Albania headlines
Tirana Times · Albania · 2026-09-17T19:46:30+00:00
Millions of euros flowed to companies linked to Strabag while Oleg Deripaska remained a major shareholder, exposing gaps in Albania’s ability to identify who ultimately benefits from public money Tirana Times, September 17, 2026 – For years, Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska’s economic interests in Albania were largely invisible. They did not operate through a Russian company bearing his name. Instead, the connection ran through one of Europe’s largest construction groups, the Austrian company Strabag SE, in which Deripaska, through Rasperia Trading Limited, held a stake of about 28%. At the same time, Strabag and companies linked to it were winning The post How a Sanctioned Russian Oligarch’s Business Interests Reached Albanian Public Contracts appeared first on Tirana Times .
Tirana Times · Albania · 2026-09-17T19:42:27+00:00
By Daniel Serwer Tirana Times, September 17, 2026 – The Kosovo Specialist Chambers’ has convicted former President Hashim Thaci and three other Kosovo Liberation Army leaders of war crimes but acquitted them of crimes against humanity. The sentence for Thaci is 25 years. This is happening while Aleksandar Vucic is resigning from the Serbian presidency to outmaneuver protests and avoid a term limit. He has called an election he will ensure his party will win, making him prime minister instead. Vucic was Information Minister to Slobodan Milosevic’s government during the time in which the court says Thaci committed his crimes. Vucic’s Serbia The post It’s not just the verdict that is unjust appeared first on Tirana Times .
Tirana Times · Albania · 2026-09-16T20:27:19+00:00
The convictions of Hashim Thaçi and three other former KLA leaders have shaken Kosovo. But beyond the sentences, the verdict has intensified scrutiny of how the Specialist Chambers were created, how the trial was conducted and whether an institution established under strong Western pressure can command the legitimacy international justice requires. Tirana Times, September 16, 2026 — Four men who helped lead Kosovo’s armed struggle against Serbian rule and later occupied some of the highest offices of the new state were given decades in prison on Wednesday, in a judgment certain to reverberate far beyond the courtroom in The Hague. Former The post Kosovo’s Hague Verdict: Heavy Sentences, Troubling Questions and a Test for International Justice appeared first on Tirana Times .
Tirana Times · Albania · 2026-09-15T07:55:56+00:00
By Sylë Ukshini Tirana Times, Sept. 15, 2026 – The September 16 judgment at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in the trial of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, former Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli, former head of the Vetëvendosje parliamentary group Rexhep Selimi and former Assembly Speaker Jakup Krasniqi will not merely determine the judicial fate of four former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army. Its significance extends far beyond the individual responsibility of the accused and beyond the walls of the courtroom in The Hague. It touches upon how the Kosovo War will be interpreted internationally, how the relationship between Serbian The post September 16: Justice, History and Kosovo’s Statehood appeared first on Tirana Times .
Tirana Times · Albania · 2026-09-14T21:46:22+00:00
By Zef Preçi Tirana Times, September 14, 2026 – According to media reports in recent days, Albania and the U.S. company Argent LNG have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to assess the possibility of building a major onshore liquefied natural gas storage and regasification terminal on the Albanian coast. The project is presented as a regional gas supply hub, primarily serving the Western Balkans and Southeast Europe rather than Albania’s domestic market alone. In principle, any initiative aimed at diversifying energy sources, strengthening infrastructure links and increasing Albania’s role in the regional energy market deserves serious consideration. What remains The post A Government Memorandum and Some Unanswered Economic Questions appeared first on Tirana Times .
Tirana Times · Albania · 2026-09-13T11:18:13+00:00
Emma Bonino – A European of Tomorrow, a Fighter, a Beacon, and the Enduring Voice of a Strategic Europe by Nora Ahmeti Tirana Times, September 13, 2026 – Emma Bonino spent much of her life fighting for a Europe that did not yet exist. She imagined a continent that would be more than a market, more than a currency, more than a permanent negotiation among national capitals: a Europe able to speak with political authority, defend liberty at home and assume strategic responsibility beyond its borders. For decades, the idea often sounded premature. Today, with Europe once again confronted by The post Remembering Emma Bonino appeared first on Tirana Times .
Tirana Times · Albania · 2026-09-11T18:21:58+00:00
by Albert Rakipi, PhD Tirana Times, September 11, 2026 – The increasingly visible re-emergence of international terrorism against the backdrop of the major conflict unfolding in the Middle East is a new development, but hardly an unexpected one. The experience of the past three decades has shown that terrorism finds its most fertile ground where the state weakens, institutions lose control over territory and borders, and informal economies, smuggling networks and armed groups begin to substitute for public authority. Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia and, in a different way, the Sahel are all examples of this phenomenon. Weak states, and especially failed The post The Re-emergence of Terrorism and the Threat to the Global Economy appeared first on Tirana Times .
Tirana Times · Albania · 2026-09-09T18:35:36+00:00
Tirana Times, September 09, 2026 — Albania’s Special Prosecution Office Against Corruption and Organized Crime has uncovered new evidence in its widening investigation of former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, increasing pressure on one of the most powerful figures of the governing Socialist Party. SPAK said Wednesday that a special court had ordered the seizure of a villa at the Green Coast complex in Palasë, on Albania’s southern coast. Prosecutors allege that the property was effectively owned by Balluku but concealed in the name of former Albanian international footballer Igli Tare. It is the second villa that prosecutors say Balluku The post Former Deputy PM Balluku Faces New Corruption Evidence appeared first on Tirana Times .
