Albania

The communist period (1946–91) in Albania was characterised by a massive accumulation of ammunition and weapons of Albanian, Chinese and Soviet origin. More than 100,000 tonnes of munitions and weapons were housed in various depots across the country. After 1991, these depots could not be maintained properly, further exacerbating a dangerous storage environment. A massive explosion at an ammunition dismantling facility occurred in 2008. In order to reduce the risk of further incidents,  Albania began work to establish a legal framework for the demilitarisation of munitions and the upgrade of decrepit facilities. The international community provided the country with technical and financial assistance for this purpose.¹

Albania has signed and ratified the Arms Trade Treaty. The South Eastern and Eastern Europe Regional Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC) is currently implementing a project in the country to provide support for disarmament and arms control efforts, as well as to reduce the threats posed by illicit small arms and light weapons and their ammunition.² The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Presence in Albania and the Ministry of Interior also launched a three-year joint project in June 2022 to tackle the risk of weapons proliferation and the misuse of small arms and light weapons.³

¹ Matt Goodyear, "Albania Makes Progress in Demilitarization," The Journal of ERW and Mine Action 14, no. 3 (2010): 16-19, https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1376&context=cisr-journal.

² “Ammunition Management Activity Platform (A-MAP),” GICHD, 2022, a-map.gichd.org.

³ OSCE, "OSCE Presence Launches Project for Reducing Risk of Weapon Proliferation and Misuse of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Albania," OSCE, June 9, 2022,  https://www.osce.org/presence-in-albania/519963.