12 September 2013 - Twenty-six (26) years since the establishment of Bilateral Diplomatic Relations, the Philippines and Albania signed their first Agreement in over two decades.

On September 09, the two countries signed the “Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania on the Waiver of Visa Requirements for Holders of Diplomatic, Service and Official Passports.”

The Philippine Ambassador to Albania Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr. signed the historic document with Albanian Ambassador to the Italian Republic, Neritan Ceka, at the Philippine Embassy in Rome, Italy. The agreement will facilitate exchanges of high-level and official visits and hopefully pave the way for greater cooperation in the political, economic and cultural spheres.               

The signing ceremony was preceded by a meeting between the two envoys that discussed the status of Philippine-Albanian relations and other agreements under negotiation, including a Cultural Cooperation Agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Establishment of a Political Consultations Mechanism between the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and the Albanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.    

In March 2012, Ambassador Reyes presented his Credentials as non-resident Philippine Ambassador to Albania to President Bamir Topi in Tirana. The visit coincided with the Silver Jubilee of Philippine-Albanian relations and the Centennial Anniversary of the Republic of Albania.  END