American senators Murphy and Peters meeting in Tirana

2023-05-24 08:09:00, Aktualitet CNA

US Senators Chris Murphy, a member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and US Senator Gary Peters, a member of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, visited Tirana on Tuesday as part of a tour of several from the countries of the Western Balkans. The day before they were in Kosovo, while they will also visit Montenegro and Serbia. Senator Murphy will then go to North Macedonia.

In Albania, as announced by the American embassy through a post on Facebook, the senators met with Prime Minister Edi Rama, President Bajram Begaj and deputies. They also met with representatives of civil society and the media, as well as Afghan evacuees in Albania.

President Begaj wrote on Twitter after the meeting that "the support of the United States is key for a stable and prosperous Western Balkans".

While American Ambassador Yuri Kim pointed out that "as NATO allies and members of the UN Security Council, our cooperation on regional and global issues - from supporting the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo, to the rejection of war of Russia against Ukraine, to removing Afghan friends from danger, to strengthening defenses against cyber attacks. - it is more important than ever", Ambassador Kim wrote on Twitter, quoting Senator Murphy that "the USA has no better friend in the world than Albania".

The visits of two US senators to the Balkans are aimed at discussions with the leaders of the countries of the region on how the US can promote stability and cooperation in the region. "We can never take peace in the Balkans for granted and our visit comes at a key moment for many of these countries. While there has been good progress towards normalization between Serbia and Kosovo, as well as Albania, North Macedonia and Montenegro on the path to EU accession, there is still some way to go. Senator Peters and I will send a strong message that the United States is invested in maintaining regional stability and supports its path toward European integration," said Senator Murphy, according to a US Senate press release on his and Senator Peters' visit. in the region.

"I am proud to represent the thriving Albanian and Kosovar communities in Michigan, and this trip is an important opportunity to reaffirm the United States' commitment to the Western Balkans and discuss our shared strategic goals," said Senator Peters, adding that "we continue to support a stable peace and normalized relations between Kosovo and Serbia and will work together with our partners in the Western Balkans to deepen economic, social and defense ties"./ Voa