Relations between Albania and Greece remain a complicated riddle. The two neighbouring countries have extensive historical, economic and social ties. They participate in the same geopolitical sphere and mainly agree on the broader agenda for the region, focusing on democratisation, economic development and strengthening the rule of law, with the fundamental aim of Balkan integration into the European Union.

With intensified cooperation between the two countries in the early 1990’s, visibility towards each other also increased, bringing old fears and stereotypes to the fore, as well as new sources of disagreement. As a result, Albania and Greece find themselves in a paradoxical situation: the two societies and economies are very interconnected, but diplomatic and political relations remain on the test and in a state of nearly permanent instability. Combined with the hostile rhetoric occasionally expressed on social media, there is a risk that the identities of the two countries will evolve in opposition to each other. In this way, to understand what drives these misunderstandings, the Open Society foundation for Albania (OSFA) and the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) conducted a joint study on the perceptions and attitudes that Albanian and Greek citizens have towards each other.

The joint research project included two parallel joint opinion surveys conducted in Albania and Greece and implemented by the Tirana-based Data Centrum Research Institute and the Public Opinion Research Unit based at the University of Thessaloniki.

To learn more information on the findings of the Albania–Greece Survey Report, Citizens’ Perceptions of Co-operation between the two countries, can consult the Full Report in English, the full Report in Albanian and the full Report in Greek. To read a summary of the findings you can read the Executive Summary in English,  the Executive Summary in Albanian and the Executive Summary in Greek as well as a Leaflet in English, Greek and Albanian.