Albania has expressed a keen interest in recruiting skilled and semi-skilled workers from Bangladesh to address growing labour demands across various sectors.
The proposal came during a high-level meeting between Albanian President Bajram Begaj and Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, held on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday.
“We are in need of workers, and a number of Albanian companies have already submitted formal requests to hire manpower from Bangladesh,” President Begaj said during the discussion.
He also suggested that bilateral collaboration could be expanded in multiple areas, particularly tourism, noting that Albania’s scenic southern coastline could become an attractive destination for Bangladeshi tourists.
Welcoming the proposal, Professor Yunus highlighted Bangladesh’s robust and youthful workforce as a valuable asset that could contribute meaningfully to Albania’s economy.
He urged the Albanian authorities to simplify the visa process for Bangladeshi citizens, who currently must travel to New Delhi to obtain Albanian visas.
In response, President Begaj revealed that Albania is actively considering the introduction of electronic visas (e-visas) for Bangladeshi nationals to ease the process.
To further deepen bilateral ties, the Albanian leader proposed increasing institutional exchanges, including official high-level visits between the two countries.
Law Adviser Asif Nazrul, responsible for the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare, also attended the meeting and affirmed Bangladesh’s capability to supply diverse categories of workers — ranging from medical professionals and technicians to factory and agricultural laborers.
Nazrul emphasized the importance of signing a formal memorandum of understanding (MoU) to streamline and regulate the recruitment process.
Additionally, President Begaj announced that Albanian universities are prepared to enroll Bangladeshi students under existing international education programmes.
Senior Secretary for SDG Affairs Lamiya Morshed was also present during the meeting.
