# Albania - United States Department of State

- Online Press Briefing with Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy Jennifer Bachus Brussels HubMODERATOR:  Okay, and good afternoon from the State Department’s Brussels Media Hub.  I would like to welcome everyone joining us for today’s virtual press briefing.  Today, we are very honored to be joined by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy Jennifer Bachus. Finally, a reminder that today’s briefing is on the record.  And with that, let’s get started.  Thank you so much for joining us today, and I’ll turn it over to you, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Bachus, for your opening remarks.  MS BACHUS:  Thank you very much.  It’s a real pleasure to be on this call with you all as, if you’ve read my bio, you know I have spent significant time in Europe, so it’s an area I know and appreciate quite well.  I’m also very excited to be able to do this call this week because I hope you all have seen that we released the U.S. International Cyberspace and Digital Policy Strategy this week.  The Secretary of State spoke at RSA and sort of announced this.   To sort of spend a couple of minutes on this before I get into the main purpose of the call today, the strategy is recognizing the growing role that technology and technology policy is playing across foreign policy issues, and it focused on building what we’re calling broad digital solidarity to work with international partners to advance a digital future that is rights-respecting for tech safety and security online and leverages technology to address some of the most profound global challenges.   Essentially, digital solidarity is a willingness to work together on shared goals, to stand together, to help partners build capacity, and to provide mutual support.  It recognizes that all who seek to use digital technologies in a rights-respecting manner are made more secure, resilient, self-determining, and prosperous when we work together to shape the international environment and innovate at the technological edge.  So, we have three guiding principles that are laid out by this strategy and four action areas.  I will not spend more time on that unless you all want to, but just to say that this concept of digital solidarity aligns very closely with what we’re here to talk about today, which is the attack that Germany came to us to – that the United States joined Germany in attributing malicious cyber activity.  Just a little bit of background:  Due to our longstanding close relationship with Germany that’s been built up over a decade of close cooperation, Germany came to us after it detected malicious cyber activity carried out by the Russian group APT28 that was targeting a German political party.  It came to us; it asked us to join in attributing this activity; it gave us information that we were able to verify; and we were very pleased to be able to support this attribution both bilaterally and through NATO.  And as I’m sure you saw in our statement, we came together with the EU and NATO Allies condemning the activity and supporting efforts to counter disruptive cyber activities and hold malicious cyber actors accountable.   I know there are some questions to this extent, but maybe I’ll just start out by saying that APT28, which has a lot of other known acronyms – Fancy Bear, Strontium, Forest Blizzard – is part of the Russian Federation’s General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate, GRU, and is a well-known malicious cyber entity with a very long history of engaging in destabilizing and disruptive behavior.   I think it’s also important to recognize the United States has previously indicted and sanctioned actors associated with APT28 for their involvement in a wide range of malign cyber activities such as the sustained hack-and-leak operations that targeted the World Anti-Doping Agency and cyber activities aimed at interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections.  Of course, these are just a few of the many malign, disruptive, and destabilizing activities associated with APT28.  And we’d just note that this pattern of behavior blatantly disregards the framework of responsible safe behavior in cyberspace, which was affirmed by all UN member states. I will stop there.  I know some of those – some of my opening statement hopefully answers some of the questions you all have, but happy to go into more detail.  MODERATOR:  Okay, thanks very much.  We will now turn to the question-and-answer portion of today’s briefing.  Okay, so the first question goes to Lisa O’Carroll at The Guardian, Europe/UK.  “Have you any knowledge of APT attacks on other countries other than Germany and Czechia in the EU?  How concerned are you about attacks on infrastructure and transport such as jamming air traffic control?”   MS BACHUS:  So we recognize or we understand that there were attacks in Czechia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Sweden that have all been targeted by this malicious cyber actor.  On the question of our concern on critical infrastructure, I will say, broadly speaking, we have seen increasing efforts both by state-sponsored actors such as APT28 as well as non-state actors such as ransomware actors targeting critical infrastructure, and therefore we continue to encourage all critical infrastructure owners to continue to upgrade their basic cybersecurity. I don’t have any specific information on the question of jamming and traffic control.   MODERATOR:  Okay.  Thanks very much.  Let’s move on to one of the next questions.  So, we have Jakub Lucky from Czech Radio.  And the question is: “What kind of cooperation has there been with Czechia?”   MS BACHUS:  So great question.  I served in the Czech Republic for three years, so I can tell you from personal experience have a very close and deep relationship with the Czech Republic on all things cyber related.  We actually held our first cyber dialogue with the Czech Republic – I believe it was last month – which was held on the margins of the 5G Cybersecurity Conference.  So for a long time we, of course, exchanged information, supported the Czech agencies in their own investigations, and just broadly had deep cooperation both at the sort of law enforcement level as well as the diplomatic level.  And so we will – we have and we will continue to have such a strong relationship, recognizing that the Czech Republic itself has very strong cyber actors.   MODERATOR:  Great.  Thanks very much.  Let’s go on to our next question, and it is from Karol Darmoros from Polish Radio in Poland.  And the question is: “Recent North Atlantic Council’s statement concerning malicious activities points directly to Germany and Czechia.  Does the U.S. see specific threats to Poland in this area?  Could you elaborate on this?  Is Belarus, with its relatively strong IT sector, a possible Russian proxy?” MS BACHUS:  We do not have specific information about this threat actor and doing similar to what it did in Germany and Czechia.  But, of course, I think we all need to recognize that there are malicious, persistent cyber actors out there who will continue to seek opportunities to carry out destabilizing cyber intrusions.  And therefore, as I said earlier, it is critically important that every country continues to improve its cyber hygiene, that it continues to undertake the sort of needed basics that are being done. Again, we’ve had very strong, longstanding cooperation with Poland.  My boss, Ambassador Fick, was in Poland a few months ago.  I had a series of engagements with the Polish Government.  We know the Polish Government is taking this very seriously, and we would encourage them to continue to do so.   In terms of the relationship between Belarus and Russia, I personally don’t have any further comment on that.  We see that there are malicious cyber actors that are spread in many countries around the world, and, again, this is why it’s so critically important that every country does the sort of cyber 101 that’s necessary to strengthen its own systems.   MODERATOR:  Okay.  Great.  Thanks very much.  Let’s go to the next question.  So, we have Momchil Indjov from Club Z Media in Bulgaria: “Do you have any information about any cyber attack of the APT28 against Bulgaria?  And if so, could you provide any details?” MS BACHUS:  So, again, I – we do not have specific – in this particular situation we do not have specific information on Bulgaria; but, again, I think that the – that it is a very pernicious actor which is likely to seek any accesses it can, regardless of which country it is.  So, I have no specific information when it comes to Bulgaria, but that doesn’t mean that the APT28 is not active in Bulgaria.   MODERATOR:  Thanks very much.  Okay.  We do have quite a few questions here, so let me go on to another one here.  And we have Llazar Semini, Associated Press out of Albania.  And the question is: “Earlier this week Kosovo suffered a cyber attack from what they said was a Russian hacker.  Are you aware of that incident?  Any specifics?  And is Kosovo considered a target for Russia?”   MS BACHUS:  I am not personally able to attribute the attack in Kosovo to APT28.  Again, we have seen the actor actively engaged in activities throughout Europe, and so it is possible that APT28 has been active in Kosovo.  We have similarly spent significant time and energy trying to support Kosovo in strengthening its cybersecurity, and we will continue to do so.   MODERATOR:  Great.  Thanks very much.  Okay.  So, we have another question here, and this question comes from Stella Venohr from DPA in Germany.  And the question is: “To what extent is cyberspace considered national territory?  So is there a scenario in which a Russian cyberattack could fall under Article 5 of NATO?””   MS BACHUS:  First of all, I would say that we believe that there is a critical importance to the open, interoperable, secure, and reliable internet, which means that information will continue to flow across borders.  The question of whether a cyber attack falls into Article 5 is one that’s been discussed for many years.  I think that ultimately it would depend upon the level of the activity.  There is those that create destabilizing downstream impacts onto, for example, critical infrastructure; there are those that are hack-and-leak operations.  So there is not a one-size-fits-all answer to the question.  It really would depend on what is the actual ultimate activity, what is the outcome of the attack, and what is the impact on civilian or other infrastructure. So again, I know people want answers on when does it reach into Article 5.  I will say this is an ongoing conversation that we have throughout the Alliance.  We do recognize that there is the possibility that significant malicious, cumulative cyber activities might in some circumstances be considered an armed attack that would lead to the invocation of Article 5, but this would be on a case-by-case basis and, again, it would require a real analysis. MODERATOR:  Thanks very much.  And let’s move on to the next question.  We have Alexej Hock from CORRECTIV in Germany.  And the question is: “Could you please provide a few details about how APT28 is disguising its own infrastructure, and how attribution works then?” MS BACHUS:  So, there are a variety of ways that actors such as APT28 disguise their activities.  And essentially, they – in this particular case, APT28 was using the exploitation of a particular cybersecurity vulnerability, which I can name if anyone actually cares.  It’s CBE-2023-23397.  Essentially, what it was, was there was a network of hundreds of small office and home office routers, and these were being used to carry out the attack. So, there was work that was done with the U.S. Department of Justice in Germany to help remediate this network and to block the GRU from regaining access to the remediated devices.  We will continue to take action against APT28 to protect itself   – to protect ourselves, our citizens, and foreign partners, and we will continue to do so. I don’t know if I missed the last part of that question.  I apologize if I did. MODERATOR:  No, I think you did get the whole question, so thanks very much.  I’m going to move to one of the next questions that we have here.  And so we have Maggie Miller from Politico, and the question is this:  “Various European countries are seeing attacks from Russia in recent weeks.  Can you talk about the trend in attacks by Russia against Europe?  And how are you expecting Russian cyber attacks to evolve against Europe this year?” MS BACHUS:  Thank you, Maggie, always good to have questions from you.  I think that, yes, we are seeing an increase in the frequency and type of activity coming out of Russia.  This, I think, aligns with its full-scale invasion and illegal war in Ukraine, and I think we can expect that this will continue to happen. And I think that the reality is, is that Russia does try to calibrate what it’s doing to avoid escalatory impacts, but nonetheless is carrying out destabilizing intrusions into cyber networks around Europe and into the United States, as well.  And so I think this is a trend that we expect will continue.  I think it aligns similarly with what has become a really frightening increase in the amount of ransomware attacks, as well. And again, it just goes to show the importance of addressing known vulnerabilities of the private sector and the public sector, catching these vulnerabilities, working together to find them, to remediate them, and then also just to do the basics when it comes to cyber hygiene.  I think the only way to address this is to continue to up our preventative game. MODERATOR:  Okay, thanks very much for that answer.  We’re going to go now to an actual live question from Lisa O’Carroll from The Guardian Europe/UK. QUESTION:  Thank you for the second chance.  It’s actually a follow-up, really, to that previous question.  What is your nightmare scenario?  There’s an election coming up here in four weeks’ time, and we all know and can see the disinformation is proliferating, and the cyber attacks and ransomware.  Our own company is being – has been a victim of ransomware 18 months ago.  It’s a pretty severe attack.  What is the nightmare scenario that you have in Europe at the moment that you’ve game-planned for? MS BACHUS:  It’s a really good question.  I think I’m always worried about giving a nightmare scenario because, if you give a nightmare scenario, does that then give ideas to our adversaries on what to do? I think, of course, we’re both concerned about influence, operations which we see coming out of Russia, and particularly in this massive election year, both in the UK but also in the United States, in Europe, and elsewhere.  It’s a huge election year for us.  So, I think you have the question of malign influence, and then you have the question, of course, of destabilizing cyber intrusions.  I think we will continue to be concerned, as you noted, both about state-sponsored but as well about ransomware actors carrying out such attacks. And I think that we’ve seen – I mean, in the United States we’ve already seen some really terrible ransomware activity.  The attack against the U.S. health care industry, which essentially brought down the ability of people to make appointments, to receive prescriptions, et cetera, I think these are already some pretty bad scenarios that are impacting our everyday life.  I think we could see that on a large scale, again, not necessarily from state actors, but also potentially from non-state actors.  And I think that it’s critically important that we recognize that these vulnerabilities can be used by both, and that’s why it’s so critically important to address them. So, I guess I would not have a specific nightmare scenario I would want to highlight, but to just say that there’s already a lot of very bad scenarios out there that we need to continue to guard against. MODERATOR:  Okay.  And it looks like we have two more questions, and we have just about enough time to answer two more questions, so that fits well.  So let me get to the first of the final two questions.  And this comes from Novika Mikhailovic from an outlet in the Western Balkans, and the question is:  “How resilient to cyber attacks from Russia are the Western Balkan countries?” MS BACHUS:  I would say the Western Balkan countries have done a lot of work to increase their cyber hygiene, but I think that there is more work to be done – not just in relation to the attack that happened this week in Kosovo, but also to the massive cyber intrusion that occurred in Albania, I guess almost two years ago.  I know Montenegro has also had cyber intrusions that have been quite destabilizing.  I think that there is continued basic work that needs to happen throughout the Western Balkans.   I can tell you the United States and Europe have come together to try to continue to improve the ability of the Western Balkans to protect its own infrastructure; we will continue to do so.  It’s an area that we have devoted significant resources to and that we will continue to do so, again, in close cooperation with the EU and European member states. MODERATOR:  Okay.  And if – if we can, we’ll go to the final question for today’s briefing.  And it’s a question – so a second question from Alexej Hock from CORRECTIV in Germany.  And the question is:  “Are the activities of APT28 hack-and-leak activities?  And do you have any signs that correspondence from the hacked mail inboxes of the SPD in Germany is being used already?” MS BACHUS:  I think that I would defer on that question to Germany.  We – we – our role in this really was to support and to reaffirm Germany’s information.  So, I would recommend you engage with the German Government on that question. MODERATOR:  All right.  And unfortunately, that’s all the time we have for today.  Thank you for your questions, and thank you, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Bachus, for joining us.  But before we close the call, I’d like to see if our speaker has any final remarks or wrap-up thoughts for the group. MS BACHUS:  Thank you very much.  We came here today to talk about what’s really malicious cyber activity.  But I just hope you all walk away recognizing the critical importance that – of the collaboration between the United States and Europe both to address when these types of incidents occur, but also to try to prepare for them, try to prevent them, and essentially to come together around a shared vision of the internet and how we can work together.  I think that this collaboration between the United States and Europe ultimately makes both sides stronger and allows us to continue to stand up for the framework of responsible state behavior in cyberspace, which is a critically important element of our shared commitment to a stable cyberspace.   So, thank you very much for joining us, and thank you very much for your interest in what’s a critically important topic.   MODERATOR:  Great, thank you.  So shortly we’ll send the audio recording of this briefing to all the participating journalists, and we will provide a transcript as soon as it’s available.  We’d love to hear any feedback at TheBrusselsHub@state.gov.  Again, that’s one word, TheBrusselsHub@state.gov.   So, thanks again for everyone’s participation, and we hope you can join us for another press briefing soon.  This ends today’s press briefing. # # # 
