Albania

The communist period (1946-1991) in Albania was characterized 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, and the dangerous storage environment was further exacerbated. In 2008, a massive explosion at an ammunition dismantling facility occurred. In order to reduce the further risks, Albania started to work on the establishment of a legal framework for the demilitarisation of munitions and upgrade of the decrepit facilities. The international community provided the country with technical and financial assistance on the subject.[1]

Albania has signed and ratified the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). Currently, the project of the South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of SALW (SEESAC) is being implemented in the country, providing support for disarmament and arms control, as well as reduction of the threat from illicit SALW and their ammunition.[2] Also, a three-year joint project of the OSCE presence in Albania and the Ministry of Interior was launched in summer 2022 aimed at risk reduction of weapons proliferation and misuse of SALW.[3]

[1] Goodyear, Matt (2010): Albania Makes Progress in Demilitarization. Focus, the Journal of ERW and Mine Action. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1376&context=cisr-journal

[2] GICHD (2022): Ammunition Management Activity Platform. https://global.imsma.org/dashboards

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