AP: Blinken expected to address Kosovo-Serbia tensions during Tirana visit

The US Secretary of State visits Albania, a key regional ally seeking membership in the European Union.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Albania on Thursday to reaffirm relations with a key partner in the Balkans and an ally in supporting Ukraine's fight against Russia's full-scale invasion.

Blinken will meet with senior officials and will focus on the future of the Western Balkans as Albania and some neighbours seek membership in the European Union, according to senior American officials. Washington has strongly supported Albania's EU integration.

The US has praised Albania's leadership in the war-torn region and its final role in the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member. Albania is a NATO member and has regularly sent small army units to international peacekeeping missions and NATO operations.

Albania will host an international summit for Ukraine at the end of this month, where the president of Ukraine is expected to attend.

The AP writes that tensions between neighbours, Kosovo and Serbia can be addressed during Blinken's visit to Tirana.

EU-mediated negotiations to normalise their relations have had slow progress, while violent random incidents have sparked fears of instability. The United States and the EU have expressed concern over Kosovo's recent ban on the dinar as currency in its Serb majority municipalities”, the AP writes.

Blinken will also recognise Albania's role after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August 2021, while US and NATO troops withdrew from the country. Albania was the first to house about 3,200 escaped Afghans before moving for final deployment to the United States.

Blinken is expected to meet some of the remaining Afghans in Albania.

After his day in Albania's capital, Blinken goes to Germany for the Security Conference in Munich. /I jumped. tv