- Albania HomeReportsBureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices&#8230;Albania				hide	document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function(event) {	if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}});																							2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Albania																																					Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor																																																																																							Download Report																																																							Translations																																																																 In this section										/																							EXECUTIVE SUMMARY																																													EXECUTIVE SUMMARY																															Section 1. Respect for the Integrity of the Person																																																									a. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings																																																																											b. Disappearance																																																																											c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and Other Related Abuses																																																																			Prison and Detention Center Conditions																																																																																																																		d. Arbitrary Arrest or Detention																																																																			Arrest Procedures and Treatment of Detainees																																																																																																																		e. Denial of Fair Public Trial																																																																			Trial Procedures																																																								Political Prisoners and Detainees																																																																																																																		f. Transnational Repression																																																																											g. Property Seizure and Restitution																																																																											h. Arbitrary or Unlawful Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence																																																																																	Section 2. Respect for Civil Liberties																																																									a. Freedom of Expression, Including for Members of the Press and Other Media																																																																			Internet Freedom																																																																																																																		b. Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association																																																																											c. Freedom of Religion																																																																											d. Freedom of Movement and the Right to Leave the Country																																																																											e. Protection of Refugees																																																																											f. Status and Treatment of Internally Displaced Persons																																																																											g. Stateless Persons																																																																																	Section 3. Freedom to Participate in the Political Process																																																									Elections and Political Participation																																																																																	Section 4. Corruption in Government																															Section 5. Governmental Posture Towards International and Nongovernmental Monitoring and Investigation of Alleged Abuses of Human Rights																															Section 6. Discrimination and Societal Abuses																																																									Women																																																																											Systemic Racial or Ethnic Violence and Discrimination																																																																											Children																																																																											Antisemitism																																																																											Trafficking in Persons																																																																											Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression, or Sex Characteristics																																																																											Persons with Disabilities																																																																											Other Societal Violence or Discrimination																																																																																	Section 7. Worker Rights																																																									a. Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining																																																																											b. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor																																																																											c. Prohibition of Child Labor and Minimum Age for Employment																																																																											d. Discrimination (see section 6)																																																																											e. Acceptable Conditions of Work																																																																																																							EXECUTIVE SUMMARY				There were no significant changes in the human rights situation in Albania during the year.Significant human rights issues included serious problems with the independence and integrity of the judiciary; with corruption in government, law enforcement, and municipal institutions; and with a lack of an independent media.The government took credible steps to identify and punish officials who may have committed human rights abuses.																														Section 1.													 Respect for the Integrity of the Person												    																																																a. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings										There were no reports the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings, including extrajudicial killings, during the year.																																				b. Disappearance										There were no reports of disappearances by or on behalf of government authorities.																																				c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and Other Related Abuses										The constitution and law prohibited such actions, and there were no credible reports government officials employed them. The Office of the Ombudsman, an independent, constitutional government watchdog, observed an overall improvement in penitentiary conditions.The government made greater efforts to address police impunity. Compared with all of 2022, in the first 10 months of the year, the Police Oversight Agency (POA) opened more criminal cases (from three to 20); referred more cases for disciplinary action to the Albanian State Police (from 18 to 68); and made more arrests or detentions (42 to 166). POA conducted four investigations into complaints of violence by police, disciplining three police officers and referring another to prosecution. Citizens reported two other cases involving 15 police officers to the prosecution; investigations in both cases were underway as of September.																Prison and Detention Center Conditions						Overcrowding and poor physical conditions in some prisons were a problem.The Institute for Activism and Social Change (IANS) reported obstacles to carrying out prison monitoring. Prisons lacked frameworks and sufficient training to identify and prevent violent extremism and radicalization in incarcerated populations.Abusive Physical Conditions: The General Directorate of Prisons (GDP) reported the system in general faced overcrowding in part due to having more pretrial detainees than convicts. The ombudsman assessed Lezha’s Shen Koll prison was at twice capacity and many pretrial detention centers were overcrowded.Poor conditions in older prison facilities were a problem. The Albanian Helsinki Commission (AHC) and the Office of the Ombudsman reported inadequate prison and detention infrastructure at the prisons in Lezha, Burrel, Ali Demi, Tepelenë, and the illegal migrant detention center in Karrec. The AHC cited nonpotable water in the Fier facility and inadequate health care in the prisons in Lezha, Burrel, and Vlore.According to the ombudsman, except for regional facilities in Tirana, Gjirokaster, Kukes, Fier, and Korca, conditions were poor in detention facilities operated by the Ministry of Interior, such as police stations and temporary detention centers. Some detention facilities were unheated during the winter and lacked basic hygiene. Facilities were cramped, provided limited access to toilets, and had little or no ventilation, natural light, or beds and benches. Camera monitoring systems were insufficient in most police stations.The AHC reported slow and reactive investigations of multiple detainees who became ill and died in custody or soon thereafter. In April a detained Roma man remained in custody in the Tirana Local Police Directorate for almost five days after falling seriously ill before being transferred to a hospital, where he later died.Administration: Authorities conducted investigations of credible allegations of mistreatment. The ombudsman reported prison and police officials generally cooperated with investigations but also noted the lack of cameras in most interrogation rooms allowed for violence during questioning. The GDP noted that in older prisons, lawyers used the same interrogation rooms to meet their clients, and the law prohibited cameras in such rooms.Independent Monitoring: Local and international human rights groups, media, and international bodies such as the Committee for the Prevention of Torture reported they were allowed to monitor prisons and detention facilities without obstacle. Limitations remained on monitoring inmates enrolled in a special regime adopted in 2020 to minimize communications between suspected contacts of organized crime and incarcerated gang members.Improvements: The General Directorate of State Police reported it started operating in late 2022 the new 66-bed “security block” at the Tirana Police Directorate. In addition, the GDP restored and improved the heating system in the Shkodër prison.																										d. Arbitrary Arrest or Detention										The law and constitution prohibited arbitrary arrest and detention and provided for the right of any person to challenge the lawfulness of their arrest or detention in court. The government generally observed these requirements.																Arrest Procedures and Treatment of Detainees						The law foresaw two possible procedures for arrest. First, a prosecutor could request an arrest warrant from a court after providing sufficient justification and a pretrial detention measure was determined. The court automatically reviewed the measure on a regular basis. Second, police could arrest a suspect who was believed to be in the process of committing a crime. The law stipulated police had to immediately inform a prosecutor of an arrest. The prosecutor could release the suspect or petition the court within 48 hours to hold the individual further. A court had to also decide within 48 hours whether to place a suspect in detention, prohibit travel, require bail, or require the defendant report regularly to police.By law and based on a prosecutor’s request, the court had 72 hours to review the pretrial detention status of a court-ordered arrest. Police could detain without arresting a suspect for a period not exceeding 10 hours, but the ombudsman reported several procedural irregularities that led to the detention of individuals for longer than 10 hours without being arrested.The constitution required authorities to immediately inform detainees of their rights and the charges against them. While the law gave detainees the right to prompt access to an attorney at public expense, the ombudsman reported instances of interrogations taking place without the presence of legal counsel.Pretrial Detention: The ombudsman reported a high percentage of prison inmates were in pretrial detention. While the law required completion of most pretrial investigations within three months, a prosecutor could extend this period. The law stipulated pretrial detention should not exceed three years. Criminal proceedings were delayed, due in part to shortages of judges and prosecutors. Limited material resources, lack of space, poor court-calendar management, insufficient staff, and the failure of attorneys and witnesses to appear also prevented the court system from adjudicating cases in a timely fashion. The justice minister told parliament in July the number of persons in pretrial detention exceeded the number of those serving sentences and urged justice institutions to work with other agencies to uphold inmates’ basic human rights. According to the GDP, the situation was exacerbated by the justice system’s vetting process, which led to vacancies in courts and prosecutors’ offices that prolonged criminal proceedings.																										e. Denial of Fair Public Trial										Although the constitution provided for an independent judiciary, political pressure, intimidation, corruption, and limited resources prevented the judiciary from functioning fully, independently, and efficiently. The government continued to implement an internationally monitored process to vet judges and prosecutors, and to dismiss those with unexplained wealth or ties to organized crime. The ombudsman assessed the judiciary made progress toward establishing a more independent system but added more resources were needed.The AHC assessed the judicial system was becoming more independent due to the judicial vetting process and the actions of the Special Prosecution Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK). Citizens complained of lack of transparency in investigations, significant delays in proceedings, and unfair court decisions.																Trial Procedures						The constitution and law provided for the right to a fair and public trial, and the judiciary generally enforced this right.The AHC noted prolonged cases due to court backlogs, vacancies in the judiciary, and lack of systemic efficiency undermined citizens’ trust in the justice system.The AHC reported most complaints related to lack of responsiveness from government bodies, due process violations, unfair trials, and unjust sentences. The AHC raised concerns with the administrative judicial processes in the lawsuit brought by Gulistan Foundation for the 2022 closure of the Mehmet Akif Ersoy girls’ high school and the Zubeyde Hanim kindergarten. The AHC observed the parties were not treated equitably during the trial and questioned the judges’ impartiality.						Political Prisoners and Detainees						There were no reports of political prisoners or detainees.																										f. Transnational Repression										Not applicable.																																				g. Property Seizure and Restitution										The AHC reported the government showed little transparency, a lack of consultation, and violated the principle of legal certainty for residents and property owners affected by the Thumane-Kashar road construction, deeming the compensation assessment inappropriate.The country did not have any restitution or compensation laws relating to Holocaust-era confiscation of private property. Under the law, religious communities had the same restitution and compensation rights as natural or legal persons. The government reported no property claims had ever been submitted by victims of the Holocaust.The Department of State’s Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today (JUST) Act Report to Congress, released publicly in July 2020, can be found on the Department’s website:  https://www.state.gov/reports/just-act-report-to-congress/.																																				h. Arbitrary or Unlawful Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence										The constitution and laws prohibited such actions, and there were no reports the government failed to respect these prohibitions.																																					Section 2.													 Respect for Civil Liberties												    																																																a. Freedom of Expression, Including for Members of the Press and Other Media										The constitution provided for freedom of expression, including for members of the press and other media, and the government usually respected these rights, although defamation was a criminal offense. Independent media organizations and professional journalists asserted the government, political parties, businesses, and criminal groups sought to influence media in inappropriate, nontransparent ways. There were credible reports of senior media representatives using their outlets to blackmail businesses by threatening unfavorable media coverage. Political pressure, corruption, and lack of funding constrained the independence of print media, and journalists reportedly practiced self-censorship.A lack of enforceable labor contracts reduced reporters’ independence and contributed to bias in reporting. The Albanian Journalists Union (AJU) reported delays in salary payments to reporters at many media outlets including at least eight television stations, in some cases for up to five months. Financial problems led some journalists to rely more heavily on outside sources of income, leading to questions regarding the independence and integrity of their reporting.Freedom of Expression: Citizens were free to criticize the government openly, including in traditional and social media, and did so. Nevertheless, concern persisted that open criticism of the government could have adverse consequences. The Albanian Institute of Political Studies (AIPS) reported that individuals who publicly criticized the government and key politicians faced smear campaigns by government supporters and political leaders. Politicians used established media to spread fake news regarding rivals and critics.Violence and Harassment: Political and business interests reportedly pressured journalists. The AJU reported several cases of violence and intimidation against members of the media. In January journalist Elvis Hila of Report TV and his wife were attacked in Lezha after Hila published a story showing one of the attackers had falsified a court ruling. In July a court convicted the two attackers to seven- and six-months imprisonment, respectively.In March unknown assailants opened fire on the building of national broadcaster Top Channel, killing a security guard. An investigation was underway at year’s end into what many outlets and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) viewed as a terrorist attack.Censorship or Content Restrictions for Members of the Press and Other Media, Including Online Media: Journalists often practiced self-censorship to avoid violence and harassment or to ensure employment. The AHC National Barometer of Freedom of the Media for 2021 reported 45.5 percent of journalists surveyed acknowledged they were asked not to publish a news story, and 45 percent acknowledged self-censoring.Various groups claimed that in the past two years changes of ownership in private broadcasters led to more favorable coverage of the government. Additionally, local broadcaster ABC News changed its private ownership, and there were subsequent reports that programs run by journalists critical of the government were closed and those journalists left the station.Following the change of senior management at the country’s sole public broadcaster, Radio Televizioni Shqiptar, several media reports claimed unjustified firings. The AJU urged the new leadership to respect the rights of journalists and employees at the broadcaster.Senior management at the private media outlet Syri.net reportedly monitored the communications of journalists and editors electronically to ensure adherence to the owners’ political leanings.Libel/Slander Laws: The criminal code contained libel and slander laws, as well as laws against insult to private parties or court officials. The law permitted private parties to file criminal charges and obtain financial compensation for insult or deliberate publication of defamatory information. NGOs reported the fines were excessive and, combined with the entry of a criminal conviction into the defendant’s record, undermined freedom of expression. The AJU expressed concern regarding the increase of lawsuits against reporters. As of October there were 12 cases underway against journalists, seven initiated during the year, for defamation.																