ISLAMABAD, OCT 12 /DNA/ – Honorary Consul of Albania in Islamabad, Tahseen Sayed, has returned to Pakistan after an important and successful visit to Albania to promote Pakistan’s trade and tourism plus strengthening bilateral ties. In an interaction with media here today, Tahseen Sayed, formerly the senior-most Pakistani in the World Bank as Regional Director, referred to her role as as an international expert member of Albania’s National Economic Council chaired by Prime Minister Edi Rama.

She said that ‘during my visit, I met with the top Albanian leadership including  Prime Minister Rama, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Tourism, Defense, Entrepreneurship, European Integration, Finance, Economy & Planning, and the Mayor of Tirana. She said that ‘main focus of my visit was to have discussions with representatives of the private sector, including Chambers of Commerce, banking sector and tourism and travel operators.  She expressed satisfaction that ‘Albania’s leadership expressed their country’s desire to strengthen engagement with Pakistan and especially welcomed opportunities in the areas of, labour market, tourism and trade’.

 Tahseen Sayed welcomed the recent decision by Government of Pakistan to include Albania among the countries listed for receiving tourists with visa on arrival, which will help in trade and tourism with Pakistan.

Albania is located in southeastern Europe in the Balkans on the Adriatic and Ionian seas and has land borders with Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo and North Macedonia. 

The country is well situated for connecting to European markets, especially in southeastern Europe. During recent years, it has seen a phenomenal rise in tourism with tourist arrivals doubling from the pre-Covid period. Albania was once part of the Ottoman Empire.