The Council of American Ambassadors has recently published a report after the fact-gathering visit during the visit to Albania, North Macedonia and Kosovo.null
In an interview for the Voice of America, the ambassador and representative of this group, Philip Hughes, showed the main findings of the report, emphasizing that the three Balkan states have made extraordinary progress, but with some reservations.
As for Albania, Hughes put the emphasis on corruption, criminality and genuine democratic governance, demanding that the problems be overcome.
“We have been deeply impressed by the progress that North Macedonia and Kosovo have made since the declaration of their independence and the progress that Albania has made, since the overthrow of Enver Hoxha’s brutal regime and its rebirth as a democratic state.
At the same time, we were impressed by the great influence of the neighbors on the politics of these three countries – the great role that Serbia plays in the political scene of Kosovo, the great role that Bulgaria plays in the political scene of North Macedonia and Albania which, as we understood , has a constitutional obligation to take care of the well-being of Albanians outside its borders.
We were surprised by the aspiration of these states to become full participants of the Euro-Atlantic community and the progress they have made to realize these goals.
At the same time, in each case, they have obstacles to integration into the EU and, in the case of Kosovo, into NATO. In the case of Albania, the issues of corruption and criminality on the one hand and the problems with a real democratic government on the other, are obstacles caused by the political class of Albania itself, which this country must overcome”, declared Hughes.
Asked how American policies with the region should be designed to overcome these challenges, Ambassador Hughes said that he will continue the dialogue with the three countries.
Hughes urged the Rama government to focus on corruption, criminality and governance, stressing that the lack of genuine democratic competition will become an obstacle to the country’s integration into the European Union.
“We must try to continue the close dialogue with all parties in the region and of course continue the presence of American forces there. We visited Camp Bondsteel and are deeply impressed with the professionalism of our military and the contribution it makes to the region…
We urge the government of Albania to continue efforts to overcome the two challenges I mentioned. It is difficult for a government that has the advantages that Prime Minister Rama’s government has, the advantages created due to the boycott of the previous elections by the Democratic Party, that has such a commanding position in the electoral aspect, to promote real democratic competition and give space to the other party.
The lack of real democratic competition will be turned into an obstacle for Albania by those who hesitate to accept the country in the European Union for various reasons and they should not be given other reasons ,” Hughes told VOA.
AL in Sweden. 