Internet Freedom						The government did not restrict or disrupt access to the internet or censor online content.																										b. Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association										The constitution and law provided for the freedoms of peaceful assembly and association, and the government generally respected these rights.																																				c. Freedom of Religion										See the Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report at  https://www.state.gov/religiousfreedomreport/.																																				d. Freedom of Movement and the Right to Leave the Country										The constitution and law provided for freedom of internal movement, foreign travel, emigration, and repatriation, and the government generally respected these rights.The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported persons granted international protection and persons at risk of statelessness were not issued travel documents in accordance with international legal instruments and EU legislation.In-country Movement: To receive government services, citizens changing place of residence within the country had to transfer their civil registration to their new community and prove the legality of their new domicile through property ownership, a property rental agreement, or utility bills. Some individuals could not provide documentation and thus lacked access to public services. Other citizens, particularly Roma and Balkan-Egyptians, lacked formal registration in the communities where they resided. The law did not prohibit their registration, but the process was often difficult to complete. Many Roma and Balkan-Egyptians lacked the financial means or necessary information to register.																																				e. Protection of Refugees										The government cooperated with UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations in providing protection and assistance to refugees, returning refugees, or asylum seekers, as well as other persons of concern.Access to Asylum: The law provided for the granting of asylum or refugee status, and the government had established a system for providing protection to refugees.Police allowed UNHCR, the Office of the Ombudsman, and their partners to conduct independent monitoring of asylum processes and related facilities. The ombudsman and NGO Caritas were also allowed to monitor the detention of migrants. The AHC reported the Ministry of Interior did not respond to requests for a monitoring agreement for the asylum-seeker reception center in Babrru.UNHCR recorded cases of border police returning through nonviolent pushbacks migrants and refugees to Greece who had indicated an intention to seek asylum. UNHCR and partners noted the prescreening process was inadequate and raised concerns regarding access to asylum as well as the identification of potential victims of trafficking. Returns to Greece were done outside the framework of the Albania-Greece Readmission Agreement. UNHCR advocated for access to asylum, including identification and referral of persons with specific needs. In the first eight months of the year, 3,124 refugees and migrants were apprehended by border guards at the country’s borders as part of mixed movements, of which 5.3 percent were referred to an asylum procedure per UNHCR.Abuse of Refugees and Asylum Seekers: NGOs reported concerns regarding unaccompanied foreign and separated children, who faced increased risk of violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation due to the lack of a strong protection system.The AHC reported migrants frequently encountered violence, theft, threats, and coercion, yet legal actions against smugglers or other culprits were uncommon due to limited awareness of reporting procedures and a desire of migrants to quickly reach EU countries. The Interior Ministry and UNHCR reported they had not observed, or received complaints of, physical abuse or violence directed at asylum seekers or refugees.Freedom of Movement: In a November 2022 report, the ombudsman found that three Iraqi citizens were detained in the irregular migrant detention facility at Karreç for two years, twice the legal maximum length. The General Directorate of State Police accepted the ombudsman’s recommendation to release the three Iraqi citizens, requiring them to appear before local border and migration police weekly. Once released, they never appeared before the police directorate, and their whereabouts remained unknown.Access to Basic Services: The law provided refugees with access to public services, including education, health care, housing, law enforcement, courts and judicial procedures, and legal assistance. UNHCR reported access to social care and services was a problem, despite legal obligations to ensure nondiscriminatory treatment for asylum seekers and refugees. This was mostly due to conflicting laws and bylaws, according to observers. UNHCR noted there was limited knowledge regarding entitlements of refugees to public relief and social protection, which led to denial of services. The government’s internet-based public service system posed obstacles for refugees and asylum seekers, many of whom did not have the proper electronic identification enabling registration and access to the local platform.Durable Solutions: UNHCR observed no asylum seekers were granted refugee status in the country. The Ministry of Interior reported receiving 227 asylum requests, none of which were refused and 13 remained under review. In most cases, asylum seekers did not pursue asylum requests in the country to completion, and their whereabouts were unknown. With the origin country’s support, UNHCR assisted the voluntary repatriation of a refugee family of three.Temporary Protection: UNHCR reported the Directorate for Policies on Asylum, Foreigners, and Citizenship in the Ministry of Interior issued six temporary protection decisions through August. These decisions were granted to individuals from countries with generally high recognition rates – which indicated the proportion of refugee claims accepted during a particular period – including Afghanistan and Syria.The country issued temporary protection to the evacuees from Afghanistan in 2021. This decision offered temporary protection to more than 4,000 Afghan citizens. This protection had been renewed twice and the government was reviewing another extension.In March 2022, the government granted refugees from Ukraine temporary protection status for up to two years from the date they entered the country. Per the Ministry of Interior, 30 refugees from Ukraine had applied for the temporary protection as of June.																																				f. Status and Treatment of Internally Displaced Persons										Not applicable.																																				g. Stateless Persons										The Interior Ministry reported it did not have data on stateless persons or persons at risk of statelessness in the country.According to UNHCR, by the end of June there were an estimated 2,126 persons at risk of statelessness in the country. In June a bylaw was adopted for the statelessness determination procedure, fulfilling one of the country’s pledges made to UNHCR. The procedure lacked safeguards and rights guaranteed to recognized stateless persons, including residence status and full access to rights and services.																																					Section 3.													 Freedom to Participate in the Political Process												    																						The constitution and law provided citizens the ability to choose their government in free and fair periodic elections held by secret ballot and based on universal and equal suffrage.																										Elections and Political Participation										Abuses or Irregularities in Recent Elections: The most recent elections were May 14 local elections. An Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Election Observation Mission report issued September 29 stated the elections were generally well administered, competitive, and peaceful. The report also noted misuse of administrative resources at the central and local level, claims of pressure on public-sector workers and voters, and allegations of vote buying. The report further assessed rules for media coverage of the campaign strongly favored the main parties, and the frequent use by media of party-produced content in news programs undermined comprehensive and objective campaign coverage. The final ODIHR’s Election Observation Mission final report on the May elections observed cases of misuse of state resources at central and local levels, claims of pressure on public-sector workers and voters, and allegations of vote buying. The AHC stated it observed intimidation of voters, political parties tracking voters’ activities, and media failing to cover small parties.Participation of Women and Members of Marginalized or Vulnerable Groups: In some areas, external pressure and the practice of “family voting” created an unfavorable environment for women, young voters, and moderate segments of society.																																					Section 4.													 Corruption in Government												    																						The law provided criminal penalties for corruption by public officials and prohibited individuals with criminal convictions from serving as mayors, parliamentarians, or in other government or state positions. The government generally implemented the law effectively. There were numerous reports of government corruption.Corruption: Corruption existed in all branches and levels of government, including through public procurement and public-private partnerships, although authorities made progress during the year in combatting corruption and ending impunity. The Special Prosecution Office (SPO) of SPAK made several high-level arrests, including for corruption. On October 5, courts convicted former Environment Minister Lefter Koka (sentenced to 5.8 years in prison), his former General Secretary Alqi Bllako (2.8 years), and contracting-company representatives for corruption and abuse of office. The convictions came after SPAK proved the company paid € 1.37 million ($1.47 million) to accounts and companies owned by Koka for work never performed. The court also seized assets worth € 3.7 million ($4 million), equal to the amount from the corruption.In July SPAK issued an international arrest warrant for former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister (and Socialist Party member of parliament) Arben Ahmetaj. He fled the country after parliament granted SPAK’s request to lift Ahmetaj’s immunity to allow his arrest on charges of corruption, money laundering, and concealing assets. Ahmetaj remained a fugitive and was believed to be abroad.In October, SPAK announced it was formally investigating former Prime Minister Sali Berisha for passive corruption related to a land deal that benefitted his son-in-law by approximately $5 million. SPAK arrested Berisha’s son-in-law, ordered Berisha to appear regularly before judicial police, and barred him from leaving the country. The High Inspectorate for the Declaration and Audit of Assets and Conflict of Interest reported that through August it had referred six new cases for prosecution, involving one member of parliament, one prosecutor, three directors in government agencies, and one administrator in a government company. Charges included refusing to declare assets, hiding assets, or falsifying asset declarations; money laundering; and tax evasion.Police corruption was a problem and was most prevalent among front-line police.																											Section 5.													 Governmental Posture Towards International and Nongovernmental Monitoring and Investigation of Alleged Abuses of Human Rights												    																						Domestic and international human rights groups generally operated without government restriction to monitor or investigate human rights conditions or cases and publish their findings. Government officials were generally cooperative and responsive to the views of these groups.Government Human Rights Bodies: The Office of the Ombudsman was the main independent constitutional institution for promoting and enforcing human rights. It was authorized by law to monitor and report on prisons and detention centers and conduct administrative investigation of complaints from citizens. The Office of the Ombudsman lacked the power to enforce decisions. In response to the ombudsman’s recommendations, the GDP established a Directorate of Interinstitutional Coordination and Information to follow up on each ombudsman recommendation concerning prison conditions.Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs, Public Administration, and Human Rights reviewed the annual report of the Office of the Ombudsman. The committee was engaged and effective in legislative matters. Parliament failed to elect a new ombudsman, and the election process was stalled. Pending selection of a new ombudsman, the incumbent, whose mandate ended in 2022, remained in place.																											Section 6.													 Discrimination and Societal Abuses												    																																																Women										Rape and Domestic Violence: Rape, including spousal rape and the rape of a person, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, was a crime; the law also included provisions on sexual assault. Penalties for rape and sexual assault depended on the age of the survivor. For rape of an adult, the penalty was three to 10 years in prison. The government did not enforce the law effectively. Authorities did not disaggregate data on prosecutions for spousal rape. The concept of spousal rape was not well understood, and authorities did not always consider it a crime. The law did not make specific reference to so-called corrective rape of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) persons.Domestic or intimate partner violence was a crime, with penalties up to three years’ imprisonment. The law on domestic violence extended protection to survivors and provided for issuance of protective orders that automatically covered children as well. The government enforced the law effectively. Police operated an automated application process that allowed for rapid issuance of protective orders.NGOs reported high levels of gender-based violence, including domestic violence. As of August, 11 women had been reported killed during the year by their partners or family members.The Ministry of Health and Social Protection reported survivors in 60 cases of domestic violence had received services at the National Reception Center for Domestic Violence as of August.Other Forms of Gender-based Violence or Harassment: The law prohibited sexual harassment, but officials rarely enforced it. The commissioner for protection from discrimination generally handled cases of sexual harassment and could impose fines.Discrimination: The law provided the same legal status and rights for women as for men. The law mandating equal pay for equal work was implemented less consistently in the private sector than in public administration. In many communities, women experienced societal discrimination based on traditional social norms subordinating women to men. An antidiscrimination commission study assessed parental identity was discriminatory because only the father’s surname was listed on birth registrations and official documents produced from the civil registry.Reproductive Rights: There were no reports of coerced abortion or involuntary sterilization on the part of government authorities.While there were no legal barriers for access to contraceptives, which were provided free of charge to insured women, women and girls often did not access services for reasons including the fear of stigma from health-care service providers and members of their community. Some women and girls, particularly those living in remote areas, faced significant problems in accessing essential sexual and reproductive health services. Women from historically marginalized communities, including women with disabilities; LGBTQI+ persons; Roma; and Balkan-Egyptian women, were often unaware of their entitlement to reproductive health services.The Ministry of Health and Social Protection operated the Lilium Center in Tirana with the support of the UN Development Program to provide integrated services to survivors of sexual violence. The center provided emergency contraception and postexposure prophylaxis as part of clinical management of rape.																																				Systemic Racial or Ethnic Violence and Discrimination										The government adopted legislation on official minorities in 2017 but had not passed all the regulations needed for its implementation. The law provided official minority status for nine national minorities: Greeks, Macedonians, Aromanians (Vlachs), Roma, Balkan-Egyptians, Montenegrins, Bosnians, Serbs, and Bulgarians. The law provided for minority-language education and dual official-language use for local administrative units in which minorities traditionally resided or in which a minority group comprised at least 20 percent of the population. The government generally enforced these provisions effectively.There were allegations of discrimination against Romani and Balkan-Egyptian communities, including in housing, employment, health care, and education. The commissioner for protection from discrimination opened a case into the police response following the violent attack on a Kenyan national working in the country. NGOs filed complaints alleging slow response and limited investigation because of her citizenship, gender, and ethnicity.Approximately 300 Roma and Balkan-Egyptians found jobs by using employment and vocational training services offered by the government. The Ministry of Education and Sports reduced student fees, offered scholarships, and implemented other programs to boost the number of Romani and Balkan-Egyptian students in schools.																																				