Prime Minister Netanyahu Meets with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama

Israel – Prime Minister’s Office

Type: Events and Speeches

Government: The 37th Government

Publish Date: 26.01.2026

Prime Minister Netanyahu, today, at the Prime Minister’s Office, met with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. They held a private meeting, followed by an expanded meeting with their staffs, and then issued statements.

Prime Minister Netanyahu:

“I want to welcome Prime Minister Edi Rama of Albania.

Prime Minister Rama is a great friend of the Jewish people, a great friend of the Jewish state, and may I say also, a great personal friend. He represents the real spirit of Albania.

Perhaps people don’t know this and the world should know that Albania was the only European country which during the Holocaust had the Jewish population inside Albania grow and not decline.

It grew because Albanians, Muslim Albanians, in the spirit of moderation, in the spirt of tolerance, in the spirit of human dignity protected the hundreds of Jews who lived in Albania at the time and also received many others. That’s the spirit that you represent. This is the story, we were talking about it a few minutes ago, this is the story that the world should know. This is the stuff, as you said, of inspiring movies.

People should know the great role that Albania played, the moral role that Albania played during the darkest hours of human history. That’s the spirit that you continue today, my good friend, Edi.

You stand with courage against those who would intimidate you. You stand for the truth. You stood by Israel when we were attacked by these barbarians. Your moral compass did not waver. This is something that we deeply appreciate and marks you as an outstanding leader for your people and I think for the broad segments of humanity that want the truth to be defended and the moral values that we share.

Equally, and not surprisingly, we are building great ties between Albania and Israel. The number of Israeli tourists who have gone to Albania has increased by 800 percent. Soon it will be a thousand and soon it will be a lot more. And I can tell all Israelis that Albania is a beautiful country with beautiful people. So go there. First.

Second, we have Israeli investors and companies who understand that there is a great economic opportunity in Albania. There is a free-market orientation and there are things that can be developed jointly with Albanians.

That’s going to be enhanced by the opening of the chamber of commerce in Jerusalem, I think it’s tomorrow, under Prime Minister Rama. This is something that I think will advance our economic ties.

Finally, I would say that we have also an understanding beyond interests, but in the deepest sense of human history, that we recognize that there is a foundation of kinship between our two peoples, and I want to say that there is a foundation of kinship between the two of us as well. So, welcome, friend. Welcome to Jerusalem. “

Albanian Prime Minister Rama:

“Albania and Israel share excellent relations rooted in a profound friendship between the Albanian Jewish people, forged across centuries of history. When time and again Jews fleeing persecution in the West came and settled on our shores, Albania’s unique historical legacy of safeguarding Jews during the Holocaust makes this bond deeply special. And to me and to us is a testament by the moral courage of our grandparents. A testament that we should never forget and we should do everything to pass from generation to generation. And as a government, we are fully committed to treasuring this inheritance from history and maintain a firm, clear, consistent stance against antisemitism, both at home and internationally.

We stood with the hostages and their families and against the Hamas neo-Nazi butchers, whose actions have brought unbearable suffering not only to Israelis, but for far too long also to our Palestinian brothers and sisters dehumanized by Hamas, to the point of being reduced to instruments of war, turned into defensive infrastructure of human flesh, unseen and heard in the history of barbarism, mere meat for the fire of terror.

So, Albania is honored to join the Board of Peace founded by President Trump and I view this invitation as both recognition and moral responsibility. We will continue to support all efforts, including President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza and we will do our part within the International Stabilization Force for Gaza.

And Prime Minister, allow me to express once again our sincere gratitude to Israel for its critical support during the massive Iranian cyberattack against Albania. Like Israel, Albania maintains no diplomatic relations with Iran, a great country with an extraordinary civilization that has been transformed into an island of darkness by blind hatred toward any light.

While we pray for the countless souls burned in recent days in the fires of Khameneism, we hold the hope that the conviction that the days of terror and assassins are drawing to an end.

We welcome expanded trade and investment, building on Israel’s technological expertise and especially having day after day agreements to jointly build up a new defense military production. And thanks to the partnership with Israel, recreating the conditions for the made in Albania in the defense systems to also go abroad.

I want to warmly invite all Jewish people to visit Albania, discover a remarkable land, not just in nature, but in soul, described by a Jewish observer before the Second World War as a place where Jews could live openly, safely and in full dignity.”