Israel’s Foreign Minister Signs Cooperation Agreement With Albania in Tirana, Albania

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar signed a broad Agreement on General Cooperation with Albania on Monday, and he praised Prime Minister Edi Rama as one of the most prominent leaders in the world. The agreement was signed with Albanian Foreign Minister Ferit Hoxha. According to Albania’s Foreign Ministry, it creates an intergovernmental framework for joint projects in 10 areas, including trade, technology, agriculture, water management, energy, health, security and tourism.

The text of the agreement has not been released. Officials did not say how it would be implemented or funded, or whether Parliament must ratify it.

Hoxha called the visit, only the third by an Israeli foreign minister, the high point of bilateral relations. He cited growing Israeli investor interest in infrastructure, agribusiness, energy and health care. Sa’ar, who called Albania “a true friend of Israel,” said that about 100,000 Israeli visitors now come to Albania each year and that investment in energy, water, defense and innovation should follow. Sa’ar also met Parliament Speaker Niko Peleshi before holding talks with Rama that lasted nearly two hours.

Speaking to reporters, Sa’ar said Rama was among the world’s most extraordinary leaders, with a moral compass whose value extends beyond the Balkans. On X, he wrote that Rama, who “has led Albania continuously for 13 years,” is “one of the most prominent and valued leaders in the world today” and “a steadfast friend of Israel.” The press noted that the praise came in the middle of Sa’ar’s election campaign at home, and that Israel votes on October 27.

Hoxha described Israel’s security as a precondition for lasting peace in the Middle East, while acknowledging Israeli and Palestinian suffering since the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023. He credited Israel with helping rebuild Albania’s cyberdefenses after the 2022 attacks that Tirana blames on Iran. Albania cut ties with Tehran that year, and in March its Parliament declared Iran a state sponsor of terrorism in a vote the opposition boycotted. Hoxha also presented Israel’s recognition of Kosovo as a contribution to stability in the Balkans.

Hoxha said Albania was advancing two museums as centers of education and culture: a Museum of Besa in Tirana and a Jewish Museum in Vlora. Both commemorate the sheltering of Jews by Muslim and Christian Albanians during World War II, an act rooted in besa, a traditional code of honor built on keeping one’s word. Recounting such deeds to the next generation is a lesson the museums’ purpose makes plain (Psalm 78:4). Sa’ar was shown an archival exhibition on the rescue, including documents that Hoxha said had been unknown to the public until recently.

Rama first announced the Besa Museum in early 2023. It is to occupy the historic Toptani family house in central Tirana, and its design competition was funded by Israeli philanthropist Alexander Machkevitch. Three years later, the museum has not opened, and no timeline was given for either museum.

The visit follows two years of intense contact. In 2023, the two countries signed defense and cybersecurity agreements, and in June they added an accord to modernize Albanian agriculture. In September 2024, Israeli President Isaac Herzog became the first Israeli president to visit Albania, which announced plans for a commercial liaison office in Jerusalem. In March 2025, the two health ministers signed a memorandum on digital health, emergency preparedness and medical research, building on Albania’s existing partnership with Israel’s Sheba Medical Center.

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