Visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed on Thursday what he called an “extraordinary partnership” between Washington and Tirana, showing support to his country’s Balkan ally.
During his first visit to Albania, Blinken met Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and young Albanians, as Washington welcomes Albania’s firm support for Ukraine and its chairmanship of a difficult UN Security Council session last year.
His visit is intended to reinforce bilateral relations with a key partner to help maintain stability in the Balkans, senior State Department official Yuri Kim said earlier.
Blinken attended a forum with young Albanians held in a pyramid in the heart of Tirana, originally built as memorial to Albania’s paranoid communist dictator Enver Hoxha and now turned into an education and innovation hub.
“It’s not a relevant past. It’s a powerful living symbol of the present and the future,” he told the students.
Albania has seen a shift towards the West after decades of isolation under the regime of Hoxha.
A large majority of Albanians have a very positive image of the United States, according to recent opinion polls.
Giant posters in the streets of Tirana greeted Blinken’s arrival.
Blinken also met Afghan refugees in Tirana who fled their country after the Taliban seized power two years ago and are awaiting US visas.
“I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the partnership that we’ve had in helping our friends from Afghanistan,” he said after meeting them.
The small Balkan country joined NATO in 2009 and is a candidate for membership of the European Union.
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