diplomatic representation, was officially opened in Albania.

With the opening of the Embassy, the relations between Albania and Palestine further developed and they were crowned with the historical visit of the Palestinian President, the late Yasser Arafat, at the end of 1996.

Notwithstanding Albania's historically strong relationship with Israel, ties between the two countries have remained cordial. Albania was one of the 41 countries which abstained in the voting for the application of Palestine for non-member observer state of the United Nations on 29 November 2012.

In 2015, Albania was one 119 UN-member countries (out of 193) that voted in favor of raising the Palestinian flag at the UN.

See also

• International recognition of the State of Palestine
• United Nations General Assembly resolution 67/19