TIRANA (Albania), July 17 (SeeNews) – Albania's trade deficit decreased by 6.6% year-on-year in the first half of 2018, amounting to 151 billion leks ($1.4 billion/1.2 billion euro), the statistical office, INSTAT, said on Tuesday.
Exports rose 18.3% on the year to 158 billion leks in the period under review, while imports increased 4.7% to 309 billion leks, INSTAT said in a statement.
In the month of June alone, Albania's trade deficit totalled 27 billion leks, down 20.0% year-on-year.
Italy remained Albania's main trading partner in the first half of 2018, absorbing Albanian exports of 72.6 billion leks and providing imports to the country of 87.4 billion leks. Other major importers into Albania were Germany, Turkey, Greece and China.
Albania exported mainly textiles and footwear, minerals, fuels, electricity and construction materials and metals.
(1 euro = 125.167 leks)