Two North Macedonian citizens declared persona non grata in Albania

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Albania has declared two citizens of North Macedonia persona non grata, citing information that their activities are considered harmful to the Albanian state.

According to Albanian authorities, the measure follows a proposal from the anti‑terror unit of the Albanian State Police and was confirmed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Who were declared unwelcome

The decision applies to Valon Bela and Bekir Halimi, both holders of North Macedonian citizenship. Halimi is described by Albanian officials as a former member of the NLA (ONA), an Islamic theologian and a Wahhabist; in 2008 he was suspected of links to an Al‑Qaeda terrorist cell.

Bela is a political analyst and former activist. He served as economic director at the Clinic for Gynecology, from which he was dismissed in 2019 after a dispute with the clinic's director. He first emerged in politics with the NGO "Realiteti" and later led the Albanian Union party in 2010, publicly stating that the party's aim was to split Macedonia into three cantons — one Macedonian, one Albanian and one mixed canton. That party later merged with the DPA of Menduh Thaçi, Bela moved to DUI and worked in the Čair municipality.

Media archives show Bela was also the target of an armed attack in Čair in 2018.

In a Facebook post he wrote that the decision was taken by the government of "Edi Ramović — Vučić's Siamese twin."

Separately, Albanian authorities recently declared Kosovo citizen Ikbale Huduti persona non grata and barred her entry to Albania for 15 years.

Photo: press material from the event