The first Resident Ambassador of India to Albania, Mr. Ravindra Prasad Jaiswal, welcomes us to his office for a long and engaging conversation, summarized in the following interview. He presented his credentials to the President of the Republic, Bajram Begaj, in January 2025. Since then, he has come to know Albania not only through official meetings, but also through his interactions with people and his travels across the country. His impressions of Albanians can be summed up in the expression used in the title of this interview.

Before we begin the question-and-answer session, however, the Ambassador would like to highlight the event taking place on June 21 to mark International Day of Yoga, which will be held at the Grand Lake multisport fields in Tirana and will be open to the public free of charge.

The decision to open India’s first resident embassy in the country was a natural step, not only in the context of India’s continued outreach and growing engagement with the Western Balkans and Europe, but also as a reflection of Albania’s rising international profile and its future as a member of the European Union.

“From India’s perspective, having a resident mission in Tirana enables us to engage more closely with the Government of Albania, local companies and businesses, academia, civil society, and the Albanian people as a whole. India is expanding its diplomatic, economic, and development partnerships across the world. The decision to open an embassy in Tirana is part of this broader approach of building closer ties with friendly countries and exploring new areas of cooperation. It also reflects our belief that there is significant untapped potential in India-Albania relations,” the Ambassador said.

The interview touched on topics such as enhanced cooperation between the two countries within international institutions, including the United Nations, shared values, and, of course, specific areas with considerable potential for mutually beneficial development.

The legacy of Mother Teresa was also an essential part of the conversation.

“India and Albania may be geographically distant, but figures like Mother Teresa remind us that human bonds can be far stronger than distance. Her legacy inspires both our governments to work together for the welfare of our people and for a more compassionate world,” Ambassador Ravindra Prasad Jaiswal emphasized.

-Your Excellency, thank you for the opportunity for this conversation with Albanian Daily News. You are the first Indian Ambassador resident in Tirana. Can you tell us why your country, the largest democracy in the world, decided that it was time to open an embassy in Tirana?

-Thank you for giving me the opportunity to interact with our friends in Albania. It is indeed a privilege to serve as the first resident Ambassador of India to Albania. The opening of the Embassy of India in Tirana reflects India’s desire to deepen and broaden its engagement with Albania and with the wider Western Balkans region.

India and Albania have enjoyed friendly relations for decades, but in recent years we have felt a clear need to give this relationship a more structured and forward-looking direction. Albania is an important country in Southeast Europe, with growing regional and international engagement, a dynamic economy, with a clear vision for its future. Your country in few years will become a member of the European Union, with which India, as you know, has recently signed the “Mother of All Free Trade Deals”. So, from India’s perspective, having a resident Mission in Tirana enables us to engage more closely with the Government of Albania, local companies and businesses, academia, and the civil society, and with the people of Albania overall.

India today is expanding its diplomatic, economic and development partnerships across the world. The decision to open and Embassy in Tirana is part of this broader approach of building closer ties with friendly countries and exploring new areas of cooperation. It also reflects our belief that there is a significant untapped potential in India-Albania relations.  

-Since this is our first interview, could you share with us something about yourself and your career; who is Ravindra Prasad Jaiswal, and what did you know about Albania before your appointment?

-Well, presently I am India’s first resident Ambassador to Albania. I belong to the Foreign Service cadre, a career diplomat. I have served in Indian embassies in Cairo, Doha, Bern, and Khartoum, apart from the Ministry of External Affairs headquarters at Delhi. I am married and have a 23 years old son.

Of course, my earlier knowledge about Albania was limited. I was aware of Albania’s communist past and more historically, I knew that Albanian was one of the languages from the Indo-European family where Sanskrit also belongs. And, needless to say, Mother Teresa…

-Diplomatic relations between Albania and India date back 70 years, and it seems that they have recently gained new momentum. A few years ago, the two countries also cooperated within the framework of their positions as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. How would you assess the role of Albania in international relations?

- India and Albania share a long-standing relationship founded on universal values of mutual respect and commitment to democratic values, international law and rules-based international order and multilateralism. The recent period during which both countries served concurrently as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council offered a valuable opportunity to engage closely on key global challenges and priorities.

Albania has consistently played a constructive role in international affairs – promoting peace, security, stability, dialogue, adherence to international law, human rights, gender equality and women’s rights, sustainable development and promoting and adapting solutions to climate and environmental challenges. As a member of NATO and a candidate for European Union membership, Albania has made significant contributions to stability in the Western Balkans, while increasingly extending its engagement on global issues beyond the region.

