ALBANIAN 
Switzerland
Outside the EU-27 scope. Switzerland’s record is kept in the archive and this page still resolves, but it isn’t shown in the country list, statistics or roster.
Not an EU or NATO member — EFTA member state; the EFTA-Albania Free Trade Agreement has been in force since 1 November 2010. Maintains a resident embassy in Tirana. Home to one of Europe's largest Albanian-speaking diaspora communities (commonly estimated at 270,000-300,000+, spanning Albania/Kosovo/North Macedonia origin), largely from 1990s-era labour migration.
Ambassadors
Their ambassador to Albania
Previous (3)
Foreign ministers & heads of state/government
Visits
Split by direction and by ministry/portfolio, so non-MFA contact stays visible.
Their visits to Albania
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Feb. 18, 2022Minister Health
Signed a Switzerland-Albania social security agreement (old-age, survivors', and invalidity insurance) with Finance Minister Delina Ibrahimaj in Tirana; met Deputy PM Arben Ahmetaj and Health Minister Ogerta Manastirliu; visited the Vora health centre renovated with Swiss support.
Outcome: Agreement ensures equal treatment of Swiss and Albanian nationals' social security entitlements and allows pensions to be paid across borders.
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Nov. 22, 2020 – Nov. 23, 2020Minister Foreign Affairs
Marked 50 years of Switzerland-Albania diplomatic relations (established 1 Jul 1970). Met FM Gent Cakaj on bilateral relations, Swiss regional cooperation, and Albania's 2020 OSCE chairmanship; paid a courtesy call on President Ilir Meta; toured 2019-earthquake reconstruction projects with Minister Arben Ahmetaj.
Outcome: Reaffirmed Swiss support for Albania's democratic reforms and EU-integration path; noted ~345 million CHF in Swiss development assistance to Albania since 1996, one of the two largest bilateral donors alongside Germany.
Albania's visits to them
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June 8, 2026 – June 9, 2026UnspecifiedParliamentary Other
Delegation of Albanian MPs, Central Election Commission members, and Constitutional Court representatives visited Bern to study Switzerland's direct-democracy framework (referendum thresholds, initiating procedures, campaign/media rules, complaint mechanisms) — met the Federal Parliament, Federal Chancellery, the Chancellor of the Canton of Bern, and academic experts. Run under an OSCE Presence in Albania electoral-reform project jointly backed by Sweden, Switzerland, the US, and Poland, not a purely bilateral programme.
Outcome: Aimed at identifying direct-democracy practices adaptable to Albania and strengthening Albanian-Swiss institutional cooperation on electoral reform.
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Dec. 14, 2024 – Dec. 15, 2024Minister Health
Studied Switzerland's vocational-education system (visited IDM Thun and the Swiss Post staff training centre in Bern; met SFIVET director Cornelia Oertli and SDC director Manuel Sager), and held a dedicated meeting with Jürg Brechbühl, director of the Federal Office of Social Insurance, on a prospective Albania-Switzerland social insurance agreement.
Outcome: Agreement in principle to proceed with a social insurance agreement — distinct from, and narrower than, Berset's 2022 social security agreement.
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April 7, 2017Head of government Foreign Affairs
Official visit to Bern; received by President of the Swiss Confederation Doris Leuthard, marking 25 years of Swiss-Albanian collaboration since the 1992 reciprocal embassy openings.
Outcome: First official visit to Switzerland by an Albanian Prime Minister since 1994; both sides agreed to continue the partnership.
Agreements
Switzerland's own treaty database has the fuller record — not every bilateral treaty is individually entered here. Browse it directly ↗