TIRANA (Albania), October 17 (SeeNews) – Albania's trade deficit decreased by 6.7% year-on-year in the first nine months of 2018, to 235 billion leks ($2.2 billion/1.9 billion euro), the statistical office, INSTAT, said on Wednesday.
Exports rose 15.3% on the year to 231 billion leks in the period under review, while imports increased 3.0% to 467 billion leks, INSTAT said in a statement.
In September alone, Albania's trade deficit totalled 25 billion leks, down 15.6% year-on-year.
Italy remained Albania's main trading partner in the first nine months of 2018, absorbing Albanian exports of 111.7 billion leks and providing imports to the country of 129.7 billion leks. Other major importers into Albania were Greece, Turkey, China and Germany.
Albania exported mainly textiles and footwear, minerals, fuels, electricity and construction materials and metals.
(1 euro = 124.454 leks)