Jacek Czaputowicz stated that "Poland strongly supports Albania's membership of the EU... We believe that the people of Albania should receive a clear message that the EU is open and awaits Albania, and that this membership would make the EU more culturally rich... We appreciate the Albanian government's reform efforts; we are happy that they were noticed by the European Commission, whose report last April made an unconditional recommendation for the Council of the European Union to open accession negotiations". On May 7, 2018, Czaputowicz stressed the importance of "solidarity" between Eastern European countries, noting that "the Western Balkans are undergoing a similar developmental path as Poland" and thus "have similar interests". On July 5, 2019, Polish head of state Andrzej Duda "scolded" the EU in a summit as Poznan for delaying membership talks for Albania and North Macedonia, stating "The European Union shouldn't treat countries this way when they are carrying out difficult reforms aimed at future integration". Economic ties Albania has emerged as a major tourist destination for Poles, with the number of Polish tourists doubling in 2016 to reach 116,000; Poland is in the top 10 sources of foreign tourists in Albania. For the first eleven months of 2018, that number had grown to stand at 152,000. Resident diplomatic missions Albania has an embassy in Warsaw. Poland has an embassy in Tirana. See also Foreign relations of Albania Foreign relations of Poland Polish–Ukrainian Peace Force Battalion Albanians in Poland References External links Albanian Embassy in Warsaw Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tirana, Albania Poland Bilateral relations of Poland