Albania is poised to host the NATO summit in 2027, a decision expected to be confirmed at next week’s summit in The Hague. A draft of this year’s NATO summit declaration, reviewed by Radio Free Europe, explicitly states Albania as the host for 2027.
This year’s NATO summit is scheduled to take place in The Hague, Netherlands, next week, while the 2026 summit will be held in Turkey.
The draft declaration concludes: “We express our gratitude for the generous hospitality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. We eagerly anticipate our next meeting in Turkey in 2026, which will be followed by a meeting in Albania.”
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who secured his fourth mandate months ago, had hinted last summer that Albania would welcome the NATO summit in 2027. Albania’s capital, Tirana, recently hosted a significant gathering in May, bringing together major European leaders for the European Political Community summit.
Albania’s Growing Role within NATO
Albania has been a member of NATO since 2009, and this will mark the first time the country hosts a NATO summit.
NATO also operates an air base in Kuçovë, Albania, which is the only one in the Western Balkans region. This base was inaugurated in March 2024, following an investment of approximately €50 million from NATO and over €5 million from the Albanian government.
Furthermore, Albania is currently in discussions with NATO regarding the construction of a naval base in Porto Romano on the Adriatic coast, further solidifying its strategic importance within the alliance.
