On his visit to Albania, Secretary of State Antony Blinken lauded the stronger than ever partnership between the United States and Albania. He noted, in particular, that “Albania has been from day one a strong supporter of Ukraine.”
“It was one of the first countries to send military aid to Ukraine in the wake of the Russian aggression – guns, ammunition, mine resistant vehicles – and it’s currently one of the top ten per capita in terms of its support for Ukraine and security assistance,” he said.
During its 15 year membership in NATO, Albania has made significant contributions to the alliance, said Secretary Blinken:
“Albanian troops are helping to keep the peace in Kosovo to deter Russian aggression on NATO’s eastern flank. Next month, Albania will inaugurate a NATO airbase in Kucove.”
The United States and Albania are also growing their bilateral security partnership, said Secretary Blinken:
“Albanians and Americans have fought side by side from Afghanistan to Iraq. Albanian pilots fly American-made Blackhawks. U.S. Special Forces are training their Albanian counterparts and helping to keep watch in the Balkans. In the wake of the recent Iranian cyber-attacks targeting Albanian critical infrastructure, the United States has supported Albania cyber defenses, helping to train experts, to upgrade equipment, to improve technology so that they’re more resilient to future attacks.”
In an effort to promote justice reform in Albania, Secretary Blinken met with key judges and prosecutors. “We’ll continue to strongly support Albania in these efforts, which are critical steps toward Albania joining the European Union and what the people in Albania deserve,” said Secretary Blinken.
Democracies continue to be threatened by disinformation, which fuels division and erodes trust. The U.S. and Albania signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a shared approach to countering dangerous distortions and lies and build a resilient information ecosystem.
With regard to economic growth, Secretary Blinken noted that American investment in Albania has tripled since 2019, and it will only grow more as the business climate continues to improve.
“Our companies are exploring hydropower, wind, solar projects in Albania. These have great potential to diversify Albanian energy resources and sources to help our shared planet and to create inclusive economic growth for everyone,” he said.
The United States remains committed to expanding its already strong relationship with Albania in the years to come.
