Begaj: US, Albanian's biggest strategic partner

Begaj has written on Facebook that throughout history, the United States has always been on Albania's side.

We're always relying on all our big projects and successes, so we'll always be grateful for that. Happy 101st anniversary of friendship with the US, Albania's biggest strategic partner and Albanians”, he wrote.

Albania and the US mark the 101st anniversary of diplomatic relations. Albania's diplomatic relations - The US started on July 28, 1922, a few months after the end of the Peace Conference in Paris, where former US President Wilson stood by Albanians.

These relations had a 52-year break during the Italian occupation and the communist regime to be restored on March 15, 1991, with the collapse of the regime and the establishment of democracy.

The first US ambassador to Tirana was Ulysses Grant Smith, who launched the diplomatic mission on December 4th 1922. William Reyerson, on the other hand, became the first American ambassador after the restoration of such relations in 1991.

The first Albanian ambassador to Washington was Faik Konica, who was appointed to the post in 1929 by Ahmet Zogu.

The first senior US official to visit Albania was US Secretary of State James Baker, who came to Tirana on 21 June 1991, 3 months after the restoration of relations.

While the first US president to visit Albania was former president, George W. Bush, June 10, 2007.

Otherwise, last year, within the 100th anniversary of the US-Albania diplomatic relations, several different activities have been held, with close partnership between the two countries stressed, and that the US remains one of Albania's strategic allies.