India appreciates Albania’s contribution as a responsible and active member of the international community. We regard Albania as a country that recognizes the importance of multilateralism and cooperation in addressing global challenges. Our partnership in international forums is rooted not only in strong bilateral ties but also in our shared belief in a rules-based international order and cooperative multilateralism.

Looking ahead, India is keen to further deepen consultations and cooperation with Albania across multilateral platforms, including the United Nations and other international institutions, in pursuit of shared objectives and common challenges.    

-The presence of Indian citizens in Albania, both as employees and visitors, has been increasing. Which sectors would you highlight as areas of potential cooperation between our two countries?

-We are happy to see growing movement of people between India and Albania. Indian students, workers and visitors are contributing positively to Albania’s economy and society, while more of Albania people are also becoming aware of India’s strengths, culture, and business opportunities.

There are several promising sectors for cooperation, starting with trade, tourism and technology. There is scope to expend bilateral trade in pharmaceuticals, textiles, manufacturing, renewable energy, machinery, information technology, minerals and other sectors.

Albania is a beautiful country with a rich history, culture, coastline and mountains, and it has strong potential to attract Indian tourists. At the same time, India with its diverse landscape and heritage, spirituality and wellness tradition, Bollywood and culture, as well as a desirable shopping destination, offers many opportunities for Albanian visitors.

In recent years with a strong foothold in ICT, trained manpower and a hub for startups, India has developed many cost-effective, adaptable and scalable digital solutions and technologies which could be of interest in Albania.

Capacity building is also an important pillar of our cooperation. India offers training and scholarship opportunities under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation, or ITEC, programme. We would like more Albanian officials, students and professionals to benefit from these opportunities. India also offers specialized courses, including in the field of renewable energy, defence and diplomacy. These initiatives can help strengthen institutional linkages and promote greater understanding between our two countries.

Healthcare, Ayurveda and wellness, information technology renewable energy, agriculture, defence production, skills development and cultural canvass are also areas where we can build practical partnerships. India’s strengths in pharmaceuticals, healthcare, digital technology, education and the sectors mentioned above can complement Albania’s priorities in economic growth, green and sustainable development and innovation, and human resources capacity building.

Wellness is a particularly strong bridge between our peoples. As we prepare to celebrate the 12th International Day of Yoga, we see growing interest in yoga and India’s holistic traditions in Albania. Such initiatives not only promote health and well-being, but also bring our societies closer. With the opening of the resident Embassy, our effort will be to identify concrete projects and connect businesses and institutions on both sides.    

-It should be noted that our two countries are also connected by a prominent figure such as Saint Mother Teresa. This common link is an additional reason to strengthen interaction between people and governments, isn’t it?

-Saint Mother Teresa is a deeply cherished link between India and Albania. She was of Albanian origin, and India was the land where she carried out her life’s mission of love and service to humanity. Her legacy belongs not only to India and Albania, but to the entire world. In India, Mother Teresa is remembered with great affection and respect for her compassion, humility and service to the poorest and most vulnerable. Her life represents values that are universal: Kindness, dignity, care and selfless service. These values create a natural emotional bridge between our two peoples.

His shared connection can certainly help deepen people-to-people relations. It provides a strong foundation for cultural exchanges, educational initiatives, humanitarian cooperation, and greater awareness among younger generations in both countries about our shared history and values.

India and Albania may be geographically distant, but figures like Mother Teresa remind us that human bonds can be much stronger than distance. Her legacy is an inspiration for both our governments to work together for the welfare of our people and a more compassionate world. 

To bring forth this shared legacy, the Embassy is proposing to organize a photo-exhibition on the Life and Works of Saint Mother Teresa in Albania, in the near future.

-You have been in Albania for over a year, and you have had the opportunity to visit several regions of our country. What impressions have you formed so far?

-I have had the opportunity to see various places in Albania. People are very nice here, more friendly than in our own country. We very much like Albania, it is a place of beauty, with varying landscapes, nice authentic cuisine (although finding vegetarian food is a little bit difficult). Even though I insist that our tea is “the real one”, I enjoy your mountain tea with that specific herb.

My impression is that the country will rise even more toward a brighter future, once entering the European Union, because the potential already exists.

In a way, I was destined to come to Albania, because when Mother Teresa was canonized by the Vatican in 2016, I was part of representatives of India at the ceremony coming from Bern, Switzerland, where I worked at the time. Our embassy in Bern also covered the Vatican. As it turned out, that event was the precursor of my Albanian mission.  

But jokes apart, getting to experience firsthand Albanian hospitality, the availability of the people to help, to assist, their kindness in the street, compassion, helpfulness, I now understand that Mother Teresa could not be anything else, but Albanian! / ADN  

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