Albanian President Bajram Begaj arrived for an official visit to Slovakia on Tuesday. This is the first-ever visit by an Albanian head of state to Slovakia. The aim is to establish more intensive cooperation.
Begaj will first meet representatives of the Albanian community in Slovakia. His official programme at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava will begin with a welcome ceremony on Wednesday (20 May) morning. It will be followed by a meeting of the Slovak and Albanian Presidents, bilateral talks and a press conference.
The two Presidents will then move to Bratislava's borough of Devin, where they will lay wreaths at the Gate of Freedom monument as a sign of respect for the victims of the former totalitarian regime. The Albanian President's agenda will continue with meetings with Slovak Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and House Chair Richard Raši (Hlas-SD).
On Thursday (21 May), Begaj, together with Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, will visit the town of Pezinok (Bratislava region), which signed a memorandum of cooperation with the northern Albanian district of Mirdite in September 2025. They will discuss practical cooperation between the local governments and the development of tourism. "The new direct air connection between Bratislava and Tirana, which was launched this March, is currently contributing to more intensive contact between the two countries. In addition to the development of tourism, there are also opportunities for the two countries to cooperate in the fields of energy, infrastructure, digitalisation and waste management," said the President's Office.
Pellegrini was the first Slovak President to visit Tirana in March 2025, when he emphasised support for Balkan countries in joining the European Union.
Source: TASR
