Hughes: United States Must Remain Busy in Western Balkans

In an interview for Voice of America, Ambassador Philip Hughes, the representative of this group that collects around itself no career ambassadors, says these three Balkan states have made remarkable progress, but they continue to face challenges from the political interventions of their neighbours or in Albania's case from criminality and corruption and the absence of a genuine democracy.

Hughes also spoke of the United States' decision to declare the person non-grath of Albania's former president, Sali Berisha.

“has impressed us with the progress that Northern Macedonia and Kosovo have made since declaring their independence and the progress Albania has made, since the overthrow of Enver Hoxha's brutal regime and the rebirth as democratic state of”.

“At the same time, we were impressed by the great influence of neighbours on the policies of these three states ʹ the great role Serbia plays on Kosovo's political scene, the great role Bulgaria plays on the Northern Macedonia political scene, and Albania, which, as we understand, has constitutional obligation to look after the welfare of Albanians outside its”For what? VOA.

We were surprised by the aspirations of these states to become full participants of the Euro-Atlantic community and the progress they have made to realise these goals. At the same time, in each case, they have obstacles to EU integration and in the case of Kosovo even in NATO”.

“In the case of Albania, corruption and crime issues on the one hand and problems with a genuine democratic government on the other are obstacles caused by Albania's own political class, which this country must exceed”, He said, among other things, Hughes.