Children										Birth Registration: There were no reports of denial of or discrimination in birth registration, but onerous residency and documentation requirements for registration made it difficult for the many Romani and Balkan-Egyptian parents who lacked documented places of residence to register their children. The State Agency for Protection and Children’s Rights reported parents of children born abroad faced difficulties in registration mainly because they were unaware of or did not understand the online process.Education: School attendance was mandatory through the ninth grade or until the age of 16, whichever came first, but many children, particularly in rural areas, left school earlier. NGOs Nisma Arsis and World Vision reported Romani and Balkan-Egyptian children were often ostracized in school by classmates and some teachers and were targets of harassment on social media.The NGO Children Rights Center Albania (CRCA) reported schools lacked protocols to deal with discrimination and bullying targeting LGBTQI+ children, Roma, Balkan-Egyptians, and children with disabilities.Child Abuse: The law criminalized abuse or neglect against children. The government enforced the law effectively.World Vision reported domestic violence and violence against children were major problems, largely due to social norms that accepted violence as a form of discipline within the family. NGO Terre des Hommes reported local child protection mechanisms were weak, with frontline workers lacking support, budget, transportation, offices, and professional capacity.Child, Early, and Forced Marriage: The legal minimum age for marriage was 18; however, the law allowed for younger individuals to marry with parental consent. Authorities did not always enforce the law, and legislation did not prescribe measures to prevent child marriage. NGOs Nisma Arsis and Terre des Hommes noted underage marriages often occurred with Romani and Balkan-Egyptian children, largely due to poverty, exploitation, and marginalization.Nisma Arsis noted an increase in early marriages, particularly in the northern part of the country, linked to young men emigrating to other countries in Europe, where parents perceived better opportunities for their daughters to lead better lives. The State Agency for the Protection of Children reported forced or early marriage was not a widespread problem, although more common in Romani and Balkan-Egyptian communities.Sexual Exploitation of Children: The law prohibited the exploitation, sale, grooming, or use of children for commercial exploitation, including child sex trafficking. Penalties for the commercial sexual exploitation of a child ranged from 10 to 20 years’ imprisonment. The country had a statutory rape law with the minimum age of 14 for consensual sex. The penalty for statutory rape was five to 15 years in prison. If the offense led to the death of a child victim, the penalty could increase to life imprisonment. The law prohibited making or distributing child pornography, which was punishable by imprisonment for three to 10 years. Possession of child pornography was illegal.Authorities generally enforced laws against rape and sexual exploitation of children effectively, but NGOs reported the government rarely enforced laws prohibiting child pornography and the online sexual exploitation of children.Nisma Arsis, UNICEF, and government institutions reported launching several initiatives to address surging rates of online child sexual exploitation.The Ministry of Health and Social Protection established integrated services to protect child survivors of sexual and other serious abuse at the regional hospitals in Fier and Shkodër, offering specialized medical support, psychological counseling, therapeutic intervention, and referrals to relevant institutions.																																				Antisemitism										The Jewish population was estimated to be 40-50 persons. There were no reports of antisemitic incidents.																																				Trafficking in Persons										See the Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report at  https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.																																				Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression, or Sex Characteristics										Criminalization: No laws criminalized consensual same-sex relationships or sexual conduct, cross-dressing, or other sexual or gender-characteristic behavior. The NGO Streha, which provided shelter and other services, and the Alliance Against Discrimination of LGBT reported legislation did not fully cover all potential victims of sexual violence.Violence and Harassment: Streha reported LGBTQI+ individuals underreported targeted violence to police or the Commission for Protection from Discrimination due to fear of being outed, lack of trust in the institutions, and fear for their own safety. Streha reported a case of police informing hostile family members of a transgender person’s whereabouts after the person sought police protection.Discrimination: The law prohibited discrimination by state and nonstate actors based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics, including in employment. The law did not recognize same-sex civil unions or marriages, and the civil registry did not recognize same-sex parenting. Sexual orientation and gender identity were among the classes protected by the country’s hate crime law. Enforcement of the law was generally weak. LGBTQI+ organizations stated the National Action Plan for LGBTQI+ for 2021-2027 fell short in its implementation.Societal discrimination against the LGBTQI+ community was common. Incidents of discrimination, however, were underreported to the State Police or Commission for Protection from Discrimination. The Ministry of Health and Social Protection supported Streha by funding the costs of shelter staff salaries. Donors covered other shelter costs, including food, medication, and shelter rent.LGBTQI+ individuals often faced problems accessing education due to their sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.Streha reported that from 2019 through August, 20 transgender women faced evictions from their landlords because of their gender identity.Streha and Alliance Against Discrimination of LGBT reported hate speech and discriminatory language targeting the LGBTQI+ community were a problem in media, online, and from politicians.Availability of Legal Gender Recognition: The law did not account for or regulate gender recognition. Although the antidiscrimination law regulated nondiscrimination in relation to gender identity, sexual orientation, and sex characteristics, it did not guarantee the right to self-determination of gender. The NGO PINK Embassy reported parliamentarians were unwilling to consider legal reforms related to gender recognition.Involuntary or Coercive Medical or Psychological Practices: The Albanian Order of Psychologists prohibited licensed psychologists from carrying out so-called conversion therapy, stating the practice infringed on individuals’ rights, freedoms, and integrity. Civil society organizations recommended legislation to cover not only psychologists but also others who could perform such therapy.PINK Embassy expressed concerns regarding the familial practice of “corrective rape” in which LGBTQI+ individuals were forced into heterosexual relationships or acts.Pink Embassy, Aleanca LGBT, and Streha reported surgeries were performed on intersex infants with parental consent, although they did not have statistical data. The Ministry of Health and Social Protection adopted a medical protocol for intersex surgeries in 2020, although no comprehensive legislation on protections for intersex persons existed.Restrictions of Freedom of Expression, Association, or Peaceful Assembly: There were no laws or prohibitions restricting discussing LGBTQI+ issues in media, the ability of LGBTQI+ individuals to assemble in public or private or to form associations, or the ability of LGBTQI+ organizations to legally register or convene events.																																				Persons with Disabilities										The constitution and laws prohibited discrimination against persons with physical, sensory, intellectual, or mental disabilities. Nevertheless, employers, schools, health-care providers, and providers of other state services at times engaged in discrimination. The law mandated public buildings, education, health services and transportation be accessible to persons with disabilities on an equal basis, but the government only sporadically enforced the statutes. Disability rights groups reported uneven government progress on implementation of the National Action Plan on Disability 2021-2025.Albanian Disabilities Rights Foundation (ADRF) reported legislation was not harmonized with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Sign language interpretation was recognized but offered sporadically. There was a lack of accessible communication in sign language, audio format, braille, and large-print format in public institutions. According to Child Rights Center Albania, access to public services including schools, universities, hospitals or social care services, roads, and play parks, was very limited because of a lack of ramps or lifts.World Vision reported a child protection worker in the Durres local education office helped a child with disabilities return to school after other students’ parents protested the child’s inclusion. Despite progress, school infrastructure did not fully meet the needs of children with disabilities.Institutionalized Children: The ADRF reported children with disabilities were placed in residential care centers, despite deinstitutionalization efforts. The Ministry of Health and Social Protection reported 193 children in residential care institutions as of November.																																				Other Societal Violence or Discrimination										The law prohibited discrimination against and stigmatization of individuals with HIV or AIDS. The Association of People Living with HIV or AIDS reported stigma and discrimination caused individuals to avoid getting tested for HIV, leading to delayed diagnosis and consequently delayed access to care and support. Persons with HIV or AIDS faced employment discrimination and problems with professional reintegration, and children with HIV faced discrimination in school.The antidiscrimination commissioner received a complaint in June alleging hate speech against the Jehovah’s Witnesses community. The case was under review. See the Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report at  https://www.state.gov/religiousfreedomreport/.																																					Section 7.													 Worker Rights												    																																																a. Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining										The law and related regulations and statutes provided the right for most workers to form independent unions, conduct legal strikes, and bargain collectively. The law prohibited antiunion discrimination and provided for the reinstatement of workers fired for union activity. The government did not effectively enforce the law.The law prohibited members of the military and senior government officials from joining unions and required trade unions have at least 20 members to be registered. The law provided the right to strike for all workers except indispensable medical and hospital personnel; persons providing air traffic control, prison, water supply, and electricity supply services; and fire brigades. Strike action was prohibited in special cases such as a natural catastrophe, war, and when the freedom of holding or participating in elections was at risk.The law provided limited protection to domestic and migrant workers. Labor unions were generally weak and politicized. The government did not effectively enforce the law. Civilian workers in all fields had the constitutional right to organize and bargain collectively, and the law established procedures for the protection of workers’ rights through collective bargaining agreements. Unions representing public-sector employees negotiated directly with the government. Effective collective bargaining and enforcement of agreements were difficult because employers often resisted union organizing and activities. The Solidarity Center reported workers often were not confident in the enforcement of the labor code and did not seek remedies for fear of losing employment.																																				b. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor										See the Department of State’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report at  https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.																																				c. Prohibition of Child Labor and Minimum Age for Employment										See the Department of Labor’s Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor at  https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/findings/ .																																				d. Discrimination (see section 6)																																														e. Acceptable Conditions of Work										Wage and Hour Laws: The law provided for a minimum wage for all sectors, and the national minimum wage was higher than the national poverty threshold.While the law established a 40-hour workweek, individual or collective agreements typically set the actual workweek. The law allowed employers to mandate additional working hours, but not more than 200 additional hours per year, which could be exceeded in cases of force majeure or emergency work for the benefit of the population with the authorization of State Labor Inspectorate and Social Service (SLISS). The law provided for paid annual holidays, but only employees in the formal labor market had such rights. Many persons in the private sector worked six days a week. The law required rest periods and premium pay for overtime, but employers did not always observe these provisions. According to the Solidarity Center, SLISS violations of wage laws occurred most frequently in the textile, footwear, and hotel and tourism industries.Solidarity Center reported the law was not universally enforced and wage, hour, and overtime laws were occasionally disregarded in the garment and footwear industry.Occupational Safety and Health: Occupational safety and health (OSH) standards were generally appropriate for the country’s main industries, although enforcement was lacking. The government lacked sufficient proactive identification of unsafe conditions in addition to responding to worker’s complaints.Workers often could not remove themselves from situations that endangered their health or safety without jeopardizing their employment.According to the Solidarity Center, SLISS violations of OSH standards occurred most frequently in the textile, footwear, manufacturing, construction, and mining industries.Wage, Hour, and OSH Enforcement: The SLISS and tax authorities were responsible for enforcing the minimum wage and hour laws. Enforcement agencies lacked the tools to enforce collection of fines and consequently rarely charged violators. The number of inspectors was insufficient to enforce compliance. The labor inspectorate visited 5.5 percent of businesses in the country. Inspectors had the authority to make unannounced inspections and initiate sanctions. The government rarely enforced laws related to maximum work hours, limits on overtime, or premium pay for overtime, especially in the private sector. These laws did not apply to migrant workers or workers in the informal sector.The SLISS was also responsible for OSH standards and regulations, which were not effectively enforced. Resources and inspections were not adequate, and penalties were not commensurate with those of other similar crimes. SLISS reported 61.8 percent of violations recorded were related to labor relations, 37.3 percent for safety and health, and 5.8 percent related to wages. The SLISS imposed administrative measures, suspensions, warnings, and fines in sectors most affected, including apparel, hospitality and tourism, and trade, but such penalties were rarely applied.The Solidarity Center asserted workers and the public did not trust the government’s ability to enforce employment or union rights. The dysfunction and corruption of the judicial system was perceived as a major obstacle to improving workers’ access to labor code enforcement.The estimated size of the informal sector was approximately 30 percent of the total labor force. The government enforced labor laws inconsistently in this sector.																																				    							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- NATO Accession Anniversaries for Albania and Croatia Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of StateOn behalf of the United States, I congratulate Albania and Croatia on the 15th anniversary of your accession to NATO.Fifteen years ago, we celebrated the commitment your democracies made not only to the defense of our Alliance, but also to the defense of peace and prosperity across the region. Today, we honor your continued commitment to deter and to defend every inch of NATO territory, as we also defend our shared democratic values.On this anniversary, we remain proud to stand with you as Allies. As our Alliance continues to grow and adapt to address the evolving challenges of the future, NATO is stronger and more united than ever.
- Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Robinson Travels to Tirana, Albania and Pristina, Kosovo HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases&#8230;Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Robinson Travels to Tirana, Albania and Pristina, Kosovo				hide		if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}																										Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Robinson Travels to Tirana, Albania and Pristina, Kosovo																																		Media Note																														March 18, 2024																																							Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Todd D. Robinson will travel to Tirana, Albania, from March 18-20 where he will meet with Prime Minister Edi Rama and INL partners who are supporting Albania’s work to strengthen the rule of law, combat corruption and organized crime, and build strong institutions.From March 20-22, Assistant Secretary Robinson will travel to Pristina, Kosovo, where he will meet with Kosovan President Vjosa Osmani and with INL partners in the law enforcement and justice sectors.For more information, please contact INL-PAPD@state.gov and follow INL on Twitter/X at @StateINL.						Tags																					Albania																								Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs																								Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs																																														Combating Drugs and Crime																																							Counternarcotics																															Kosovo																								Office of the Spokesperson
- Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama at a Joint Press Availability HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases&#8230;Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama at a Joint Press Availability				hide		if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}																										Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama at a Joint Press Availability																																		Remarks																														February 15, 2024																																							PRIME MINISTER RAMA:&nbsp; (Via interpreter) Dearest U.S. State Secretary, dear Tony, it’s always a remarkable day of special meaning in the history of Albania’s international relations, the day when a U.S. state secretary visits our country.&nbsp; Well, in our books you are the sixth state secretary visiting, but this time we have a special appreciation of this visit, as we are very much aware of the troubled times happening not only in the European world but also in other areas of strategic importance for the global balances.&nbsp; Consequently, actually this is something that adds especially to the burden of your agenda.&nbsp; The very fact that you found time and saw it necessary to stop in Tirana is, to us, a very important sign of our friendship but also of your appreciation of this friendship, of this partnership, and of course, the appreciation of this region.Well, I cannot help but share with the public the regret that between a dinner with us in Albania and a dinner in Munich, where you have to depart quite immediately, you chose the not-so-tasteful German food.&nbsp; Well, we did our best.&nbsp; Our dinner was ready.We are highly honored by the visit of the state secretary today, and I could say without any diplomatic or any protocol embellishment that I am very pleased with our open, deep conversation and the level of interaction and understanding between us.&nbsp; I feel very pleased that your visit coincides with Albania’s – at conclusion of its mission in the UN secretary – in the UN Security Council.&nbsp; And in addition to extending my thanks to the state secretary, the gratitude for the invaluable support we had from the United States and its mission at the United Nations, their support of our presence in the council and the support to our success in the course of the two years where we were not permanent members of the UN Security Council.&nbsp;I also extended my gratitude for the very touching message that the United States ambassador in the United Nations shared for the high appraisal she actually made for the work of the Albanian team, for the very positive notes and words she shared with the public on the way in which Albania managed to represent itself, but even more than that, the way in which Albania managed to represent this community of countries and states that stand together for some values and principles that are non-negotiable to us.On the other hand, I wish to thank the state secretary publicly also for another support that maybe is not so much talked about, and it’s not so visible, but it’s a constant, important, and useful support for Albania to progress on its path towards EU accession.&nbsp; Clearly, this is a process that depends on what we do; it also depends on the assessment and judgment of our allies in the European Union.&nbsp; But since some years now, we have remarkably felt the constant interest of the U.S. administration, and in particular the continuous interest shown by the State Department, and the fact that in his important meetings with European allies, the state secretary always underscores the need to push further the integration process for Albania and Western Balkans in the EU as a strategic interest of the United States.On the other hand, we spoke about the region.&nbsp; We shared the same perspectives and concerns.&nbsp; As you know, Albania has a policy of an extended friendship hand for all the countries of the region, and we are interested and wanting that the region moves ahead as a whole, because first and foremost is – it is in our strategic interest.&nbsp; It is in the interest of our people to see its integration with Europe as an integral part of the integration of this region around values and principles that embody our being part of the large community of democratic states and countries.We have encouraged, we encourage, and will continue to encourage the irreplaceable dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.&nbsp; The United States have been our and will be the staunch supporters of the process for the final recognition of Kosovo and to meet the international subjectivity of Kosovo.&nbsp; And it is actually better for all Albanians and also Albanians in Kosovo to be reminded – remember that without the United States there would not be an independent state of Kosovo, and that the interest of the United States in this region, and specifically the interest of the United States for things to run smoothly in Albania and Kosovo, is not a secondhand interest.&nbsp; It is neither an interest that is separate in any respect from our interest in Albania and Kosovo to build a peaceful and prosperous future for the next generations.It is unquestionable – so there is no doubt that we actually feel regret any time we witness steps back.&nbsp; Of course, we are aware of the difficulties of the dialogue.&nbsp; There is no doubt that we are cognizant of the wounds of a not so past strategy of – a tragedy of those who live in Kosovo.&nbsp; And we are also aware that in certain points in time, such as the terrorist attack in Banjska, Serbia does not always help the process as it should.&nbsp;But first and foremost, Albanians of Kosovo and all of us must be conscious that it is in our interest, it is in the interest of Kosovo, to progress even unilaterally, should the need arise, to meet all those requests put on the table of dialogue that are not restrictive demands.&nbsp; They are neither demands for Kosovo to give up a single millimeter of its dignity, of its sovereignty, and of its future.&nbsp; These are requirements or demands that through their delivery ensure the establishment of a context that elevates the Republic of Kosovo as a republic that deserves all the support, all the support and also the trust of our strategic partners, without whom the future becomes even more remote and the present becomes even more complicated.So even today, after we discussed and talked, I want to repeat our appeal, my appeal, for the authorities in Pristina not to take any steps without consulting and being coordinated with our strategic allies because it is first and foremost in their interest, and of course it is in the interest of our alliance.&nbsp; Actions that are not consulted and uncoordinated could perhaps gain some votes for the moment, turning the foreign policy into a tool and function of the domestic policy.&nbsp; But there is no long-term gain.On the other hand, we discussed about the dimensions of our bilateral cooperation, with the latter not only being a constant strategic operation in the area of security, but it is also a cooperation that is increasingly gaining an economic dimension.&nbsp; While it is unquestionable the need and importance of U.S. investments in Albania as a testament not only of this relationship but also of the awareness of the large potential Albania has in critical sectors for the world today and for our region, for example, like the energy sector.&nbsp; The U.S. administration is highly engaged in working to tackle the climate challenge, and it is highly committed to supporting all the programs and projects of green energy.&nbsp; And we believe that in this respect, U.S. companies are a desired partner, and we hope that this process that has already kicked off will progress further.Equally so, we believe that Albania is a country – and the Secretary actually is a witness of this himself – this is a country that the U.S. tourists actually can visit because it’s worth it.&nbsp; As differently from the United States or other countries, in a very small country without going hours of distance, one can find everything, all the natural beauties, ranging from the beaches to the mountains full of snow.By way of concluding, last by not least, I wish to publicly thank the state secretary for what we’ve been discussing again and again in all our meeting.&nbsp; And something that we repeated in our meeting as well that is the irreplaceable support to transform Albania from a country that had never justice and where the impunity culture was the norm, that made the citizens of the country, from the establish of the Albanian state, that it would never be possible in this country for the law to be actually equal for everyone, and so that no one could be above the law.&nbsp;They made it possible for us to see today that even in Albania, just like in every country that is ambitious for their own children, it is possible that people in office, also people who are also part of the current executive power, could actually be called accountable before the law for breaching the law.&nbsp; This is something whose weight and importance Albania will be able to fully perceive many years later.But there is something we know even now: that when we started the reform in justice and we received the support of our allies, all the polls and questionnaires of the public on the reform saw an overwhelming support, irrespective of the political affiliations and irrespective of the typical and tradition polarization of politics; either left- or right-wing supporters or those who are not affiliated with any parties, support this reform in justice.&nbsp;It is no secret, Mr. Secretary, that here we have a problem.&nbsp; We can’t find a consensus even on time.&nbsp; If you ask anyone on what the time is, we have a left wing time, a right wing time, and we have also a central time.&nbsp; However, when it came to the question whether those who supported the reform in justice believed that they would be able to see in their lifetime important people going before the justice, the majority answered with a no.&nbsp;Well, here we are today.&nbsp; We are living in a time where the myth of impunity and the myth of the powerful above the law has been debunked.&nbsp; Of course, there is a lot of work that remains to be done.&nbsp; We talked about the challenges.&nbsp; We talked about the advancement of the reform.&nbsp; We talked about how imperative it is to counter the phenomenon of corruption as a phenomenon that must be looked at from the perspective of the integration process with all its aspects as well.&nbsp;But if there is a reason, an important reason today to be more convinced than ever of the value of this partnership, of the value of this friendship, this reason is the commitment of our strategic partners to offering support and assistance to change a chapter of the history of Albania that seemed to be unchangeable throughout a lifetime and for all the generations.&nbsp; Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary.&nbsp; Thank you very much.&nbsp; Tony, the floor is yours.&nbsp;SECRETARY BLINKEN:&nbsp;&nbsp;Prime Minister, Edi, thank you so much for welcoming us here today, and not just welcoming us – the warmth, the hospitality, the substance, directness, frankness of our conversations – something I always deeply appreciate.&nbsp; I’m going to start with two expressions that we have.&nbsp; One is the expression “rain check.”&nbsp; So if you miss out on someone’s hospitality, if you miss out on a kind invitation to dinner, you ask for a rain check.&nbsp; So I’m asking for a rain check, if you’ll have me back. &nbsp;Second is another expression we have and that is the notion of a “fair weather friend.”&nbsp; That’s a friend who’s with you when the sun is shining but not when the rain is coming down.&nbsp; Albania is not only a fair weather friend, it’s also a foul weather friend – together, even when the going is tough, even when we’re facing challenges.&nbsp; And that’s something I can’t begin to tell you how much we appreciate and value.&nbsp; And it’s a tribute to this country and the friendship we have, and it’s a tribute to the prime minister, who is an extraordinary partner for the United States.&nbsp;I’m here on my first visit as Secretary to Albania because this partnership between our two countries is stronger than it’s ever been.&nbsp; And the relationship for us is vital to addressing so many issues that matter to our people.&nbsp; This is a two-way street, and we are doing things with each other and for each other that are to the benefit of people here in Albania and in the United States and beyond, I would argue.&nbsp;As a key NATO Ally, a powerful voice on the UN Security Council – and you heard the prime minister allude to this – we had a really extraordinary partnership during the two years that Albania was a non‐permanent member of the council, and that was reflected in the message the prime minister referenced from our ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.&nbsp; We did, I think, very, very important and strong work together, particularly holding the pen together on the question of Ukraine and the Russian aggression, something we deeply value; now a new member of the Human Rights Council, and also playing a growing role in other critical international institutions, including UNESCO.&nbsp; This is consequential not just for Albania, not just for the region, not just for Europe; it’s actually consequential for the world, and we deeply, deeply appreciate it.&nbsp;We had the opportunity today to discuss a lot of issues and challenges that we’re facing together, and we focused first on what we’re doing to promote our shared security.&nbsp; As you know, Albania has been from day one a strong supporter of Ukraine – really the first to step up, to raise its hand.&nbsp; It was one of the first countries to send military aid to Ukraine in the wake of the Russian aggression – guns, ammunition, mine resistant vehicles – and it’s currently one of the top ten per capita in terms of its support for Ukraine and security assistance.The prime minister said this at the Security Council last September, and I’m going to – Edi, if I can, I’m going to quote you:&nbsp; “The struggle of Ukraine is also the struggle of everyone who aspires to live in a world where nations are free and equal, where territorial integrity is indisputable, and  right to live in peace is unquestionable.”&nbsp; It’s hard to think of a more elegant way to put what’s at stake in Ukraine.&nbsp; Over its 15 years now in NATO, Albania has made significant contributions to our alliance.&nbsp; Albanian troops are helping to keep the peace in Kosovo to deter Russian aggression on NATO’s eastern flank.&nbsp;Next month, Albania will inaugurate a NATO airbase in Kucove.&nbsp; Our 31 Allies, soon to be 32 Allies, bring different histories, different experiences, different geographies, different capabilities.&nbsp; But each of us has the same ironclad commitment to our mutual defense, and each of us makes important contributions and sacrifices.&nbsp; In the last three years alone, virtually every Ally has increased defense spending as a percentage of its GDP.&nbsp; Together, our collective strength is much more than the sum of our parts.&nbsp; It’s an enduring investment in shared security, shared prosperity, and in the principles that join us together.&nbsp; We’re grateful that Albania is doing its part, prepared to continue to do its part.&nbsp; We’re fully committed to upholding our obligations as well.&nbsp;Our countries are also growing our bilateral security partnership.&nbsp; Albanians and Americans have fought side by side from Afghanistan to Iraq.&nbsp; Albanian pilots fly American-made Blackhawks.&nbsp; U.S. Special Forces are training their Albanian counterparts and helping to keep watching the Balkans.&nbsp; In the wake of the recent Iranian cyber attacks targeting Albanian critical infrastructure, the United States has supported Albania cyber defenses, helping to train experts, to upgrade equipment, to improve technology so that they’re more resilient to future attacks.&nbsp;I thank the Prime Minister as well for something that is near and dear to my heart, and near and dear to the hearts of so many Americans, and that is the extraordinary generosity that the Albanian people have shown in welcoming thousands of Afghan evacuees.&nbsp; Albania was the very first country to do so.&nbsp; I had a chance a little bit earlier today to meet with some of the most recent evacuees from Afghanistan who will be going on to the United States.&nbsp; They’re getting their Special Immigrant Visas, and then they’ll come to be part of the next chapter in the story of the United States.These are people who have endured incredible hardship, who’ve shown remarkable courage.&nbsp; And what I heard from them today was not just gratitude for being welcomed here, Mr. Prime Minister, in Albania, but the way they were welcomed by the Albanian people: with extraordinary warmth and support.&nbsp; And it’s hard to – it’s hard to describe how much that means to people like our Afghan colleagues and friends who are in the midst of the most uprooting experience possible.&nbsp; We’re committed to resettling them in America, offering them a similarly warm welcome, but I have to say we’re really inspired by the way that you’ve done it.The prime minister and I also discussed how to keep making Albania’s democratic institutions more accountable to Albania’s citizens.&nbsp; Justice reform has not been easy, perfect, or quick, but it is showing real results, and you heard the prime minister describe them.&nbsp; Today I met with key judges and prosecutors who are helping to lead the reform effort.&nbsp; Corrupt officials are being held accountable.&nbsp; Members of organized crime are going to prison and losing their assets.&nbsp; So this is a very powerful process, but it’s a process, and it continues to move forward.&nbsp; We’ll continue to strongly support Albania in these efforts, which are critical steps toward Albania joining the European Union and what the people in Albania deserve.&nbsp;Our democracies are also threatened, both of us, by disinformation.&nbsp; And that fuels division and it erodes trust.&nbsp; We just signed with the foreign minister memorandums of understanding, and the one that we signed a moment ago will enable the United States and Albania to develop a shared approach to countering dangerous distortions and lies and build a resilient information ecosystem.&nbsp; There is an information competition, even an information war, that goes on day in, day out.&nbsp; And it’s critical that democracies have the tools that they need to act effectively in dealing with it.&nbsp;We also discussed ways to further strengthen our economic relations, again, as the prime minister said.&nbsp; American investment in Albania has tripled since 2019, and it will only grow more as the business climate continues to improve.&nbsp; Our companies are exploring hydropower, wind, solar projects in Albania. These have great potential to diversify Albanian energy resources and sources to help our shared planet and to create inclusive economic growth for everyone.&nbsp;Finally, we committed to deepening ties between our people.&nbsp; Edi and I just came from a really terrific gathering at the Pyramid just a few doors away from here, where I met some of the young people who are participating in our exchange programs – their alumni and current participants.&nbsp; These programs are making the bonds between us stronger every single day.&nbsp; So the other memorandum of understanding that we signed for the Fulbright Program will double the number of Albanians who can study on scholarships in the United States, bringing our people even more closely together.&nbsp; One of my predecessors who I see on the wall here to my left, Secretary James Baker, famously told the Albanian people, and I quote, “You are with us and we are with you.”&nbsp; That was true three decades ago.&nbsp; It remains true today.&nbsp; It will remain true tomorrow.&nbsp; Thank you, Prime Minister.&nbsp;PRIME MINISTER RAMA:&nbsp;&nbsp;Thank you.&nbsp;MODERATOR:&nbsp;&nbsp;Prime Minister and Secretary of State, there are some questions from the journalists for you.&nbsp; First question is from Muhamed Veliu from Top Channel Television.&nbsp;QUESTION:&nbsp;(Via interpreter) I – a joint question.&nbsp; Dear Mr. Secretary, you just mentioned that Kucove Base is going to be inaugurated one month later, whereas Prime Minister Edi Rama has offered Albania’s readiness and continues meetings in NATO and here to have a maritime base for NATO in Durres Port.&nbsp; Did you discuss about this matter in your bilateral meetings today?&nbsp; And is there any progress, if any?&nbsp; Thank you.&nbsp;SECRETARY BLINKEN:&nbsp;&nbsp;Thank you very much.&nbsp; Well, in fact, I had an opportunity to meet with a number of different people and different groups besides the prime minister, foreign minister, members of the cabinet, as I mentioned.&nbsp; I also met with some of the leading judges and prosecutors who are leading the judicial reform effort.&nbsp; I had a chance to meet with some, as I mentioned, remarkable young people who are engaged in our exchange programs.&nbsp; And when I come back for my rain check for dinner, I’ll look forward to meeting an even broader cross section of Albanian society and all of the different actors.&nbsp; But we, I think, got a lot into this day – something I take great satisfaction in.With regard to the air base, first, I think it’s important to underscore a couple of things.