OPEN LETTER/ Come to the dialogue and listen to me speak, otherwise I will cut off your scholarships, you will rot in prison. Please!

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

Blinken's meeting with the leaders of justice, VOA: Unusual for a head of diplomacy, the messages he gave

2024-02-15 20:57:00Politikë SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Blinken's meeting with the leaders of justice, VOA: Unusual for a head of
Rama also blinks

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, declared in Tirana that "the US partnership with Albania is stronger than it has ever been". He made these comments at the end of the meeting with Prime Minister Edi Rama, which marked the end of his 8-hour visit to Tirana, where he was received by President Bajram Begaj while also having a meeting with the heads of four important institutions of Justice, the President of the High Court Holta Zaçaj, the President of the High Court Sokol Sadushi, the High Inspector of Justice Artur Metani and the head of the Special Prosecution Altin Dumani.

The meeting with Rama lasted nearly two hours, and at the end of it, two agreements of understanding were signed, the first for the Fulbright Academic Exchange Program and the second Against the Manipulation of Foreign State Information, which will focus on disinformation issues.

For Prime Minister Rama "it is always a day marked with special importance in the history of international relations of Albania, the day when a Secretary of State visits our country and in our account you are the sixth, but this time we have a special appreciation for this visit as we are very aware of the very turbulent time, not only at the border of Europe, but also in other areas of strategic importance for the balance of the world in which we live and therefore for the special load of your agenda", said Mr. Rama at the joint press conference adding that "the fact that you found time and at the same time found it necessary to stop in Tirana, is for us a very important sign of friendship, but also of the appreciation you give to this friendship, this partnership and definitely in this region".

Mr. Rama said that the region and recent developments were part of the joint talks. He particularly focused on the situation between Kosovo and Serbia. "It is good that Albanians wherever they are, starting with Albanians in Kosovo, never forget that without the United States there would not be an independent state of Kosovo and that the interest of the United States in this region and specifically the interest of The United States for the smooth running of affairs in Albania and Kosovo is not a secondary interest", said Mr. Rama, emphasizing that unlike Serbia, it is in the interest of Kosovo "to progress unilaterally if necessary in the realization of all to those demands, which are on the dialogue table" and "not to take any step without consulting and coordinating with our strategic allies. From unconsulted and uncoordinated actions, maybe a few votes can be won today, turning foreign policy into an instrument of domestic policy, but the future is not won".

For his part, Mr. Blinken in his speech did not dwell on the developments in the region or on the issue of Kosovo. But in response to journalists' questions, he emphasized that "the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia facilitated by the European Union is the right path and the only one that the parties should go through, and we are committed to doing everything necessary to support them while they traverse this path". According to Secretary Blinken "we cannot go back, in the future. We cannot have a repeat of what is likely, what we saw and what many people experienced in the 1990s. For this reason, we are committed to supporting all efforts to advance the integration of the countries of Western Balkans with each other and with Europe".

In this context, he appreciated the role of Albania, which, according to him, "has been a force for regional stability, for regional integration and regional progress, and this is the path in fact, which so clearly brings everyone to a better future ". Mr. Blinken further appreciated the role of Albania in NATO as "a key ally", the support for Ukraine as well as its position in the Security Council, where at the end of last December it completed its two-year mandate as a non-permanent member.

Mr. Blinken's meeting with leaders of the Justice institutions, somewhat unusual for a head of diplomacy, was in fact a confirmation of the United States' support for the reform of the Justice. "The reform in Justice has not been simple, but we have started to see results. I met with prosecutors and judges who are leading major reforms. Important members of the underworld are ending up in court proceedings and it is important that this process continues forward. We will continue to support Albania to take steps forward, a process that is also important for EU membership, where it is the place that Albania deserves", said Secretary Blinken.

During his stay in Tirana, Mr. Blinken also met with a group of about 100 young people who have benefited from study programs offered by the United States such as Fulbright and the International Leadership Visitor Program, IVLP. He also spoke with Afghan special immigrant visa applicants who took refuge in Albania after fleeing Afghanistan following its takeover by the Taliban in the summer of 2021. Of the nearly 2,500 Afghans who arrived in Albania, currently only a small group of a little more than 100 people are still in the country./ VOA


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×