TIRANA (Albania), August 17 (SeeNews) – Albania's trade deficit decreased by 5.2% year-on-year in the first seven months of 2018 to 182 billion leks ($1.7 billion/1.4 billion euro), the statistical office, INSTAT, said on Friday.
Exports rose 17.1% on the year to 185 billion leks in the period under review, while imports increased 4.9% to 367 billion leks, INSTAT said in a statement.
In July alone, Albania's trade deficit totalled 31 billion leks, up 3.3% year-on-year.
Italy remained Albania's main trading partner in the first seven months of 2018, absorbing Albanian exports of 91.1 billion leks and providing imports to the country of 105.7 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 = 125.737 leks)