Good morning, everybody. Mr. President, Speaker Nikolla, Chief Justice, members of the diplomatic corps, and guests, It is a wonderful day today to be able to be with you to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Constitutional Court. Today, we mark an important milestone in Albania’s democratic evolution. The Constitutional Court is …
Read More»
Mirëmëngjes everyone. How are you? I want to say on the first day of school, not all of us can become teachers, but all of us have been students. So as a former student, let me say thank you to all the teachers out there as you begin the first day. One of the students …
Read More»
The United States strongly condemns Iran’s cyberattack against our NATO Ally, Albania. We join in Prime Minister Rama’s call for Iran to be held accountable for this unprecedented cyber incident. The United States will take further action to hold Iran accountable for actions that threaten the security of a U.S. ally and set a troubling precedent for cyberspace. For weeks, the U.S. government has been on the …
Read More» Protecting and supporting human rights defenders is a key priority of U.S. foreign policy. Because human rights defenders seek to hold their governments accountable to protect universally recognized human rights, defenders are often harassed, detained, interrogated, imprisoned, tortured, and even killed for doing their work. The Department’s objective is to enable human rights defenders to …
Read More»
Ukraine, a country under attack by Russia since 2014, has now withstood half a year of massive bombings, sieges of cities, and atrocities against its people. Ukraine is fighting to defend not only its democracy, but its very survival as an independent country. August 24th marks the 31st anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. Sadly, the day …
Read More»
Mr. President, thank you very much for your kind remarks on behalf of the Albanian people. Madame Speaker, excellencies, and honored guests, friends – it is my very special privilege to welcome you to this historic gathering to celebrate the 246th Independence Day of the United States, and 100 years of friendship between the U.S. …
Read More»
Mirëmëngjes! Mister President, Madame President, Ambassador Richmond, It is wonderful to be here with you today to discuss this very important topic. I think just the presence alone of two heads of state tells you that this is an important issue that brings all of us together. And I must also say John, Ambassador Richmond, …
Read More»
The world has changed because of Russia’s war on Ukraine, and the outpouring of support for Ukraine over the last few days has been remarkable. We join the international call on all countries, and particularly those in Europe, to uphold international law and unequivocally reject Russia’s illegal invasion of their neighbor in Ukraine. The countries …
Read More»
Good morning, Ambassador del Monaco, Ambassador Ekstedt, Ambassador Soreca, Deputy Minister Kuko, distinguished guests. It is a pleasure to be here. As you know, President Biden and Secretary Blinken have made clear that corruption, human rights abuses, and other destabilizing crimes constitute threats to U.S. national security. They have directed all U.S. Government agencies to …
Read More»
Good morning! Thank you for inviting me to be part of this special event. I feel honored to be a part of this format that carries such a vital message: women are 50% of humanity, and we have important contributions to make in addressing economic, political, and human security challenges that affect us all. The …
Read More»
President Meta, Speaker Ruçi, People’s Advocate Ballanca, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Speech is a gift. It is a talent that only humans possess. It allows us to express love and hope. It is the vehicle for us to dream, scheme, and put in motion grand designs. But speech can also give voice to fear, …
Read More»
Honorable Minister Denaj and Deputy Minister Kospiri, honorable guests: I am delighted to be here today to celebrate the achievements of ADRF’s nine-year-long, “Economic Empowerment of People with Disabilities” project – EEPD. The United States Government, through USAID, supported the EEPD project because America is committed to helping Albania strengthen its rule of law and …
Read More»
There is no question that, over the past two decades, Albania has made tremendous progress in strengthening its economic and democratic foundations. USAID has been proud to support these efforts, and we continue to do so. Further progress demands continued commitment to justice reform. The Albanian people deserve transparent institutions, especially independent judicial institutions that …
Read More»
Honorable Guests, Coordinator Sojati, distinguished guests, it is my honor to be here with you today. Let me begin by congratulating the Albanian government, in the form of the National Countering Violent Extremism Center led by Agron Sojati. The Albanian government is a regional leader in countering and preventing violent extremism. The U.S. Embassy is …
Read More»
People’s Advocate Ballanca, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. This past summer, several of my Embassy colleagues attended a ceremony at the site of the former communist labor camp in Tepelena. They gathered there with many others, including several of you here today, to honor the former inmates of that camp. During that ceremony, President Meta …
Read More» Corruption is a worldwide problem. “Anti-Corruption: The Global Fight” is a new handbook from IIP Publications that outlines the kinds of corruption, their effects, and the ways people and governments combat corruption through civil society action and legislation. Download it here . (PDF 9 MB)
Read More»
This report documents the magnitude of the Islamic Republic’s destructive activities at home and abroad. Many of the activities highlighted have occurred recently, while others date back to the early days of the revolution. As this report makes clear, the one constant is that the Iranian regime will do whatever it takes to maintain its …
Read More»
The Government of Albania does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore Albania remained on Tier 2. Read the full report, here .
Read More»
On the 25th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, we renew our commitment to promoting and protecting a free press, which is an essential pillar of democracy. The United States values freedom of the press as a key component of democratic governance. By fostering a free press, citizens are more informed, active and engaged in …
Read More»
We continue to closely follow disturbing reports on April 7 regarding another alleged chemical weapons attack, this time targeting a hospital in Douma, Syria. Reports from a number of contacts and medical personnel on the ground indicate a potentially high number of casualties, including among families hiding in shelters. These reports, if confirmed, are horrifying …
Read More»
As we commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8th, the United States renews our steadfast commitment to addressing inequalities between women and men at home and abroad and reaffirms the importance of advancing the status of women and girls globally. We will continue to implement measures to strengthen the economic empowerment of women and girls …
Read More»
Rector Gjana, Professor Hajderi, Rector Teliti, religious leaders, professors, dear students, Good morning. I am joining you today to say bravo to you about your work on promoting religious tolerance. So I will begin with some comments about religious tolerance in my life and here in Albania. Then I want to talk about Holocaust Remembrance …
Read More» On January 30, Ambassador Lu met with students from Bedër, Logos, Our Lady of Good Counsel, the Theological Catholic Institute in Shkoder, and the Orthodox Theological Academy in Durres for an open discussion. He congratulated students from different religious communities and universities on their work to advance the Albanian tradition of interfaith dialogue and noted …
Read More»