Acting Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Gent Cakaj announced that, in the framework of the continued reformation of the Albanian Diplomatic Service towards ensuring a quality service, over 50 Albanian diplomats around the world will be removed, or transferred.

‘Albania does not deserve anything less than meritocracy in the institutions, and professionalism on the job, and quality service in diplomacy,’ Cakaj stated in the press conference.

Acting Minister Cakaj also announced that 80 per cent of the staff in the Consulates General of Albania will change.

‘With a view to ensuring that the basic principle governing our organisation is adhered to, I am announcing here that 80 per cent of the Consulates General of Albania around the world will no longer be the same. Radical changes in them are required by effects of structural change, and need to expand services.’

Acting Minister dwelt on the change in the faulty mentality concerning service provided to the citizens.

‘Individual laziness, or the inertia in the daily routine, or the arrogance of institutional superiority can no longer be the basis for coping with the flow of the Albanian citizens’ applications,’ Cakaj stated.

Cakaj announced the news that over 50 per cent of the diplomatic and service passports will be declared invalid.

‘I am sharing here with you the fact that the diplomatic and service passport reform has already reached its final stage. In the Government’s next meeting, over 50 per cent of the diplomatic and service passports will be declared invalid, and will be revoked. I would like to bring it to the attention of everyone here that the number of the Albanian diplomatic passports and the number of the Albanian service passports exceeds 2,500, and this is both at unacceptable levels, and actually a barely credible practice. And an end will be put to it as of next week,’ Cakaj said.

Finally, over 20 Honorary Consuls of Albania around the world will no longer be as such, Cakaj announced in the course of the press conference. The Honorary Consuls must not be an association of privileges, but a community of services, he stated.