US Dialogue Albania, Escobar: Albania becoming important energy centre

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Gabriel Escobar, covering American politics for the Western Balkans, spoke of the Voice of America for bilateral relations and the state of democracy in Albania.

Voice of America: Mr. Escobar, what are the main issues to be discussed in today's strategic dialogue between the United States and Albania.

Sub-Help Secretary Escobar: I'd say everything that concerns bilateral relations. This is the most important meeting between representatives of the United States and representatives of Albania in modern history. We will have representatives from the State Department, the Department of Defense, the Trade, the Finance Corporation for International Development, and other government agencies to find ways to deepen strategic co-operation. In recent years Albania has become a very reliable partner for the United States. Albania plays an important role for regional stability and that in Europe. Now that Albania is a member of the UN Security Council, the country has become a factor of global stability. So it is important that we continue to co-ordinate our attitudes.

Voice of America: One of the sectors in which the United States has been very engaged in Albania is that of energy. What are the expectations for this sector?

Sub-Help Secretary Escobar: Albania is becoming an important energy centre. Now that Europe is facing challenges in the energy sector, we want to find ways of co-operation with Albania to help alleviate these problems. We have the conviction that we can find forms and roads where America can help invest in energy infrastructure in Albania to realise that goal.

Voice of America: The United States supported Albania following Iran's cyber attacks on its infrastructure and offered to help it. What practical help is involved?

Gab Zv/Help Secretary Escobar: This will be part of today's discussions and I hope that, by the end of the day, we will have an agreement on the kind of assistance we will provide; I expect assistance to be both technical and financial, to support the cyber security sector in Albania.

Voice of America: You said today's meeting would involve a wide range of issues. As we know Albania is a country plagued by corruption, and the government has recently announced an initiative for a broad fiscal amnesty, up to $2m. There have been concerns by the IMF, the World Bank, or the European Union, that this could be used for money laundering. Do the United States share similar concerns?

Sub-Help Secretary Escobar: But so do we. We have discussed them with the government of Albania. I would call on the government of Albania to hear these voices and adjust access to fiscal amnesty to comply with global standards and EU requirements.

Voice of America: Do you have any clearer attitude, whether this initiative should be implemented or abandoned?

Sub-Help Secretary Escobar: I don't want to get to the core of the discussions we will have with Albanian officials today, but we will have an open dialogue about what the consequences would be.

Voice of America: There has been opposition and criticism in Albania against the European Union and the United States, as architects of reform in justice, especially from the opposition, criticising the United States for interference in Albania's internal affairs. But recently we have seen a new element, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in a recent speech said, although he did not mention it by name, but understood, that he was referring to the American ambassador, where he said that some of the foreign ambassadors are felt in our courts as in their own homes and had the luxury of publicly sharing consent, or disapproving to the decisions of the” courts. What is your reaction?

Sub-Help Secretary Escobar: What our ambassador does there is very beneficial for Albania. She is the main person for bilateral relations. Everything she does is in very close cooperation with the State Department. These are not individual attitudes, they are institutional attitudes. And I have to stress that corruption issues, organised crime issues, have affected the entire region, not only the concern, so it is important that we co-operate to counter these threats.

Voice of America: I also want to ask you about the status of democracy in Albania. The opposition has been in a disorganized situation since former President Sali Berisha's no-greed announcement. The decision revived him, he leads the party today, or at least most of the party. It may be argued that the decision against him had the opposite effect in some way, especially considering that it was not accompanied by a raising of accusations by the organs of justice. How do such decisions help the battle against corruption in Albania?

Sub-Help Secretary Escobar: The decision to determine it was an institutional decision. It was not an individual decision and it was not a political decision. It was a decision we made because of the corruption we found. I would call on institutions in Albania to consider this. But I mean, that we still have good partners in the Democratic Party, we want the Democratic Party to be a strong and important contributor to political stability in Albania. I would call on supporters of the Democratic Party to think of the image they follow, if they had people at the helm, who were determined by the Secretary of State for Corruption.

Voice of America: You want to add something else to Albania.

Sub-Help Secretary Escobar: I wanted to thank Albania's government for Albania's partnership and people for their friendship. Today's day-to-day meeting is a symbol not only of co-operation between governments but also of deep friendship between the American people and the Albanian people.