November 17 (SeeNews) - Albania's trade deficit shrank by 7.6% year-on-year to 267 billion leks ($2.6 billion/2.2 billion euro) in the ten months through October, the national statistical office said on Tuesday.
Exports decreased by 12.2% on the year to 221 billion leks in the period under review, while imports fell by 9.7% to 488 billion leks, INSTAT said in a statement.
In October alone, Albania's trade deficit rose by 0.8% year-on-year to 33 billion leks.
Italy remained Albania's main trading partner in the January-October period, absorbing Albanian exports of 101.7 billion leks and providing 121.2 billion leks worth of imports to the country.
The decline in Albania's exports in the first ten months of the year was mostly due to decreased exports of textiles and footwear, minerals, fuels, electricity, construction materials and metals.
(1 euro = 123.945 leks)