&nbsp; One, it’s now 15 years since Albania has been a NATO Ally.&nbsp; And the fact that we’ll be inaugurating – you’ll be inaugurating the air base in Kucove in just a few weeks is a wonderful way to highlight and underscore the commitment that Albania has made to NATO and that NATO, of course, has to Albania.&nbsp; This is a very strong example of the defense partnership that we enjoy.&nbsp;When it comes to the question of a maritime base, yes, this is something that we discussed and that I very much look forward to pursuing through NATO and through the processes that NATO has to determine what future assets would be valuable to the Alliance.&nbsp; And we discussed this, and I know that NATO will work on it.&nbsp;MODERATOR:&nbsp;&nbsp;Next question is from Olivia Gazis from CBS.&nbsp;QUESTION:&nbsp;&nbsp;(Off-mike.)SECRETARY BLINKEN:&nbsp;&nbsp;Edi, is there anything you wanted to add?PRIME MINISTER RAMA:&nbsp;&nbsp;I don’t think that I was also involved, but – (laughter) – but as you know, when he’s not here, what I say is like he’s saying it.&nbsp; And now that he’s said it, what can I say more?&nbsp; (Laughter.)&nbsp;QUESTION:&nbsp;&nbsp;Okay.&nbsp; Thank you very much.&nbsp; Mr. Secretary, information has emerged about a serious national security threat from Russia with lawmakers of both parties in the United States pressing for a response from the administration.&nbsp; How would you characterize, first, the urgency of the threat in question, and secondly, the United States current preparedness to confront it?And secondly on Gaza, what is the United States level of confidence right now that negotiating parties can achieve an agreement that pauses hostilities before the beginning of Ramadan on March 10th?&nbsp;And Mr. Prime Minister, on Ukraine, the Secretary referenced Albania’s significant contributions.&nbsp; The U.S. Congress has struggled for months now to pass a significant aid package for the Ukrainians, even as Kyiv is entering its third year of war with Russia.&nbsp; Do you believe that this indicates American support for Ukraine is waning and do you see it undermining broader Western efforts to push back against Moscow?&nbsp;And secondly, if I may, Mr. Prime Minister, on NATO, given recent statements by the Republican presidential frontrunner in the United States, do you have confidence that America will uphold its commitments to NATO’s collective defense pact no matter what members’ defense spending levels are and no matter what the outcome is in November?&nbsp; Thank you.&nbsp;SECRETARY BLINKEN:&nbsp;&nbsp;Thank you, Olivia.&nbsp; So on the first question, there’s not much that I can say right now on the underlying issue.&nbsp; What I can say is this:&nbsp; This is not an active capability, but it is a potential one that we’re taking very, very seriously.&nbsp; And I would expect that we’ll have more to say soon – in fact, very soon – so stay tuned for that.&nbsp; And, of course, we’re also conferring with allies and partners on this issue.&nbsp; But here’s the most important thing of all:&nbsp; The President’s focus, President Biden’s focus, is on the security of the United States and its people.&nbsp; And as we approach this and every other issue, that is first and foremost what’s on his mind.&nbsp; That’s where his focus is.On the question of hostages, so as you know, we put forward a proposal to Hamas that the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, working with Israel, had had put together and then, as I said, put forward.&nbsp; We received a response from Hamas about a week ago, a response that we believe, while it has, as I said at the time, a number of clear nonstarters in it, also offers the possibility of working toward an agreement.&nbsp; We’re now in the process with our counterparts from Qatar, from Egypt, from Israel in working on that and working very intensely on that with the goal of trying to find an agreement.&nbsp; And I believe that it is possible.Now, as I said, there are some very, very hard issues that have to be resolved, but we’re committed to doing everything we can to move forward and to see if we can reach an agreement.&nbsp; We know what success looks like.&nbsp; We had it when we secured the first agreement that resulted in the release of 105 hostages, that resulted in a pause in military operations, the substantial expansion of humanitarian assistance going into people who so desperately needed it.&nbsp; If an agreement can be reached here, it offers the prospect, of course, doing what is at the top of our list, which is getting the hostages home to their families, but also having an extended pause, which offers many other benefits as well.&nbsp;So we’re very focused on it, and I believe it’s possible.&nbsp;PRIME MINISTER RAMA:&nbsp;&nbsp;You are tricking me into something that I am afraid might be dangerous, because answering to your question, I have to melt in American politics, which is not very advisable when you are a friend with United States.&nbsp; But I want to take advantage from your presence to invite you, maybe through your TV, to share with the American public a map of Mongolia.&nbsp; Following Mr. Putin’s interview and his reasoning on the legitimacy of attacking Ukraine that went back to 9th century – but if you dig a bit more, you’ll discover that Russia once upon a time was within the borders of Mongolia.&nbsp; So I know that Mongolians are a peaceful people, but I don’t think that – looking back to the maps and using history like a reason to attack other people, to take others’ lives, to destroy others’ houses, to break others’ future, is a quite insane exercise.&nbsp;And being in that in that situation, Ukraine couldn’t survive so far without the United States, first and foremost, and all the other allies and friends who, by the way, are not eager to enter in war with Russia or with whomever, but have to protect Ukraine for protecting the world they believe in.&nbsp; Now, if you want me to have a take on the American Congress and Senate, I think I should not go there, because let’s say that the American politics nowadays is not at its best.&nbsp;But one thing I can say, I had the privilege to be prime minister for Albania in NATO when the former president was there.&nbsp; And despite the rhetoric, despite the colorful way to confront adversaries, I don’t see that NATO was weakened.&nbsp; On the contrary, what was decided before continued to be the case.&nbsp; Every country continued to put more money and to put more effort in increasing the NATO budget.&nbsp; So now, elections are elections, Trump is Trump.&nbsp; American politics is American politics.&nbsp; But I think United States is something more than that.&nbsp; And what makes United States one of a kind in the – in our community of countries and of people all around the world is that United States cannot and will never, in my view, shy away from what are the principles and the values to be protected, whatever it takes.&nbsp; And so I’m not afraid of anything, but of stopping or wavering to continue and protect ourselves through protecting the right of Ukrainians to live in their country, to have their own house intact, to have their children grow there, and to have a common future with everyone else, without being threatened to be wiped out from maps based on ninth, thirteenth, fifteenth, whatever century.&nbsp; Because if this Pandora box opens then I can tell you we have a lot of maps in this region, but we have to see the future, and it’s only the future that will unite us.So no, I don&#8217;t think that NATO will be weakened.&nbsp; I don&#8217;t think the United States will shy away from their role and from their leadership.&nbsp; I then that when elections will be over, American business is American business.MODERATOR:&nbsp; Next question is from Elja Zotka, journalist of Klan Television.QUESTION:&nbsp; (Via interpreter) Mr. Secretary, you did not touch upon the region and Kosovo in your remarks.&nbsp; Therefore, I wish to ask specifically a question about Kosovo.&nbsp; What is your view of the latest developments in Kosovo?&nbsp; How do you see the steps that have been taken in the dialogue with Serbia?&nbsp; Also the removal of dinar as the currency – do you see it as concerning, and also the fact that there is no steps being taken to establishing the associations?&nbsp; Well, Mr. Prime Minister, you already gave an answer, but I don&#8217;t know whether you’ve had – you have something to add when it comes to the situation in Kosovo.A second question for Mr. Secretary, if it is possible.&nbsp; You mentioned that you had a meeting with the heads of the justice institutions, and justice is a matter close to our heart as a people, because we’ve been missing it so far.&nbsp; Could you specifically speak about the message you imparted to the heads of our justice institutions on behalf of the U.S. in your although very brief meeting?&nbsp; Thank you.SECRETARY BLINKEN:&nbsp; Thank you very much.&nbsp; When I started out working at the State Department and at the White House, now I’m afraid to say more than 30 years ago, the issue, the question, the challenge that was front and center – this is during President Clinton’s administration – was the Balkans, first Bosnia and Herzegovina, then Kosovo.&nbsp; And so many of us have a long and deep history, no one more so than the President of the United States, President Biden.&nbsp; And I think you know that history well.And so we’re strongly animated by the notion that we can’t go back to the future.&nbsp; We can’t have a repeat of what we saw and what too many people experienced in the 1990s, which is why we’re committed to supporting all of the efforts to advance the integration of countries in the Western Balkans, with each other and with Europe.&nbsp;With regard to Kosovo and Serbia more specifically, the EU-facilitated dialogue is the right – in fact, I think the only – path forward.&nbsp; And we’re committed to doing what we can to support both countries as they travel that path.&nbsp; But I also have to applaud Albania’s role in being a force for regional stability, for regional integration, for regional progress.&nbsp; That is the path that so clearly brings everyone to a better future.&nbsp; And we know what the alternative is because we’ve experienced it, we’ve seen it.So we’re resolute in doing everything we can in support of all the countries in the region taking that path.&nbsp; We very much support, as I said, the EU-facilitated dialogue.&nbsp; And we’ll work with Albania and others to try to help countries advance along that path.&nbsp;PRIME MINISTER RAMA:&nbsp; Ditto.MODERATOR:&nbsp; Any comment?PRIME MINISTER RAMA:&nbsp; No, no, no.&nbsp; Ditto.MODERATOR:&nbsp; Next question is from Alexander Marquardt, CNN.&nbsp;QUESTION:&nbsp; Thank you very much.&nbsp; Mr. Secretary, you just said a moment ago that you think that a deal is possible, a humanitarian pause and a hostage deal.&nbsp; After the meeting that took place earlier this week in Cairo, do you think that that deal and a pause could be reached before Israel launches its expected offensive into Rafah?&nbsp; Do you think Prime Minister Netanyahu favors that Rafah offensive over reaching a hostage deal and a humanitarian pause?&nbsp;And then separately, two teenage American boys have now been killed in the West Bank in the past few weeks.&nbsp; An American woman was detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank. &nbsp;Two young American men were also detained by Israeli forces in Gaza.&nbsp; Have those detainees gotten U.S. consular access?&nbsp; Do you even know where those detainees are?&nbsp; And when it comes to the investigations into the teenagers’ deaths, where do those stand?SECRETARY BLINKEN:&nbsp; Thanks, Alex.QUESTION:&nbsp; And Mr. Secretary, may I ask the prime minister also a question?&nbsp; Albania recognized Palestine in 1988.&nbsp; Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office said earlier today that now is not the time to be speaking about gifts for the Palestinian people.&nbsp; Do you think that a two-state solution is still possible with the current Israeli Government, and how do you and the U.S. think that is achievable?&nbsp; Thank you both.SECRETARY BLINKEN:&nbsp; Thank you, Alex.&nbsp; So look, on the first question, I’m obviously not going to be speaking for the prime minister or telling you what his views may or may not be on these questions.&nbsp; You’ll have to ask him yourself or have others ask him.&nbsp; All I can tell you is this.&nbsp; As I said to Olivia’s question, we believe it must be and must remain a priority to do everything we can to bring the hostages home, to get them back with their loved ones, and that’s where our focus is.&nbsp; We’ve done a lot of work to try to get back to this point; that is where we think an agreement is possible, even if it – even if difficult.&nbsp;And at least from the perspective of the United States, we think it’s imperative that we continue to pursue that urgently.&nbsp; And as I said, that would bring many other benefits with it, and notably an extended pause to the conflict, an extended expansion of humanitarian assistance, all things that would be very, very welcome – more than welcome – by men, women, and children in Gaza who continue to suffer every single day.&nbsp; So that’s where our focus is, but in terms of timing, how one thing fits with another, you’ll have to ask the prime minister.Edi.PRIME MINISTER RAMA:&nbsp; Yes.QUESTION:&nbsp; Mr. Secretary, on the detainees &#8212;SECRETARY BLINKEN:&nbsp; Oh, I’m sorry.&nbsp; Yes, on the detainees – or this question – well, two things.&nbsp; First, with regard to American citizens who reportedly were killed, the first thing I would say is our deepest condolences to the families, to the loved ones, to the friends.&nbsp; You’ve heard me say this before, the President feels the same say: the safety, the security of American citizens around the world is our number one priority, our number one responsibility.&nbsp; And we’ve made clear that with regard to the instance you alluded to, there needs to be an investigation.&nbsp; We need to get the facts and, if appropriate, there needs to be accountability.With regard to detainees, there is a limit to what I can say because of the privacy laws and the requirements that flow from that.&nbsp; But I can just say in general, without reference to specific cases, we insist that people be treated fairly, that they be treated with due process, and that they be treated humanely.&nbsp; And that’s something that, regardless of where an American citizen might be detained, we insist on and will continue to insist on.Prime Minister.PRIME MINISTER RAMA:&nbsp; It’s in my humble view the hardest (inaudible) one can get.&nbsp; And the answer straightforward to your question: yes, Albania has recognized Palestine long ago.To give you a little background, Albania was a communist dictatorship, and our dictator was one of the closest friends and allies of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, PLO, and of Yasser Arafat.&nbsp; And on the other hand, our regime was very viciously against three major devils – United States, Soviet Union, and Israel, so in other words, American imperialism, Soviet social imperialism, and Jewish Zionism.&nbsp; But this country, on the other hand, is the only country in Europe that had more Jews after the Second World War than before, and it’s the only country where Jews didn’t fly out, but flew in to be protected.&nbsp; And as it is very well shown in Yad Vashem, it’s a country where the Nazis didn’t succeed to get a single Jew.&nbsp; This is the background.Now, of course, the situation is tragic because on one hand, Israel has its legitimate right to defend itself, but on the other hand, the destroyal and the loss of life on the Palestinian side are far too much to accept the escalation, the further escalation.&nbsp; And the trouble is that this further escalation is not an action that, at the end, by itself will wipe out Hamas or whatever form of Hamas may grow from the bottom of the rubbles.&nbsp; So for sure the two-state solutions – solution is the only way.&nbsp; But my humble opinion is that, in this situation, there are many things that have to happen at the same time.&nbsp; It’s not one thing.&nbsp; Because if one envisage a two-state solution now, just like one piece, then who will be on the Palestinian side?So the reform of Palestinian politics, the need for a body that would somehow represent all the Palestinian society and would be a credible interlocutor to all the parties involved, on one hand; on the other hand, a direct involvement of the Arab countries that are the most interested and those, and also at the same time, the most vulnerable, potentially, from the escalation of this conflict, to create an interforce that, together with Türkiye and under some guarantees of United States, would somehow make sure that what may be a Palestinian state will not be seen like a threat again for Israel.And of course all this without the liberation of hostages sounds very improbable.&nbsp; And at the end, last but not least, for sure I don’t envy the Secretary of State.MODERATOR:&nbsp; And now at the end, we would like to thank you all for being here today.&nbsp; Thank you.						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- Secretary Antony J. Blinken at Youth and Alumni Event “Celebrating the Future of the U.S.-Albania Relationship” HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases&#8230;Secretary Antony J. Blinken at Youth and Alumni Event “Celebrating the Future of the U.S.-Albania Relationship”				hide		if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}																										Secretary Antony J. Blinken at Youth and Alumni Event “Celebrating the Future of the U.S.-Albania Relationship”																																		Remarks																														February 15, 2024																																							SECRETARY BLINKEN:&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for what has truly been – truly been – a wonderful welcome to the land of the eagles.&nbsp; I can feel the warmth outside, but I can also feel the warmth in this room and every room I’ve already been in Tirana, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.&nbsp; Fiori, thank you for your extraordinary leadership.&nbsp; I think it’s the most powerful evidence that one can see of the power of our youth and exchange programs.&nbsp; For me, being able to celebrate some of the impact of these programs with alumni and participants is a really important moment.&nbsp; To each and every one of you for all that you’re doing to strengthen ties between our countries, between Albania and the United States, thank you.&nbsp;To David Wisner for leading our embassy here in Tirana, including everything that the embassy is doing to connect our peoples in different ways; and last, but certainly not least, Mr. Prime Minister, Edi, it’s great to be here with you.&nbsp; It’s great to be here in a city that I know, in your past capacity as mayor, you did so much to make even more vibrant, not to mention more colorful.&nbsp; I’m grateful not just for that, but truly for the extraordinary partnership that we have.&nbsp; I have to say the prime minister is both an extraordinary leader and an extraordinary partner, and I can’t think of a time over the last three and a half years where we haven’t had a challenge that needed to be faced where the prime minister has not stood up, stood alongside us, and faced it together.&nbsp; And we’re grateful for it.&nbsp; Thank you.&nbsp; (Applause.)&nbsp;Now, it’s been noted that this place, this magnificent space, really embodies Albania’s trajectory since the end of the Cold War.&nbsp; As was noted, when this pyramid was built three and a half decades ago, it symbolized the past.