Albania joins European Countries and decided on Sunday to close its airspace to Russian flights. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olta Xhacka announced during the evening all the measures taken against Russia after Ukraine invasion. 

"The Albanian airspace is close for every Russian plane, except the humanitarian issues. 

In this dramatic and epochal confrontation of our time, we are proud that Albania is playing a very important role, also in the field of diplomacy. From the OSCE to the UN Security Council. Our country together with the US proposed a resolution condemning the Russian attack and calling on it to withdraw. Albania without any hesitation has joined the austerity measures against Russia, currently the Albanian government is drafting these measures. 

We have joined the individual sanctions that freeze the assets of the Russian president, and members of the Russian State Duma. In total, these measures will be implemented for 654 individuals and 52 entities, in addition, a travel ban has been imposed in the Albanian territory. Economic sanctions include restrictive measures in technology finance, will prohibit the sale or export of goods such as oil. 

Restrictions on technology exports will be imposed. In addition to these measures, following the measures, the airspace of the Republic of Albania will be closed to any Russian aircraft, except when performed for health emergencies. Albania will not participate in any sports activities with the Russian Federation until the end of the occupation of Ukraine," said Xhacka.

Earlier, European Union members Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Finland, Malta, Poland, Romania, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, and Denmark have all closed their airspace to Russian flights or announced they would do so.

The United Kingdom and Iceland, which are not part of the EU, have also banned flights from Russian airlines in support of Ukraine. North Macedonia’s government also banned all Russian aircraft from its skies, but said humanitarian flights will be exempted.