VOA: Mr. Escobar, events turned violent last weekend in Albania at the main headquarters of the main opposition site of the Democratic Party. What are your thoughts about what transpired that day and in general in the Democratic Party? DAS Escobar: I think it’s deplorable that anybody would resort to violence and not the ballot …
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Sokol Balla: Hello! I speak to you from the U.S. Embassy where I’m in the company of Mr. Gabriel Escobar, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the end of his first visit in this capacity in Tirana. Mr. Escobar, thank you for being with us tonight. DAS Escobar: Thank you …
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It is a great pleasure to be here and it’s really an honor to for me to be with you. As a temporary resident of Albania, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything that all of you have done, every medic, every nurse, everyone who was cleaning the …
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President Meta, Prime Minister Rama, Ministers and Generals, Mr. Basha, men and women in uniform, dear friends, What a beautiful day to showcase our militaries and Exercise Defender Europe 2021, which is the largest U.S.-led military exercise ever seen in the Western Balkans! This is landmark moment for U.S.-Albanian cooperation in defense. It …
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DAS Palmer: Thank you very much and thank you for joining me. It’s been a real pleasure for me to engage in even a virtual visit to Tirana, which is, let’s face it, a pale shadow of the real thing, and the food isn’t nearly as good. But it really is a joy to get …
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During a “virtual visit” to Albania April 6, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer met with President Meta, PM Rama, and DP Chair Basha to reaffirm the importance of U.S.-Albanian relations as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations. They reconfirmed our shared commitment to expanding bilateral cooperation on democracy, …
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with VOA Albanian Service VOA: Ambassador Kim, thank you for this interview. Through almost one year of your presence in Albania, the focus of your public statements has been justice reform. Recently, you have spoken often about the Constitutional Court, insisting on the need to make it functional within this month. How realistic is …
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Vizion+: Madam, thank you very much for being here. I appreciate it and it’s an honor having you here. A/S Royce: Thank you, Thimi. Vizion+: Given that this is probably your first visit to Albania, what is your first impression? A/S Royce: The first thing I want to say is how appreciative I am of …
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Mayor Balilaj, Director Mete, Director Diko, distinguished guests and students. I would first like to thank you for the opportunity to take part in this ceremony commemorating the renovations made to this beautiful facility. Of all the important work that the United States Embassy takes part in, the humanitarian assistance projects are the most rewarding …
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Sokol Balla: Albania is a strange country even when it comes to its history. We practically do not have the Declaration of Independence. We’ve lost it. We don’t have the Independence Day flag, either. It’s been stolen. And we do not have the building where independence was declared either because it has been destroyed. There …
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Minister Margariti, honored guests, good morning and thank you for joining us. Today, we mark the start of the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation Project to restore cultural sites damaged by the November 26th earthquake in Krujë, Durrës, and Prezë. Since its creation in 2001, the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation has provided financial …
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*Good afternoon everyone. It is an honor to be here today representing the United States as we jointly show our support for Albania, though I wish it were under happier circumstances. I want to thank President von der Leyen and the European Commission for coordinating this Donors’ Conference. This event has galvanized international support, and …
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Download the full resolution Independence Day poster here .
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