Albania to Host NATO Summit in Tirana by 2027‑2028

Albanian Defence Minister Ermal Nufi told Euronews Albania that the next NATO summit will be held in Tirana, expected sometime in 2027 or early 2028, with the exact date to be decided by the alliance’s heads of state. He stressed that the venue sends a strong political and strategic signal and noted NATO’s long‑term funding plan, including a 5 % defence‑spending target for 2035.

Deputy Foreign Minister Megi Fino confirmed that a dedicated task‑force has been operating for months, drawing on experience from the recent summit in Ankara, to organise the event and demonstrate Albania’s organisational capacity to the alliance and to the Western Balkans.

Ahead of the summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented each NATO leader with a custom‑made revolver loaded with dummy ammunition, a gesture that European officials said may conflict with strict EU rules on gifts to public officials. The weapons were handed to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, among others, and will be placed in a museum after deactivation.

The combined preparations and diplomatic activities underline Albania’s rising profile within NATO and its role in regional security, while the Turkish gift episode has sparked discussion about protocol and transparency within the alliance.