How do you sum up four years as Israel’s Ambassador to Albania?

It is a deceptively simple question. Four years can be measured in official visits, agreements signed, business deals, flights inaugurated, projects launched and numbers on a spreadsheet. But diplomacy is not really measured in numbers. At its heart, diplomacy is about people: the people you meet, the doors that open, and the friendships that grow.

Looking back at my four years in Albania, I realize that this has been a journey that began with crisis, passed through tragedy, and ultimately became a story of friendship, cooperation and deep human connection.

The relationship between Israel and Albania is built on a unique and meaningful history. It is one of the most extraordinary chapters of Albania’s story during the Holocaust, when Albanians, guided by their values and Besa, protected and saved Jews at a time when much of Europe had turned against them.

That history creates a special foundation. But history alone cannot determine the future.

When I arrived in Albania, Iranian hackers had launched a serious cyberattack against Albania, targeting its digital infrastructure. My first mission was therefore not a reception or a diplomatic dinner, but to help connect Albanian counterparts with Israel’s cyber experts.

It was an early reminder of something that would become a recurring theme throughout my tenure: when challenges arise, friends stand together.

Israel had gained extensive experience in dealing with cyber threats, and Albania needed expertise, cooperation and trusted partners. Building those connections was one of my first tasks. In many ways, it was also a fitting beginning to my mission. The relationship between Israel and Albania was already friendly, but I wanted to help transform friendship into practical cooperation that could make a real difference.

Soon afterwards, the Embassy moved to a beautiful iconic new building in the heart of Tirana. It became a place where ideas areexchanged and partnerships are created; a place where we made many plans of collaboration.

And then came October 7, 2023.

The massacre carried out by Palestinian terroristsagainst Israel was the darkest day in the history of the State of Israel. The shock, the pain and the uncertainty were overwhelming. Like every Israeli, my first instinct was to go home, to be with my people. But duty called and I stayed in Tirana.

In those terrible days, Albania was there for us.

From the highest levels of government to people we encountered on the streets, we felt an extraordinary embrace of solidarity and sympathy. Albania did not merely express diplomatic condolences. We felt genuine human empathy.

For an Israeli Ambassador, there are moments when you realize that the work of diplomacy has moved beyond official relations and entered something deeper. October 7 was such a moment.

The support we received from Albania will remain one of the most meaningful memories of my years here.

And while October 7 profoundly changed Israel, it did not stop our work. If anything, it reminded us of why diplomacy matters.

Over these four years, relations between Israel and Albania reached new heights. We witnessed official bilateral visits at the highest levels, including visits by the President of Israel and the Prime Minister of Albania, as well as ministers, members of parliament, senior officials and leaders of most important national institutions.

We worked to strengthen political dialogue, economic relations, agriculture, innovation, tourism, culture, health and many other fields. We helped create opportunities for Israeli and Albanian companies to discover one another.

During my tenure, we doubled the number of Israeli businesses and investments in Albania. Behind every statistic there are people: entrepreneurs, partners, and businesses who took chances and built trust.

Direct flights between Israel and Albania changed the relationship dramatically. What had once been a destination known to relatively few Israelis became a country that appeared on the travel map of close to hundred thousand visitors per year.

Israelis discovered Albania and fell in love with it.

They came for the spectacular mountains, the turquoise coastline, the food, the history and the charming towns. But I believe many returned for something less tangible: the warmth of the Albanian people.

There is a special quality to the way Albanians welcome guests. It is rooted in a concept that I came to understand not only intellectually, but personally: Besa.

Besa is often translated as “a promise” or “word of Honor.” But after four years in Albania, I believe that translation does not quite capture its meaning. Besa is a commitment to stand by another person, to keep one’s word, to offer protection and hospitality, and to Honor a bond of trust.

I have experienced Besa myself; in official meetings, in private homes, in unexpected encounters, in the kindness of people I barely knew, and in the countless occasions when Albanians went out of their way to help, simply because that is what one does for a guest, or for a friend.

And I became a traveler in Albania.

During these four years, I had the privilege of seeing much of this extraordinary country. I travelled through its mountains and valleys, along its rivers and coastline, through historic towns and small villages. But more importantly, I discovered Albania through its people.

The Albania I came to know is a country with a remarkable ability to welcome. A country whose beauty is obvious, but whose greatest asset is human.

One of the projects particularly close to my heart was the establishment of an agricultural Excellence Farm, created with Israeli expertise and with the goal of supporting Albanian farmers. Israel and Albania are very different in size and geography, but both understand the importance of agriculture and food security with limited resources.

The farm became a practical platform for knowledge-sharing and training. Israeli know how in irrigation, greenhouse technology, dairy production and agricultural management could be adapted to Albanian needs, while Albanian farmers bring their own knowledge, experience and determination.

This is the kind of cooperation I believe in most: not simply giving, but sharing; not simply providing money, but providing knowledge; not simply completing a project, but creating something that can be sustainable.

Another unique project we created is the “BeerTech” events where Albanian and Israeli entrepreneurs can meet.

Culture, too, plays an important role. Together with the Albanian ministry of culture, we brought music, dance, literature and other forms of cultural and arts, and we discovered once again that people can understand one another even when they do not share a language.

Looking back, I am proud of the achievements of these four years. But I am even more grateful for the relationships behind them.

A bilateral relationship is strengthened by presidents and prime ministers, but it is sustained by business partnerships, students exchange, cultural performances, farmers training, or even an Albanians welcoming Israeli visitors.

That is why, when I ask myself what I am taking with me from Albania, the answer is not a list of agreements.

I am taking memories; I am taking landscapes, I am taking the taste of Albanian food, the warmth of Albanian hospitality.

Four years is a long time in diplomacy, but it is also surprisingly short when you feel at home.

I leave with a much deeper connection to this country than I could ever have imagined when I first arrived.

So how do I sum up four years?

Perhaps with three words: friendship, mutual respect and cooperation.

I leave Albania convinced that the future of Israeli-Albanian relations is bright. There is enormous potential for even closer cooperation; in technology and innovation, agriculture, tourism, culture, education, business and many other fields.

This is what diplomacy is ultimately about.

It is about turning relationships between states into relationships between people.

To my Albanian colleagues: thank you for your partnership, your professionalism and your friendship.

To the Albanian government and institutions: thank you for the trust and cooperation you extended to my country.

To the business community, farmers, artists, academics, journalists and civil society: thank you for opening doors and creating opportunities.

And to the people of Albania: thank you for the warmth with which you welcomed me, for the kindness you showed me, and for teaching me, through your actions, what Besa truly means.

I arrived in Albania to represent Israel.

I leave with Albania becoming an integral part of my own story.

There are relationships between countries that are based primarily on interests. There are others that are built on history. And there are some that, over time, become something more: relationships built on trust, respect and genuine affection.

I believe Israel and Albania belong to that last category.

I arrived as an ambassador, Today, I leave as a friend.

Shalom Albania.

Faleminderit. Thank you. Toda.

*Ms Galit Peleg is the outgoing ambassador of Israel to Albania