By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul held a luncheon meeting on July 22 with Albanian Foreign Minister Igli Hasani, who is on an official visit from July 21 to 25, and exchanged views on bilateral relations, economic cooperation, cooperation on the international stage, and regional affairs.

Minister Cho welcomed the first official visit by an Albanian foreign minister to Korea in 13 years, since 2011, and expressed his hope that Minister Hasani's visit will serve as an important opportunity for the development of bilateral relations. 

Minister Cho also explained that the Korean government is expanding cooperation with major countries in the European region in areas such as defense and nuclear power, and expressed his hope that Korea and Albania will cooperate in various fields.

Minister Hasani thanked Cho for his hospitality and emphasized that Albania attaches great importance to cooperation with Korea, an economic powerhouse and IT leader, and hopes to further strengthen business-to-business exchanges to encourage Korean companies to expand their presence and investment in Albania, as well as cooperation in the fields of culture and tourism between the two countries.

 
Meanwhile, Cho explained that at a time when European and Asian security is becoming more closely linked, Korean President's attendance at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit for the third consecutive year and the Seoul government's hosting of the Third Democracy Summit, the AI Seoul Summit, and the Korea-Africa Summit are diplomatic efforts to realize the vision of a global pivotal nation. 

Cho also expressed her hope that South Korea will continue to strengthen cooperation with NATO member Albania in the areas of cybersecurity, new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), and countering transnational security threats.

He also expressed grave concern over Russia's recent decision to strengthen mutual military and economic cooperation through the signing of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty with North Korea, which threatens peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, in Europe, and around the world, and stressed the need to firmly respond to Russia's military cooperation in violation of Security Council resolutions through strong solidarity with the international community.

Hasani said that Albania has supported South Korea's position on the Korean Peninsula through various UN activities, including the UN Security Council, and will continue to join the international community's concerted efforts to denuclearize North Korea.

The two ministers also discussed a wide range of issues of common interest, including the regional situation in Northeast Asia, the Balkans, and the war in Ukraine.

Albanian Foreign Minister Hasani's official visit to Korea is considered an important opportunity to review the bilateral relations between Korea and Albania, explore ways to expand practical cooperation, and strengthen bilateral cooperation on major international issues.