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The Council of American Ambassadors has recently published a report after the fact-gathering visit to Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia.
In an interview for the Voice of America, Ambassador Philip Hughes, the representative of this group that gathers around itself non-career ambassadors, says that these three Balkan states have made extraordinary progress, but they continue to face challenges from the political interference of their neighbors. theirs or in the case of Albania from criminality and corruption and the lack of a genuine democracy.
Mr. Hughes also spoke about the decision of the United States to declare the former President of Albania, Sali Berisha, a person non grata.
Voice of America: The Council of American Ambassadors was on a fact-gathering visit to Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia. What are your findings?
Philip Hughes: We have been deeply impressed by the progress that North Macedonia and Kosovo have made since declaring 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 genuine democratic government on the other, are obstacles caused by the political class of Albania itself, which this country must overcome.
VOA: Given these challenges, how should US policymakers engage with the region?
Philip Hughes: We should 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.
Voice of America: One of the controversial issues of recent years is the decision of the United States government to declare the former President of Albania, Sali Berisha, persona non grata. In the report, consider this decision unfair. Can you explain why?
Philip Hughes: What you're saying is a bit of a misreading of what we're trying to say in the report. It is difficult to judge the case of Sali Berisha, because we do not have access to the facts. We do not know what evidence was presented to the State Department, or what evidence Secretary Blinken had when he made the determination. What we're trying to say in our report, what we're trying to point out, is that this may be a case where one of our laws is being practiced too broadly, without proper congressional attention, resulting in unwanted. This situation is contrary to our legal traditions in the United States, where people should have access to the evidence against them, so that they have the opportunity to rebut the evidence and argue in their own defense. And this is not possible with the way these (non-grata) announcement regulations are drafted. What we tried to point out is that we are dealing with something that runs counter to American legal traditions and perhaps needs to be looked into. Maybe it was unfair, I don't know, because I don't have the facts about Sali Berisha's case. But it is certain that he does not have access to the facts and has not had the opportunity to defend himself from the announcement of the decision or to argue in his own defense. This is not the way we do things legally, generally in the US, although he is of course a foreign national.
Voice of America: The announcement, however, is based on a law of Congress, as a political tool to fight corruption, and public determinations began in 2018 with prosecutor Adriatik Llalla. I want to ask you about the time frame of this decision, because you say that it is the decision of the administration of President Biden, of Secretary Blinken. Could the procedure have been started by the previous administration?
Philip Hughes: The American government, before the election of President Biden in 2020, may have had evidence or data from Albania, I don't know. The embassy was willing to meet with us, but they didn't give us any information, they didn't go into any of the important facts that led to the decision. I therefore do not know when the US government may have first obtained the information that may have led to Secretary Blinken's decision. All discussions focused on decisions made during President Biden's administration.
VOA: And finally, how important is the Balkan region?
Philip Hughes: I think it remains very important, because it is a region that is making democratic and economic progress. I hope that one day Kosovo will cross the threshold and join not only the EU, but NATO to complete the alliance's presence in this part of the world. But in my experience, the United States often has to deal with pressing issues, and this causes delays in dealing with other important issues. During the 1990s, the conflicts in the Balkans were immediate crises. Now they are not, but they could again become part of an immediate crisis if the conflict in Ukraine ends badly for Ukrainians, or if Russia continues its aggression, or in the extreme case, intends to test Article 5 of the the NATO treaty, in an attempt to break the alliance. Therefore, this region should have constant political attention and priority from the United States./ VOA
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