&nbsp; It memorialized an autocrat who sent Albanians to labor camps and closed the country off from the rest of the world.&nbsp; Back then, if you were looking really hard, the only hint of a relationship between our countries was maybe a voice you heard on Voice of America on a hidden transistor radio, or maybe a smuggled can of Coca-Cola on a birthday.&nbsp;Now, look around us.&nbsp; This place is filled with light; it’s filled with activity.&nbsp; It houses cafes, classrooms, tech incubators.&nbsp; It’s not a relic to the past; it’s a powerful living symbol of the present and the future.&nbsp; Home to EducationUSA, where Albanians can learn about studying in the United States.&nbsp; And of course, it was renovated thanks in part to an investment from the Albanian American Development Foundation, showing how Albania and the United States are building that future together.&nbsp; Simply put, like this building, Albania has been transformed.&nbsp; Everywhere you look – and I even got a sense of this just driving in the streets today – you see energy.&nbsp; You feel optimism about the future, a future integrated with Europe, with the West, with the world.&nbsp;Last year, a record number of tourists visited Albania.&nbsp; The Albanian national team just qualified for the Euro Cup for the second time ever.&nbsp; And I understand the last time that that happened, which goes back to 2016, that was also, it was noted, the last time someone in my position as Secretary of State visited.&nbsp; Now, I’m not saying that there’s a connection between these events, but maybe I should come back during the Euro Cup finals and see – (applause).&nbsp;You’re also seeing powerful ties between our countries play out in so many different and new ways.&nbsp; Americans – young Americans and not so young Americans – are dancing the night away quite literally to Dua Lipa.&nbsp; The chief technology officer at OpenAI – and think about this for a second – one of the people who’s helping to shape some of the world’s most powerful emerging technologies is of course Mira Murati, born in Vlore.&nbsp; One of the best restaurants in my native city, New York, is an Albanian place that apparently serves a very outstanding (inaudible), which I have yet to experience for myself, but we’ll get there.&nbsp;But here’s the thing – and these examples are just examples of something much larger.&nbsp; Albania’s shift from closed to open wasn’t flipping a light switch.&nbsp; You all know this; very few things in life are that simple or that easy.&nbsp; Young people – young people like the people in this room, like each of you – brought about change.&nbsp; Young people are essential to continue the drive for Albania’s transformation and for Albania’s future.In this room, we have with us today journalists who are exposing corruption and holding leaders accountable; women entrepreneurs are turning ideas into successful businesses; civil society leaders working to protect Albania’s environment and to counter violent extremism, to make Albania more equitable and more inclusive.Now, some of you helped welcome Afghan families who were fleeing the Taliban, showing how you genuinely and powerfully uphold the commitment, the – the duty to care for the vulnerable.&nbsp; And I’m learning so much about that.I have to tell you, just a short while ago before coming here, I was at our embassy.&nbsp; And I had a chance to sit down with some Afghan families who had come out of Afghanistan, come here to Albania, and will soon go to the United States to start their new lives.&nbsp; That journey would not be possible without Albania.&nbsp; And it’s – (applause).&nbsp;It’s not just the fact that you’re welcoming our friends and partners from Afghanistan; it’s the way you do it that is so powerful.&nbsp;I’ll digress for a second just to tell you it was incredibly moving to me, among the Afghan refugees who were there (inaudible) coming to the United States were two parents, a husband and wife.&nbsp; And they have, I believe – I think it was five children, each of whom had been number one in their class at school.&nbsp; But then when the Taliban came back, the girls couldn’t go to school anymore.&nbsp; But the mother insisted that even without that, they find ways to continue learning, and they were able to do some things online when they had access to internet.&nbsp; Even when they didn’t, she found ways.&nbsp;And with that work, her twin daughters – 14 years old – who have just been here for a few months, they’ll be going on to the United States very soon.&nbsp; In the course of the last year – I guess they’ve been here for about a year – they both learned fluent English.&nbsp; Fourteen years old.&nbsp; They both had incredible visions of what they wanted to do with their lives, what they wanted to do with their future.&nbsp; One of the sisters wants to be in fashion, and she had designed the shirts that they were wearing.&nbsp; The other wanted to be in business, and I suggested that maybe they could actually work together and one of them could do fashion, the other could do business.But here’s the thing:&nbsp; You could see this extraordinary hope in their eyes about the future – hope that had been taken away by this incredibly dark chapter in Afghanistan, but hope that had been renewed and reborn because they were able to come here, go on to the United States, because of Albania.&nbsp; And I can’t tell you how grateful I am to you for the partnership that we’ve had in helping our friends from Afghanistan.&nbsp; (Applause.)Dea Rrozhanizani from here in Tirana is an alumna of one of our department’s most wonderful programs, TechGirls.&nbsp; She participated in the summer program, and some of you may have been involved in that.&nbsp; But it brings teenage girls to the United States, encourages them to pursue science and engineering careers.&nbsp; She created an app to fight gender-based violence, and the only reason she’s not with us today is because she’s studying computer science at the University of Pennsylvania.&nbsp; Dea had put it this way – she said this:&nbsp; I don’t close my eyes before problems; I tackle them – I don’t complain; I act.&nbsp; So that’s something I’m going to try to keep in mind myself, because it’s a very good lesson for the challenges we face every day.But that’s the point of the exchange programs that we’re so fortunate to be able to conduct.&nbsp; No country has a monopoly on good ideas.&nbsp; We want to learn from you, just as we hope there are maybe some things you can learn from us.&nbsp; It’s the connections between our people, the back and forth, that’s so powerful and that leads to so many amazing outcomes.I’ve had the great opportunity over the last 30 years, working for the United States Government in one way or another, to travel around the world.&nbsp; And one of the things I’ve discovered is this:&nbsp; Somewhere, someone has probably found – if not the solution – at least the beginning of the solution, the answer to a problem we’re trying to solve.&nbsp; But if that experience, if that understanding, if that insight isn’t shared, then we all have to start from the beginning again.&nbsp; The more we can connect, the more we can share experience, share ideas, and share insights, the better off we’re all going to be.The United States and Albania established formal diplomatic ties over a century ago.&nbsp; For almost half that period, our people were actually denied the chance to know one another, as the prime minister said.&nbsp; But with young people like you deepening the partnership between us, I know – I’m convinced – that the next century will see us make our countries and the world that we share just a little bit more stable, a little bit more secure, a little bit more prosperous, a little bit more filled with opportunity.&nbsp;You’re the ones who will be doing that.&nbsp; And to each and every one of you, I’m grateful and I can’t see – I can’t wait to see what you’re going to do with the future that we’ll build together.&nbsp;Thank you.&nbsp; (Applause.)						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- Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Albanian President Bajram Begaj Before Their Meeting Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of StateTirana, AlbaniaPresident’s OfficeSECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thank you so much, Mr. President.   It’s a privilege.PRESIDENT BEGAJ:  A great pleasure.  Thank you.SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thank you.PRESIDENT BEGAJ:  This is very good that we can demonstrate that our strategic partnership is stronger than ever.SECRETARY BLINKEN:  I could not agree more.  Thank you.PRESIDENT BEGAJ:  And I’m grateful about what you are doing for Albania, for Kosovo and in the region.  And, of course, I cannot leave without mentioning that you have done so much for Albanian democracy, about rule of law, about justice reform, and in defense and security, and of course, in economy and education.  And I can assure you that Albania is committed to be always with you, and of course, we’ll be a contributor to the regional and global security.SECRETARY BLINKEN:  We see that every day.  This is a partnership, and we’re grateful for it.  We know that so many of the challenges each of us has we can most effectively deal with together, not alone.  And so for us to have the friendship, the partnership – it’s been 101 years of diplomatic relations, but the last few years in particular we’ve seen the strength of the partnership in so many different areas.  So it’s a great pleasure.PRESIDENT BEGAJ:  It’s a strong message that you are supporting Albania, Albanian foreign policy, and of course the future of Albania – its way to European unification.SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Yes.PRESIDENT BEGAJ:  And I am sure that – and I see this visit as a bright future for Albania and our partnership.  Strategic partnership will be for more hundred years to come, so we will have time to celebrate.SECRETARY BLINKEN:  It’s a very – a very good wish.PRESIDENT BEGAJ:  Good.  Thank you.
- The United States and Albania: NATO Allies and Close Friends Office of the SpokespersonThe United States has been a strong partner and friend to Albania since the first diplomatic relations were established in 1922 and reestablished in 1991 following the fall of communist rule. We have been proud to partner with Albania as it has made progress to reinforce democracy, open up its economy, and provide greater opportunity for all its people. Albania and the United States have signed a number of arrangements, including a treaty on the prevention of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the promotion of defense and military relations; the Adriatic Charter on Euro-Atlantic integration; an arrangement for the operation of an Afghan Special Immigrant Visa platform on Albanian soil; and a memorandum of understanding on 4G and 5G security. The United States supports Albania’s European Union membership goal, as it did for Albania’s pursuit of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership.Bilateral Economic RelationsThe United States and Albania are committed to enhancing economic and commercial ties. In recent years, Albania has made great strides in promoting trade and opening a variety of sectors to foreign investment. Energy, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, travel and tourism, construction, and agriculture are leading sectors for U.S. exports and investment growth. United States investment in Albania has tripled compared to the pre-pandemic level of 2019, while trade in commodities between the two countries increased by one and a half times. Major imports from the United States include food, vehicles, and machinery, while&nbsp;the main exports to the United States include agricultural goods, ferroalloys, aluminum, and footwear. Albania is eligible to export certain products duty-free to the United States under the Generalized System of Preferences program. The United States and Albania have ratified a bilateral investment treaty.U.S. Assistance to AlbaniaU.S. Government assistance aims to help Albania strengthen democratic institutions and rule of law; promote sustainable, broad-based economic growth; and integrate the country into European and Euro-Atlantic structures. The United States will continue to partner with Albania to counter corruption and organized crime and improve transparent, inclusive governance, critical for the country’s success in on its path toward EU integration. The United States and Albania are implementing one of our largest cyber security assistance efforts, amounting to over $50 million in support of strengthening Albania’s cyber defenses.Albania’s Membership in International OrganizationsAlbania and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization. Albania also is an observer to the Organization of American States. As of June 2014, Albania is a candidate for accession into the European Union.Standing Together in Support of UkraineThe United States and Albania are working together – in coordination with other Allies and partners – to secure Ukraine’s future as a sovereign, free, and prosperous nation. We are committed to supporting the courageous and resilient people of Ukraine, helping them defend their nation from Russia’s brutal, unprovoked aggression, and deter against future attacks.Albania regularly contributes to regional and global security. Within the Adriatic Charter, Albania has acted as a mentor to new NATO aspirants. Albania and U.S. service members have stood side by side in military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq and as part of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL. We have worked together to freeze terror assets and shut down non-governmental organizations with possible links to terrorist financing. Albania contributes to operations around the globe, with troops deployed to Latvia as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) and to Kosovo as part of KFOR. Albania has committed to the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force and Enhanced Vigilance Activity. Beyond NATO, Albania sent its first-ever deployment to the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) peacekeeping mission in the Sinai and is a member of the Combined Maritime Force supporting operations in the Red Sea.Albania also hosts persistent a U.S. military presence. In 2022, Albania welcomed a Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR) headquarters, Task Group Balkans, and a U.S. Army Security Forces Assistance Brigade (SFAB) and works closely with the New Jersey National Guard on cyber defense and military training. Albania’s close relationship with both the New Jersey National Guard and SFAB helped them to successfully pass its NATO Combat Readiness Evaluation in late 2022.Assisting our Afghan Allies in their Time of NeedWith Albania’s steadfast support, the United States is making good on the commitments made to our Afghan allies. Albania’s assistance embodies its humanity and deep-rooted tradition of taking care of and giving refuge to those in need and further highlights the profound affinity between our nations.People to People ConnectionsAlbania and the United States share a strong connection and affinity that dates back to President Woodrow Wilson’s intervention in favor of Albania’s independence. Since the fall of communism in 1991, Americans and Albanians boosted our joint ties through exchange programs including the Fulbright, YES high school exchange, International Visitor Leadership Program, and others. There are more than 2,000 Albanian alumni of U.S. government programs. Peace Corps Volunteers serve throughout the country since 1992 and have been a vital part of people-to-people connections between our countries.For further information, please contact EUR-Press@state.gov, or visit website.						Tags																					Albania																								Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs																								Office of the Spokesperson																																Secretary Trip
- Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien And Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Yuri Kim Previewing Secretary Blinken’s Upcoming Travel to Albania and Germany James O&#039;Brien, Assistant Secretary Bureau of European and Eurasian AffairsYuri Kim, Principal Deputy Assistant SecretaryBureau of European and Eurasian AffairsVia TeleconferenceMR PATEL:  Hey.  Good afternoon, everybody, and thanks so much for joining us and appreciate everyone’s flexibility on the last-minute time change.  Just a quick – a few ground rules at the top.  This call is going to be on the record but embargoed until the call’s conclusion.  We, of course, will have some time for questions at the end, but wanted to give a quick introduction of our speakers.Joining us today is Assistant Secretary Jim O’Brien and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Yuri Kim.  They will talk through the Secretary’s visit to Albania as well as the Munich Security Conference.  So Ambassador Kim, why don’t I kick it over to you first?AMBASSADOR KIM:  Okay, great.  Thanks very much for the opportunity.  So as everybody knows, we’re going to be taking off tomorrow for a two-stop trip in Europe.  The first stop is going to be essentially a day stop in Albania that’ll run from about 11:00 until about 7:00 or 8:00 in the evening.  And this is really a stop that is going to focus on the future, the future of Albania, the future of the Western Balkans, where you may recall that Assistant Secretary Jim O’Brien recently was there was to talk about Bosnia-Herzegovina, but in any case, the future of the Western Balkans and the future of Europe.In all of this, the visit comes as we’re kicking off the second 100 years of U.S.-Albania relations.  It comes at a time when we want to go and thank Prime Minister Rama and Albania for being our co-penholder on the UN Security Council from .  They’re now on the Human Rights Council.  We want to emphasize and highlight the great cooperation that we have with Albania, we want to thank them for having been a main host of Afghans in need, with the Albanians continuing their historic tradition of giving refuge to those who are in the way of harm – in harm’s way.  So that’s what we want to do.There are a few events here.  It’s a pretty tight schedule.  So he’ll go and he’ll meet with the President Begaj, and then he’ll have a meeting with the prime minister.  This is not necessarily in chronological order, by the way.  But he’ll have a bilateral meeting with the prime minister, at the tail end of which he’ll have a joint press avail.In between that, though, somewhere along the line, he’s going to have a lovely encounter with young people, probably about 100 or so folks, and it’s noteworthy for a couple of reasons.  First is that it’s about 100 people who have gone through our various exchange programs, like the Fulbright or the IVLP and any number of other programs.  And the venue for that event is going to be the pyramid.This used to be – I think many of you are familiar with Albania’s reputation during the bad old communist days as the North Korea of Europe, a severely isolated and repressive regime.  The pyramid was built during the ’80s as a mausoleum to their dictator Enver Hoxha, and it’s kind of gone through several incarnations since the collapse of communism in 1991.  But a couple of years ago, the city of Tirana and the Albanian-American Development Foundation joined hands to remake the pyramid into essentially an incubator for innovation and tech.So I think it’s as lovely idea.  It’s also a building that was designed by – I think it was Dutch designers.  