High unemployment and low wages in Albania means that many young people in their prime working age are leaving the country, looking for jobs and better lives abroad. CGTN's Aljosa Milenkovic reports from the capital Tirana.  

This is the German Embassy in the Albanian capital Tirana. It is Monday early afternoon and hundreds of Albanians came here to find out if their working visas have been granted or not. An embassy official reads the names and hands out passports. In just the first nine months of 2017 0.1% of the entire population of Albania received visas to work in Germany. Now, these two girls, Fabjola and Bajame, will join them, since their German visas were just approved. They see them as a one way ticket to a better life.

FABJOLA FEJZULLAI TIRANA RESIDENT "We are going there because of the salary, because the salaries in Albania are very low and we want to have a better future in Germany. The salary is the biggest attraction."

Bajame goes even further. She doesn't see her future in Albania, ever again.

BAJAME HAZIZI FIER RESIDENT "I prefer Germany, but I feel bad since my family is here and I will miss them, but I like to explore new opportunities and this is a very good one for me. I would rather have new experiences in Germany."

Almost one third of the population of Albania has left the country in the last decade, searching for a better life. They've left behind many of their loved ones, like Fabjola and Bajame will soon do as well. Xhanfize Peci is one of those who was left behind by her family. She's 63 years old, living on a pension not adequate to support her, so she also has to work in one private company. And she lives on the memories of her loved ones who have been in Italy for a long time. They don't see each other too often, and their pictures on the wall in her apartment are a stark reminder of the pain of a divided family. A story shared by almost everybody in Albania.

XHANFIZE PECI TIRANA RESIDENT "We just speak on the phone. Recently we've been talking by cell phone. Because of the cost, I've never been there, never had a chance to visit them. And they come here once every three years for vacation, because they are busy, they are working."

A thunderstorm looms over Tirana. For many of its citizens, it will be one of the last memories of their beloved hometown before leaving the country.

ALJOSA MILENKOVIC TIRANA "And many are departing for good, never to return or just to come to visit their relatives once every few years. The government is pledging not just to stop the tide, but to reverse it, and bring many of the emigres back home, offering better jobs and living standards. But, until that happens, Albanians prefer to seek a better life elsewhere. Aljosa Milenkovic, CGTN, Tirana."