Saudi Arabia sends humanitarian aid to Albania
Flooding hit Albania in January and February of this year. Photo: NATO.
Saudia Arabia has sent 180 tons of humanitarian aid to Albania, which was hit by floods early this year.
The first plane arrived at Tirana International Airport on Wednesday morning, reports said. Three other planes carrying relief aid were scheduled to arrive soon after.
“The Kingdom decided to extend help and assistance to people affected by the floods that struck Albania last winter,” Saudi ambassador Ralat Salem Radwan said.
He attended a handover ceremony with Bernard Brachi, Albania’s director-general of emergency management.
Saudia Arabia has supported Albania through the funding of infrastructure projects since the beginning of the 1990s, Radwan added. It has also contributed to many development projects in the former communist country.
The flood assistance includes 900 tents, 4,000 blankets and mattresses, and 3,800 food baskets.
Albania is predominantly Muslim and the only European member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. However, decades of official atheism led to a sharp decline in religious practice.