
Former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked during a conversation at the Harvard Institute of Politics about the much-debated 2021 decision to declare former Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha "persona non grata".
Blinken stressed that he fully stands behind the sanctions imposed by the US State Department against Berisha, underlining that there is no doubt or hesitation about this decision.
"I stand completely behind the sanctions imposed on Mr. Berisha. I have no hesitation or doubt about this decision, not at all," he said before a packed audience at Harvard.
The question was asked by Albanian citizen Fatjon Semanjaku, who, recalling the previous US administration's decision to declare Berisha "non grata", and the fact that Blinken called Prime Minister Edi Rama an "outstanding leader" during a visit to Albania, asked this question:
"I want to know how "distinguished" I have to be for the doors of the Oval Office to open if I become prime minister of Albania when George Soros' mafia faction of today's very, very malignant left returns to the White House?"
Former Secretary Blinken responded by saying:
"You said I could choose the answer I wanted to answer. Look, first of all I'm very, very sorry for what you've been through personally.
No one should have to go through what you described. But, I stand completely behind the sanctions imposed on Mr. Berisha. I have no hesitation or doubt about this decision, not at all.
"This does not speak to the shortcomings of the administration, but it speaks to the shortcomings of Berisha and I will continue to stand by that. It is simply a change of judgment."
We recall that the leader of the Democrat Party, Sali Berisha, considered his declaration as "non grata" an unjust act, dictated by the role of George Soros.