TIRANA, May 16 –Monday’s visit to Albania of the former State Secretary, Mike Pompeo as well as businessmen in the energy field had a multi dimensional target to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Albania and the US and to take part in signing of a memorandum in the field of energy.
At the conference on the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, Pompei said that good will is needed from every political spectrum to defend democracy, eradicate corruption and protect the freedom of the peoples of the two countries and the peoples of the region.
He stressed that the good American-Albanian friendship will continue for another 100 years.
Pompeo said that Albania and the US have done a good job in the fight against terrorism, while adding that real efforts have been made for the establishment of democracy in the last 30 years. According to Pompeo, it does not matter who is in power, but it is important to eradicate corruption and consolidate freedom and democracy.
The chairman of the parliamentary group of the Socialist Party, Taulant Balla, emphasized in his speech the support that America has given to Albanians.
“Thanks to the US support, Albania is today a NATO member country, while Kosovo is an independent state, and engaged in the Euro-Atlantic integration agenda,” said Balla.
“Cooperation with the United States of America is today at an excellent level for the benefit of democratic developments, strengthening the rule of law and principles of market economy, in support of Albania’s membership in the European Union, maintaining stability, peace of prosperity in our region and beyond as well as the fight against terrorism, ”noted Balla.
He referred to US support through agencies for institution building and the creation of free market parameters, and is already being accompanied by US direct investment, especially in the strategic and priority sectors of the Albanian economy.
Albanian-US diplomatic relations were established on December 4, 1922, when the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States, Ulysses Grant-Smith, career diplomat, presented his credentials in Tirana to the then Albanian Prime Minister, Xhafer Ypi.
Relations between the two countries broke up after communist power took the reins of Albania which considered the US as an imperialist power. After the fall of communism the diplomatic relations were reestablished with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding in Washington on March 15, 1991 when late president Ramiz Alia was in power.
Alia was followed as head of state by Sali Berisha, head of the Democratic Party, picked up by the State Department as the first post communist leader of this Balkan country. The paradox is that now the State Department has designated its protégé as persona non grata and he was not included in the protocol of meetings with Pompeo. No evidence is provided by the US on the motivation for breaking ties with Berisha as it has expanded relations with Socialist Party, a successor of the former communist party which considered the US as arch enemy of the Albanian people and nation. /Argumentum.al
