Albania granted Republic of China (ROC) passport holders visa-free privileges retroactive to June 1, bringing the number of countries and regions granting visa-free access or landing visa privileges to Taiwanese to 115, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced yesterday.
The ministry said in a press release that the Balkan country used the name “Chinese Taipei” to refer to Taiwan in its visa-waiver country list submitted to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
MOFA Department of European Affairs director-general James Lee (李光章) said the ministry considered the designation acceptable and a sign of “goodwill,” considering that Albania has long been a staunch ally of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Starting in the 1950s, Albania regularly proposed that the ROC be replaced by the PRC as the official representative of China, until the ROC withdrew from the UN in 1971, Lee said.
“The ROC has had a hard time since then, but now even Albania has granted us visa-free status, a symbol of recognition by the international community for Taiwan’s achievements in its democracy, economy and civilization,” Lee said.
Lee said the ministry found the designation of “Chinese Taipei” acceptable despite being not satisfied, and would continue to discuss the matter with Albania and urge it to follow EU practice in its visa-waiver program, in which the nation was designated “Taiwan.”
The visa-waiver privilege will save ROC passport holders a 30 euro (US$43) visa application fee and the inconvenience of having to apply for an Albanian visa at the Albanian embassy in Budapest, Hungary. They will be allowed to stay up to 90 days in the country.
Asked how many Taiwanese people actually visited Albania last year, ministry spokesman James Chang (章計平) said: “Not many.”
The ministry estimated 1,500 Taiwanese had visited Albania in the past five years.
Albania currently allows foreigners who have a valid multi-entry Schengen visa or a valid residence permit in one of the Schengen member states to enter, stay and transit the country without a visa.
Additional reporting by CNA
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