President Begaj welcomes His Majesty Abdullah II bin Al Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, with a solemn ceremony.
May 2, 2025 | TIRANA, Albania Tirana Times
In a visit marked more by symbolism than substance, Jordan’s King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein arrived in Tirana on Friday for a diplomatic stop in Albania, signaling a tentative effort to revive near-dormant ties between the two countries.
The visit — King Abdullah’s second to Albania in a decade — took place against a backdrop of limited diplomatic engagement between the two countries. Despite formal diplomatic ties, Jordan and Albania have historically lacked meaningful political, economic, or cultural cooperation.
King Abdullah, who arrived with an official delegation including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and religious advisor HRH Prince Ghazi, was received with military honors at the Presidential Palace, where he signed the guestbook before beginning meetings.
The visit —the second of its kind since 2015 — comes at a politically sensitive moment for Albania, just weeks before parliamentary elections in which Prime Minister Edi Rama is seeking a fourth consecutive term, potentially extending his grip on power to an unprecedented 16 years.
Welcomed with formal honors by President Bajram Begaj at the presidential palace, King Abdullah II discussed broad-ranging themes of political dialogue, regional security, and economic cooperation. Yet analysts note that the two countries maintain largely symbolic diplomatic relations, with little evidence of substantive political or economic engagement in recent years.
During their joint appearance, President Begaj and King Abdullah reaffirmed shared positions on global security issues, including the Middle East peace process, counterterrorism, and support for Kosovo’s international recognition. Both leaders called for increased bilateral dialogue and economic investment — particularly in tourism and trade — but offered few concrete commitments.
“The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan remains a pillar of stability in the Middle East, and we value its role as a NATO partner on the alliance’s southern flank,” Begaj said, citing Albania’s backing for the Aqaba Process and NATO’s liaison office in Amman. He also emphasized Albania’s support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — a stance long promoted by Jordan.
For his part, King Abdullah expressed Jordan’s openness to strengthening cooperation in sectors such as trade, tourism, and interfaith dialogue. He also commended Albania’s involvement in countering violent extremism, a shared concern for both nations.
In addition to regional diplomacy, King Abdullah used the press conference to call for urgent international efforts to end the conflict in Gaza and halt the humanitarian crisis there. He stressed that peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved without full Palestinian rights and an end to Israeli violations of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
Despite these diplomatic courtesies, the Albanian presidency holds limited executive authority, and the visit’s practical implications are unclear. The king later met Prime Minister Rama in a far less formal setting, with no press conference and minimal ceremony — a notable contrast to traditional protocol for hosting heads of state.
Rama, whose administration has faced criticism over transparency and centralization of power, simply posted on social media: “Honored to welcome King Abdullah II of Jordan, a globally respected monarch and a valued friend.”
An expert from the Albanian Institute for International Studies argue that the lack of substantive outcomes — or even basic transparency — surrounding the visit echoes a pattern seen during other high-level visits, such as that of the UAE president earlier this year.
Jordan and Albania have shared diplomatic relations for decades, but actual bilateral cooperation remains minimal. King Abdullah’s last visit to Albania occurred in 2015 at the invitation of then-President Bujar Nishani, with little follow-up since.
While the visit may serve to gently rekindle diplomatic contact, observers caution against overstating its long-term significance without follow-through on trade or security partnerships. For now, the renewed handshakes between Tirana and Amman appear more ceremonial than transformative.
As Albania prepares for a critical parliamentary election in which Rama seeks to extend his 12-year rule to a potential 16 years, some critics speculate that the timing of such visits may serve more to bolster domestic prestige than deepen international engagement.
From Albania, the Jordanian monarch is scheduled to continue to Montenegro, followed by meetings in Washington, DC, with senior U.S. officials and business leaders in Texas, highlighting Jordan’s broader diplomatic tour focused on reinforcing alliances and attracting economic partnerships.
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