TIRANA, May 7 – Interior Minister Besfort Lamallari attended the International Forum on Migration Review at the United Nations in New York. He joined a panel discussion on “Migration as a creative force”.
At the discussion, Lamallari presented Albania’s approach to migration. He focused on the return of emigrants and their role in national development. This approach linked to political, legal, economic, and security reforms.
Earlier, he referred to the Fourth Diaspora Summit held in Tirana. According to him, the event followed commitments from the first summit, including diaspora voting rights, which he described as now implemented. At the same time, he highlighted growing interest among Albanian emigrants in returning and contributing to the country.
Meanwhile, he pointed to increased engagement from foreign citizens. Many now live, work, and invest in Albania. This trend reflects a wider transformation in the country’s attractiveness.
On the economic side, he reported that Albania’s GDP has doubled in recent years. He also set a target of 35 billion euros by the end of the decade. In parallel, per capita income has increased from under 3,000 euros to 11,000 euros.
At the same time, he outlined an objective of reaching 15,000 euros per capita by the end of the decade. This ambition links to broader economic growth. Albania recorded 12 million tourists in the last year. Foreign direct investment also rose from 300–400 million euros annually to 1.6 billion euros last year.
Furthermore, migration, return migration, security, economy, justice, and political freedoms remain interconnected. Lamallari described them as central elements of Albania’s ongoing transformation.
Meanwhile, he will address the plenary session on the following day. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to attend. In that session, he will present Albania’s policies on return migration and its proactive role in the Western Balkans and Europe.
/a.p./
The post Interior Minister Lamallari at United Nations highlights Albania’s return migration approach appeared first on RTSH English.
