Albania
Albania boycotted the TPNW negotiations in 2017 and has consistently voted against the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the TPNW, including in 2022.
TPNW Status
| TPNW Article 1(1) prohibitions: Compatibility in 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compatible |
| Test | Compatible | |
| Possess or stockpile | Compatible | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compatible |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compatible |
| (d) | Use | Compatible |
| Threaten to use | Compatible | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Not compatible |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compatible |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compatible |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted no (2022) |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | No |
| 1MSP delegation size (% women) | N/A |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | N/A |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | No |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted yes |
| Other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) treaties | |
|---|---|
| Party to an NWFZ | No |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1990) |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2003) |
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Acceded 1992) |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1994) |
| IAEA safeguards and fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Safeguards agreement | Yes |
| TPNW Art 3(2) deadline | N/A |
| Small Quantities Protocol | No |
| Additional Protocol | Yes |
| Enrichment facilities/reprocessing plants | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
Latest developments
Albania may sign and ratify or accede to the TPNW, but will have to make changes to its policies and practices to become compliant.
At the Tenth Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in August 2022, Albania said: ‘We remain committed to the long-term goal of a world without nuclear weapons, believing that in the current security context, a step-by-step approach to global nuclear disarmament is the right path to build trust and confidence.’... We all know that a nuclear war cannot be won, so it should never be fought. This is why we are deeply worried by the nuclear sabre-rattling on the possible use of nuclear weapons. They should be condemned, in the strongest terms. We must not allow those who want to push the world backwards.’1
An opinion poll commissioned by Pathways To Peace and published in March 2022 found that 98% of Albanians want their country to join the TPNW, with 90% believing that Albania should be among the first NATO members to do so.2
The former Albanian president Rexhep Meidani and former prime ministers Ylli Bufi and Fatos Nano were among the signatories to an open letter in September 2020 calling on current leaders in umbrella states to 'show courage and boldness' and join the TPNW.4
Recommendations
- Albania should renounce the possession and potential use of nuclear weapons on its behalf, and ensure that nuclear weapons do not have a role in its defence posture.
- Albania should comply with its existing obligation under Article VI of the NPT and pursue negotiations in good faith on nuclear disarmament.
- Albania should urgently adhere to the TPNW. Until it is in a position to do so, it should welcome the TPNW as a valuable component in the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, work with the Treaty's states parties on practical steps towards disarmament, and attend the meetings of states parties as an observer.