After expectations raised earlier, Edi Rama has acknowledged that the next NATO summit will not be held in Tirana in 2027. From Dublin, the head of government said there is still no agreement on the date, while indicating that Albania remains in contention only if the summit is held in 2028.
Rama’s confirmation on 2027
In his statement, Rama ruled out 2027 as the timeframe for holding the summit in Albania. According to him, a common position has still not been reached on when the Alliance’s next meeting will take place.
The prime minister insisted that, if there is a summit in 2028, it will be held in Tirana. This remains, however, a position expressed by the Albanian government, while the decision on the date does not yet appear to have been finalized within NATO’s structures.
What the head of government said in Dublin
Rama said Albania is “projected as the next host” of the summit, but acknowledged that the key issue remains the lack of a joint decision on when it will be held.
He also reacted to the public debate on the issue, dismissing claims that have circulated after the deadline was pushed back and portraying the situation as clear for 2028, if the summit is held then.
International coverage and uncertainty over the calendar
Rama’s statement was also reflected by Reuters, which reported that NATO will not hold a summit in Albania next year, despite plans mentioned earlier.
At the same time, according to international reporting, there are also discussions within the Alliance about the very practice of holding annual summits. Such a change would directly affect the Albanian government’s expectations of organizing a summit in Tirana.
NATO’s position: the place yes, the date not yet
A NATO official, cited in the day’s reporting, said the next summit will be held in Albania, but that there is still no decision on the date.
This means the government is presenting Tirana’s hosting as certain, while the essential element — the official calendar — remains unresolved. It is precisely there that the difference lies between Tirana’s political message and what has actually been formally decided by the Alliance.
For now, the only thing publicly confirmed is that 2027 is no longer in the running for Tirana. As for the rest, the final decision remains pending.
In practice, Albania may be the host country of the next NATO summit, but not within the timeframe previously suggested by the government.