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Shkruar nga Diplomatico | Pamfleti.net
The decision of March 19, 2026, allows visa-free entry for citizens of the two countries from April 15 to December 31. The government presents it as a tourist measure, but the timing of the decision raises diplomatic questions.
It is not yet clear whether this is a routine measure for the tourist season or a calculated move to score points in regional diplomacy, but the timing of the decision raises questions that the government has not clarified.
On March 19, 2026, the Council of Ministers amended Decision No. 858, dated December 29, 2021, adding Saudi Arabia and Qatar to the list of countries whose citizens are allowed to enter the territory of Albania without a visa for tourist purposes, with only a passport, from April 15 to December 31, 2026.
Formally, the decision is presented as a proposal by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The text does not provide any additional political argument, no public relations to explain why precisely now, at this tense moment in the Middle East, Tirana decides to facilitate entry for two countries that are under direct regional pressure.
This is where political suspicion arises: not because the decision proves a covert operation, but because there is a lack of transparency about its real reasons. And when a government moves at a heated geopolitical moment without providing full explanations, it fuels speculation itself.
However, up to this stage, there is no public evidence that this decision is related to the establishment of camps, organized population displacements or any reception scheme dictated by Albania’s allies. On the contrary, the Albanian legal framework treats visa-free entry as a short-term stay and not as a long-term residence status. The Law “On Foreigners” stipulates that a short-term stay cannot exceed 90 days in 180 days, except in cases provided otherwise.
This means that the main question is not whether Albania is opening the door to "camps", because there is no public evidence of this, but why the government is selling as a normal measure a decision taken at an extremely unusual time.
From a diplomatic point of view, the move can be read as a signal of flexibility towards Gulf partners and as part of Tirana's effort to maintain open lines of communication at a time of tension. Just a few days earlier, on March 11, 2026, Minister Ferit Hoxha held a conversation with the Minister of State of Qatar about the military escalation in the region and the need for a return to diplomacy.
So, the facts are these: the decision exists, visa-free entry has been approved, but the narrative of a secret asylum plan is not proven by the official documents released so far. What remains unsolved is the political reason for the timing and context of this decision. /Pamphlet
MINISTRI FERIT HOXHA ESHTE VEGLA ME E PESHTIRE, ME PALACO E ME E KAPUR E QEVERISE DHE E KRYEMINISTRIT QE EDHE FLAKEN MUND TI VERE SHQIPERISE PER TE MBAJTUR POSTIN E RUAJTUR PASURINE E BIZNESET QE KA VENE BASHKE ME VELLAIN