Tirana Times · Albania · 2026-09-02T13:46:48+00:00
Tirana Times, September 02, 2026 — The resignation of Health and Social Welfare Minister Evis Sala after less than a year in office has opened a new political controversy, with the opposition alleging that her departure followed a dispute over government plans to restructure the health sector. Sala announced Wednesday that she was leaving Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government after accepting what she described as important international commitments in oncology, artificial intelligence and innovation. “Today was my last meeting as a member of the government Cabinet,” Sala said in a video message. She thanked Rama for his trust and support The post Health Minister Resigns Amid New Controversy appeared first on Tirana Times .
Tirana Times · Albania · 2026-09-01T08:23:38+00:00
Durres decision puts sanctions enforcement under scrutiny after vessel had previously called at Albanian port. Tirana Times, September 01, 2026 – Albania’s decision to deny entry to a tanker identified by Ukrainian military intelligence as part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet marks more than an isolated maritime enforcement action. It is also a test of how effectively the country is translating its political alignment with Western sanctions against Moscow into practice. Albanian port authorities prevented the Sierra Leone-flagged tanker Hanuman from entering the Port of Durres after the vessel was identified by Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, known as GUR, and The post Albania Turns Away Tanker Linked to Russia’s Shadow Fleet appeared first on Tirana Times .
Tirana Times · Albania · 2026-08-31T11:01:41+00:00
Thousands honor the convicted Bosnian Serb commander as reactions from Belgrade to Podgorica and Skopje reveal how deeply the wars of the 1990s still shape the region’s European future. Tirana Times, August 31, 2026 – PALE, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Candles burned and flares lit the Olympic Park as several thousand people gathered to honor Ratko Mladić, chanting his name and singing songs portraying the convicted Bosnian Serb military commander as a hero. A day earlier, hundreds had gathered in Istočno Novo Sarajevo, in the Serb-run Republika Srpska entity, where a memorial was held and a banner displayed in Mladić’s honor. The post Mladić’s Death Exposes the Balkans’ Unfinished Reckoning With War Crimes appeared first on Tirana Times .
Tirana Times · Albania · 2026-08-31T09:10:37+00:00
Cash outside Albania’s banking system reached a record 5.6 billion euros, last month. Tirana Times, August 30, 2026 – The amount of cash circulating outside Albania’s banking system has reached a record high, raising fresh concerns over the scale of the informal economy, the possible presence of illicit money and the effectiveness of government efforts to move financial transactions into formal channels. Cash held outside banks rose to more than 522 billion lek, or approximately 5.6 billion euros, last month, according to figures reported by Albanian media. It is the highest level ever recorded and represents an increase of around The post Albania’s Cash Boom Raises Money Laundering Concerns appeared first on Tirana Times .
Tirana Times · Albania · 2026-08-28T15:10:16+00:00
Tirana Times, August 28, 2026 – An extraordinary political and diplomatic controversy has emerged between Montenegro and Albania after Montenegrin media reported that Prime Minister Milojko Spajić was referring to Albania and Serbia when he warned of a coordinated hybrid operation aimed at destabilizing Montenegro and obstructing its progress toward European Union membership. The allegation is potentially serious, but an important distinction remains. Spajić himself has not publicly named either Albania or Serbia. He said that Montenegrin authorities had obtained serious operational security information indicating that the expected closure of new negotiating chapters with Brussels would be accompanied by coordinated The post Montenegro Points to Albania and Serbia in Hybrid Threat Claim appeared first on Tirana Times .
Tirana Times · Albania · 2026-08-28T14:40:02+00:00
Was a Key National Security Institution Penetrated by Organized Crime? Tirana Times, August 28, 2026 – The arrest of businessman Ergys Agasi has put a new focus on allegations reaching beyond corruption in public procurement, raising broader questions about possible links between political power, business interests and organized crime — and about their alleged penetration of one of the Albanian state’s most strategically sensitive institutions. Agasi, who had been wanted for months by Albania’s Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime, or SPAK, was arrested Aug. 26 in the coastal city of Durrës. Prosecutors accuse him and businessman Ermal Beqiraj of The post Arrest Exposes Albania’s Crime-Politics Nexus appeared first on Tirana Times .
Tirana Times · Albania · 2026-08-21T07:06:28+00:00
by Edward P. Joseph Tirana Times, August 21, 2026 – At the NATO Summit in Ankara last month, I had the high honor of meeting President Zelensky. Had I known he was heading soon to Belgrade, I would have shared critical advice with his advisors. Besieged by an aggressor like Russia – which has an active, global foreign policy and network of affiliates like Serbia – Ukraine must learn from the continuing controversy over Zelensky’s Balkans visit. Without question, President Zelensky advanced Ukraine’s interests by visiting the country that both Russia and China see as the core ally in the Balkans. The image of The post Zelensky Visit to Belgrade: What Could He Learn from Israeli Experience appeared first on Tirana Times .
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