Tirana has invited Prince Sultan bin Salman, chief of the Supreme Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), to visit Albania and see for himself the world-class tourism products and services of the country, Albanian Ambassador Admirim Banaj said in Riyadh yesterday.
Banaj pointed out a Saudi delegation led by Abdullah Al-Obaid, deputy minister for research and development at the Ministry of Agriculture, is currently visiting Albania with a delegation. "Albania’s Prime Minister Sali Berisha received the Saudi delegation on Monday and discussed with Al-Obaid several areas of potential cooperation," said the Albanian envoy. The Saudi delegation has expressed particular interest in bilateral cooperation in the agricultural sector, he added.
Referring to the potential of cooperation in the field of tourism, Banaj said the Albanian side has expressed its readiness to institutionalize relations with Saudi Arabia through exchange on experience in the management and administration of the tourism industry. To this end, he cited his talks with Prince Sultan a few days ago, when he, on behalf of the Albanian government, extended an invitation to the prince to visit Albania.
"Both sides are, in fact, working on a proposal to sign a memorandum of cooperation in the field of culture, art and information exchange," said Banaj, adding Riyadh and Tirana will encourage the organization of study visits and exchange of experience in the field of management of UNESCO world heritage sites. He said Albania was chosen as the No. 1 destination in Lonely Planet’s list of 10 top countries to visit last year. The number of tourists visiting Albania in the first eight months of 2011 increased 200 percent, compared to the same period in 2008.
Out of 3 million tourists visiting the country in 2011, 2,120,000 were foreigners, while 870,000 were Albanians residing abroad, said the envoy, calling on Saudis and Gulf nationals to visit Albania.
"Today, Albania is one of the most interesting countries in that part of the world, with a rich history, a land of legends, heroes, ancient civilizations, and untamed beauty with Islamic culture and tradition," said the envoy.
"This is a country where travelers will enjoy authentic traditions and cuisines, active holidays and welcoming people like no other," said Banaj.
On a commercial front, he said Albania has a lot to offer. It is a rich country in terms of production of olives, nuts and fruits. He said Al-Obaid, who participated in the first session of the Saudi-Albanian Economic Cooperation in Tirana on Tuesday, has expressed interest to further expand economic ties between the two countries.
In the meeting both sides agreed to intensify efforts to strengthen trade and investment ties and promote cooperation in the filed of energy.
Asked about the funds made available by the Kingdom for some projects in Albania, he said the country has sought the support of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) to finance some important infrastructure projects, mainly road construction schemes. SFD extended a $ 25 million loan facility last year for the construction of a highway in Albania. Albania had also secured a $ 220 million loan from the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB).
