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International media have echoed the decree of President Bajram Begaj, based on which former New York Mayor Eric Adams has received Albanian citizenship.
The decree was published on Friday afternoon, with AFP, the New York Post, The Guardian, and many other American media outlets paying attention to the development.
Adams' spokesman, Todd Shapiro, presented the citizenship application as the culmination of a long friendship between the former mayor and the Albanian-American community.
“The decision of the Republic of Albania to grant citizenship to President Adams reflects this enduring relationship and mutual respect,” Shapiro said in a statement Friday.
Article in international media
He has an obsession with Albania.
The eccentric and often-traveled former mayor of New York, Eric Adams, is now a citizen of Albania.
Adams received Albanian citizenship through a special decree from the Balkan country's President, Bajram Begaj.
A copy of the decree reveals that Adams, who has long cultivated ties to Albania, has sought citizenship himself.
"Granting Albanian citizenship, at his request, to the citizen: Eric L. Leroy Adams," the document states.
This unexpected citizenship comes just three months after the end of his turbulent term in office, during which he faced a federal indictment on suspicion of accepting bribes and travel benefits from Turkish citizens.
Adams' latest international development quickly sparked a wave of ironic commentary online.
Within minutes, his Wikipedia page was changed to identify him as an “Albanian-American politician.”
“We love having a Muslim mayor so much that we’re going to make all the previous mayors Muslim,” one user wrote on X, joking about Adams’ successor, Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Another user on X referred to Adams' tendency as mayor to declare that "New York is (something) of America."
“The Eric Adams of Albania is the Eric Adams of America,” he wrote.
Perhaps unknowingly, the author of this joke was preceded by Adams himself during a trip to Albania in late 2025, when his term was ending, as an account on X focused on the Balkans pointed out.
"New York is the Albania of America," Adams declared during the visit, according to a chronicle from Albanian media distributed by this account.
Adams' ties to Albania date back at least to 2022, when his son, rapper Jordan Coleman, participated in the Albanian version of "American Idol."
He traveled to Albania himself last year after withdrawing from the mayoral race and met with an Albanian television presenter during the United Nations General Assembly.
Adams' spokesman, Todd Shapiro, presented the citizenship application as the culmination of a long friendship between the former mayor and the Albanian-American community.
“The decision of the Republic of Albania to grant citizenship to President Adams reflects this enduring relationship and mutual respect,” Shapiro said in a statement Friday.
“New York is the ultimate mix, a global capital where every nation is represented. As mayor, Eric Adams fully embraced this role, seeing the office not only as a local position, but also as one with global influence and responsibility.”
Albania and the United States have an extradition treaty, although it includes an exclusion clause for “political offenses.” Either country can deny the other’s extradition request if it believes it is politically motivated, except in cases of serious and violent offenses, according to the agreement updated in 2022.
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