Albania flies its flag for the first time in Canberra

Diplomatic dignitaries and members of the small but tight-knit Albanian community in Canberra gathered for the ceremony, which marked further diplomatic ties between Australia and Albania.

Following the ceremony, guests were invited to a reception at the newly opened Albanian embassy, featuring traditional food and music.

It's been a strange year for Albanian chargé d'affaires Dr Edmund Trako. Dr Trako moved to Canberra with his wife Iris in March to establish the embassy in Australia, arriving only 48 hours before the international borders closed.

"I thought maybe it will be impossible to establish this embassy in these conditions, completely alone, in the hotel under COVID-19," he said.

Dr Trako's diplomatic career has spanned over 25 years. He was previously Albania's ambassador in Argentina and Portugal, and had previous experience establishing embassies abroad.

Those experiences were helpful to Dr Trako as he navigated the unprecedented situation of COVID-19.

"You can try to do things, but without knowing the steps you can be involved easily in a real mess," he said.

For the chargé d'affaires this meant being involved in all steps when it came to establishing the embassy, from IT to putting the furniture together.

International relations are increasingly important for Albania. The country is positioning itself to join the European Union, and will be a member of the UN Security Council in 2021.

While Canberra has a small Albanian diaspora community, there are larger communities within other cities including Melbourne, Adelaide, Shepparton and some areas in Queensland.

Dr Trako will travel to Melbourne for another flag ceremony on November 28, Albania's Flag Day.

Dr Trako said he wanted to see Australia and Albania forge stronger ties.

"We have all the possibilities to expand relations in terms of economics, tourism migration," he said.

"Now it's your turn, Australia, to open an embassy in Albania, because still Australia is covering Albania from Italy."