But it’s quite interesting, and we’re looking forward to taking a look at this facility that’s just been opened a few months ago.Let me stop there.MR PATEL:  Great.  Let’s now pass it over to Assistant Secretary O’Brien.ASSISTANT SECRETARY O’BRIEN:  Thanks, Vedant, and thanks, Yuri.  I’ll just say a few words.  So the Secretary will spend Friday and Saturday at the Munich Security Conference.  It’s a venue that brings together leaders from across the European and Eurasian land mass, but also from around the globe, so it’s a convenient spot to address a number of issues.The delegation – U.S. delegation is being led by Vice President Harris.  The Secretary and the Vice President will have some work together, and – as well as she will deliver a keynote address in the conference as well.Throughout his meetings he’s going to be highlighting four themes.  One is support for Ukraine – so he will pivot off today’s move from the – by the Senate on the supplemental bill, but also address how our coalition can continue to make this war even more a strategic failure for Russia, but also help Ukraine succeed.The second theme will be addressing the Middle East.  So he’ll reaffirm U.S. support for Israel’s right to respond to terrorist attacks, and also talk about how the situation in Gaza can be ameliorated, and in particular taking all possible steps to protect civilians and to increase the amount of humanitarian assistance, taking into account the discussions that are ongoing about releasing hostages and a potential pause in the fighting.The third theme is to talk about the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.  And given the global participants at the conference, this will be a good opportunity to drive that message home.And the final theme will be to discuss the importance of cooperation in international institutions and with states from around the world.  One event that will highlight this theme will be a public forum that’s on multilateralism with the Indian minister of external affairs and the German foreign minister.  So for our German journalist guests, this will be one public manifestation of why we think this is not only a good conference, but it is very good that it be held in Germany with one of our primary global partners, the German Government.With that, Vedant, why don’t I turn it back over to you and we can address questions that may come up.MR PATEL:  Great, thanks so much.  Operator, could you please remind folks on instructions to join the question queue?OPERATOR:  If you would like to ask a question on today’s call, please press 1 then 0.  You may remove yourself from queue at any time by pressing 1 then 0 again.  If you are on a speaker phone, please pick up the handset before pressing the numbers.  Once again, the command to ask a question is 1, then 0.  And one moment please for our first question.MR PATEL:  Let’s first go to the line of Nick Schifrin from PBS.QUESTION:  Thanks so much for this.  Jim, one of the obvious questions going into Munich follows the former president’s comments on NATO this weekend.  How will the Secretary reinforce the message that the President has been sending that we are united with Ukraine and that we’re united transatlantically despite the former president’s comments, when the Secretary does not have the supplemental in hand to be able to say the U.S. is putting its money where its mouth is?  Thanks.ASSISTANT SECRETARY O’BRIEN:  Vedant, do you want to take a few, or do you want me just to address that?MR PATEL:  Sure, go ahead.  Go ahead, Jim.ASSISTANT SECRETARY O’BRIEN:  Okay.  Yeah.  Hey, Nick, sorry – sorry I didn’t get to see you yesterday.  Hope everything’s all right.QUESTION:  Yeah, sorry about that.  Thank you.ASSISTANT SECRETARY O’BRIEN:  So no, I think people around the world are – understand our domestic process and that the U.S. works through these processes at a time.  So it won’t be a surprise to them that we’re mid-course.  I think they’ll take heart from the size of the vote and from the President’s endorsement of the legislation as it emerged, and that will give us a strong hand there.  A question will be whether the former president is expressing his pride that contributions to defense went up under his time, just as they did for the two administrations surrounding him; or whether he’s expressing skepticism that they should go up.  And I think that’s for him to clarify.  But I think it’s been clear for now 75 years this summer that the U.S. stands by our NATO commitments.  Administrations from both parties of all ideological persuasions have regarded NATO as the bedrock of our security, certainly in Europe but increasingly a global partner.  And I think that’s the answer that they will come to.  So the Secretary can explain this, put it in context, and prepare to then carry back to the U.S. the message of support that we get from our partners.And I’ll just close with this note.  One point that has been a theme since the end of the Cold War has been that the U.S. needs to do things with others, not alone, without support from others.  In the case of Ukraine, our partners have contributed more in assistance than the U.S. has.  Even on defense cooperation they are providing almost as much as we are, and in total it’s more.  So this is an example of what the U.S. has always wanted, of having our partners with us when we engage in something like this.  And the size and the increases we’re seeing in partners’ commitment to their own defense, particularly in NATO, also illustrates how we’re in this together.  And that’s how they’ll emerge from the Munich conference.MR PATEL:  Thanks so much.  Let’s next go to the line of Felicia Schwartz with The Financial Times.QUESTION:  If you could speak to how the West’s assessment of what Russia would do – you had Denmark’s defense minister say recently that Russia could attack a NATO country in as little as three years.  That’s changed since 2022 when the U.S. and other partners were sure that Russia would not attack a NATO country.  So I’m wondering how you can explain that shift.ASSISTANT SECRETARY O’BRIEN:  I didn’t hear the first part of the question; I apologize.QUESTION:  No worries.  Recently Denmark’s defense minister said Russia could attack a NATO country in as little as three years, and I’m wondering how – I think we heard from the U.S. and others in 2022, when the war first started, that the assessment was that Russia would not attack a NATO country.  So – anytime soon.  So I’m wondering if you can speak to how this assessment has changed.ASSISTANT SECRETARY O’BRIEN:  I haven’t seen what the Danish defense minister said, so I don’t know the context of that.  I think we’ve been very clear that the best deterrence comes from preparing our defense.  The collective security aspect of NATO increases the ability of each of its members to defend its territory.  So having a strong NATO, having a NATO where its members increase their investment in their defense, and having the U.S. stand strong along with the collective security element of NATO, we think, is an effective way of keeping Russia from being aggressive.As far as what Russia will do, I think we just got several hours of President Putin.  And at any time in that fairly friendly interview, he could have said that he had no designs or no interest.  Instead, we got a history lesson on just how far-reaching his interests might be.  But I think it will depend on whether he assesses that there’s an opportunity, and that’s why strong defense of the kind we’ll emphasize this weekend is the best answer.MR PATEL:  Great, let’s next go to the line of Alex Marquardt with CNN.QUESTION:  Ambassador, the number two point on your summary there, the – addressing issues in Israel and Gaza, just specifically, where do you – do you think the Secretary is going to be addressing that?  It seems that the two opportunities that we’re going to see him speak publicly in Albania and then in the forum on multilateralism don’t exactly lend themselves to addressing those issues.  So when will he be speaking to that?And then I don’t – it might be too soon for this, but is there anything that happened today in Cairo in terms of the hostage talks, the talks on a humanitarian pause, that he would hope to build on in meetings and conversations in Munich?ASSISTANT SECRETARY O’BRIEN:  Vedant, do you want to take the question?  So I think the Secretary is going to have a number of meetings in the private part of the conference, and I think that’ll be where we discuss with our partners from the region and from Europe on next steps across the Middle East, the Red Sea, Gaza, and so on.  But Vedant, do you want to take more on that?  And then I’m not going to comment on the discussions in Cairo.MR PATEL:  Yeah.  Absolutely.  Thanks, Jim.  And just to build on what the ambassador said, we expect the Secretary to have a number of bilateral engagements over the course of the Munich Security Conference.  We’ll of course have more to share on those as the schedules for each day become clearer and clearer.  And we expect in a number of those the Secretary will address and discuss with his counterparts the ongoing conflict in Gaza.Separately, on your second question, Alex, I just don’t have any updates for you.  And again, this call is limited in scope on the upcoming trip.  We just finished the Daily Press Briefing where I believe Spokesperson Miller addressed a number of these things, so would point you back to that.Let’s next go to the line of Alex Raufoglu with News Agency Turan.QUESTION:  Hi, Vedant.  Thank you so much for doing this, and I appreciate the speakers for their time.  Quick questions about the Munich leg of the trip and the security conversation.  Is – on Sweden’s NATO accession and Hungary’s opposition to it, is the Secretary planning to get more publicly and more directly involved into this given his history of active engagement on this topic as recently as with the Turks?  Do we know what Hungary’s reason actually is or if they even have any reason?And my second question about Azerbaijan-Armenia, Munich summits have been a place for engagement recently.  As you know, last year Secretary hosted a trilateral meeting.  Just wondering how much of the latest clashes complicate diplomacy or potential – a path for diplomacy.  And why do you think this is happening now?  Thank you so much.ASSISTANT SECRETARY O’BRIEN:  I’m sorry, I didn’t get the context of the second question.  I apologize.  I’m at the airport so it’s a little noisy.  I just heard a reference to a trilateral last year, but I’m &#8212;QUESTION:  Right, can you hear me now?ASSISTANT SECRETARY O’BRIEN:  Yes.QUESTION:  Yes, yes, the question was:  Given the latest clashes between the two countries, how much it complicates the path – potential – for potential diplomacy at the summit?  And why do you think these clashes are happening right now?  Thanks so much again.ASSISTANT SECRETARY O’BRIEN:  Yeah.  So on the first question, I don’t know that we’d characterize it as Hungary opposing.  What Prime Minister Orban has said is that – first he said Hungary would not be the last to ratify Sweden, and we hope it will not be the last for long.  And he said as soon as parliament returns in its regular session, which will be next week, the 26th, it will take up the matter.  He anticipates that they’ll approve Sweden’s membership in NATO.  So we’ll expect to hold them to that, and I think that’s the path that we’re on.On the latter, I think the tensions now just point to the importance of more diplomacy, but I don’t want to speculate on any particular recent action, so we’ll just continue the path of trying to bring the parties together.MR PATEL:  Great.  Let’s next go to the line of Michael Birnbaum.QUESTION:  (Inaudible) so much for doing this.  I appreciate it.  A question about Europe looking at the American political context and Trump’s general attitudes toward defending Europe.  There are a few ideas that flit over the air about kind of setting up a more Europe- based defense system, different kind of fallback plans for how Europe could defend itself better if America were not ultimately coming to its aid.  Do you think those kinds of efforts are useful?  I mean, do you think it’d be better if Europe were in fact able to stand on its own if it ever got there, or do you think that’s actually counterproductive to NATO planning, NATO efforts, and a general kind of ongoing transatlantic bond?  What do you think the Europeans should do when they look at those Trump comments and the U.S. political scene?ASSISTANT SECRETARY O’BRIEN:  But I think, Michael – and thanks for the question.  I think for us the important point is that our partners should invest in their defense.  That’s the goal between both the top-line measurements – 2 percent of GDP invested in national defense, 20 percent of that on major equipment – but also on NATO’s effort to have a strong regional defense plan that it can actually execute so we know the money is being spent wisely.The question of exactly how they’d spend that money is something that we discuss within the Alliance and across the partnerships, and I expect certainly at the NATO Summit this summer we’ll have some discussions on how we look at what defense will be needed in the future, and we’ll come out of that a stronger Alliance.  I think that’s independent of daily headlines.This particular surge in investment in defense is something that started in 2014.  We saw the investment numbers go up immediately after the Wales Summit in 2014, and they continued going up through the Obama administration, across the Trump administration, and they in fact increased even more in the first few years of the Biden administration.  So this is a thing that’s independent of a particular firestorm, but it’s the right thing for an alliance to do.MR PATEL:  Great, let’s next go to the line of Nadia Bilbassy.QUESTION:  Hi, thank you for doing this.  A couple of questions.  First, why do you feel the need to send two senior officials to the Munich summit?  You have the Secretary of State, the Vice President.  Apart from that you outlined that she will give a keynote speech, how their roles will be similar or overlap?And second, on Gaza, if I’m not wrong, I think you said that the Secretary will explain Israel’s right to defend itself and the U.S. position, but there’s never been an agreement with European leaders.  I think they disagree on how the war is executed and the large number of civilian casualties.  So what exactly the message for the Secretary, and why do you feel there is a need to keep repeating that Israel has the right to defend itself?  Thank you.MR PATEL:  Jim, do you want me to – do you want me to take those?ASSISTANT SECRETARY O’BRIEN:  Yeah, why don’t you do that one.  Yeah.MR PATEL:  First, Nadia, I would say that there are – we expect a number of officials from the U.S. Government to be present at the Munich Security Conference, and their respective departments and offices can – I’m sure would be happy to walk through their specific programming.  From the State Department’s perspective, this is a really important opportunity to meet with counterparts from Europe as well as from other parts of the world to discuss the very important issues at hand.  I expect, of course, that the Secretary will do that, but I fully expect that other American officials will be – will have their own scheduling cadence of bilateral engagements, and it’s important for those to continue at the various levels of governmental representation that we will have at the Munich Security Conference.On your second point, I take issue with the phrasing of your question.  We believe that there continues to be convergence between us and our European allies on the right for Israel to be able to defend itself and to hold the Hamas terrorists who conducted the October 7th terroristic attacks accountable.  We expect that the Secretary will talk about these things in his bilateral engagements, but as well as talking about the very important matters of ensuring that additional steps be taken to minimize the impact on civilians as well as additional steps be taken to ensure that humanitarian aid can continue to flow into Gaza.Let’s now go to the line of Humeyra Pamuk with Reuters.QUESTION:  Hello, can you hear me?MR PATEL:  Yeah, go ahead.QUESTION:  Okay, sorry.  Thanks.  I accidentally hung up and came back, so I’m sorry if something like this was asked in – during my absence.  Also, Ambassador Kim must be delighted to be returning, sort of paying a short visit to her previous post, where she was almost a borderline celebrity.  I’m just going to ask about Ukraine.  I wonder what’s going to be your message of support to Ukraine given the supplemental is struggling to pass.  How can you really assure the allies when, because of Congress, the administration is effectively unable to put its money where its mouth is?And maybe a follow-up to a previous question on Trump:  How are you going to, like, choreograph that message?  How are you going to reinforce when a former president who’s also campaigning is coming out with such strong commentary about NATO and where – when, according to the polls, that there is a decent chance that he might be at the White House this time next year?  What exactly – like, how can you assure the allies that U.S. policy will have continuity basically?  Thank you.ASSISTANT SECRETARY O’BRIEN:  Vedant, I gave a bit of an answer to that.  Do you want me to try and improve, or do you want to take a shot?  Why don’t I – I can go ahead.So I think that here are the main points.  Our allies understand that we have domestic politics just as they do, and they can look at progress through the – through our Congress.  They also have seen, as I have, that there is overwhelming support from members in the House as well as the Senate for the supplemental.  The question is whether the leadership will put it to a vote, and that’s a choice that the Speaker in particular has to face, and we have seen this situation happen before.  I believe the U.S. will do the right thing because we understand that if we stand with our allies that all of us are stronger together.As far as how people interpret President Trump’s views, I think that’s up to them – whether they interpret him as expressing his pride that he brought increased investment into the national defense of our Allies or that he’s expressing skepticism that that was necessary.  But I believe that Americans stood by NATO for 75 years as its leading member and will continue.  We’re going to prepare this summer for the next period of NATO defending our future, and I think our Allies will see that commitment and know that even when America has come close to adopting isolation sentiments, we have always come back to this leadership role.  That’s the purpose of an alliance: that you know you can count on each other whatever the headlines are from week to week.MR PATEL:  Thanks so much, Ambassador.  And that, folks, is all the time we have for today.  As a reminder, this call was on the record, embargoed until the call’s conclusion, which (inaudible).MR TEK:  Sorry, we lost Vedant.  Just as a reminder, this call is concluded.  It was on the record and embargoed until now.  Thank you all so much for joining us and have a great rest of your day.
- Travel to Albania and Germany, February 14-17, 2024 HomeTravels with the Secretary of State &#8230;Travel to Albania and Germany, February 14-17, 2024				hide		if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}																										Travel to Albania and Germany, February 14-17, 2024																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																					Close																																																	Tags																					Albania																								Germany																								The Secretary of State