Cipa: Cooperation with Albania is of particular geopolitical importance for the USA

Political analyst from Tirana Aleksander Cipa tells Kosovo Online that the visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Albania is of exceptional diplomatic and strategic importance and that the US considers cooperation with Albania to be of special geopolitical importance in the region. He states that two issues are expected to be discussed during Blinken's visit - the situation in the region and institutional coordination between the two countries.

"The visit is diplomatically important because Albania is constantly confirming itself as a strategic partner of the USA. Of course, Albania has a strategic alliance with several other countries, but the relationship with the US has a special weight because of what the USA represents in the international arena. The visit is also important in a historical sense because Washington has continuously supported Albania for a hundred years. I would like to remind you of the statement of the former US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, during her visit in 2012, that we had been together for 100 years and we would be together for the next hundred years. This is a statement of deep diplomatic meaning, which is very important for our region, which these days has numerous divisions. In this sense, the US considers cooperation with Albania to be of particular geopolitical importance in the region. That is why the US State Department, before Blinken's visit, announced that Albania was a reliable ally that helped stability in the region and which had a pro-Euro-Atlantic approach, an approach that was not so strong in other countries of the region," Cipa says.

He also states that the visit is important concerning the situation in the region, especially in Kosovo, and concerning its relations with Serbia.

"The pressure that Serbia exerts on the northern part of Kosovo and the Serbian pretensions is well known because the status of the north has not been determined yet. Problems also arise due to the discrepancy between reality and UN Resolution 1244. Today, Kosovo has become an independent and functional state. The US, more than anyone else, emphasizes the fact that Kosovo is a functional state. Blinken's visit is also important in connection with the international situation, the war in Ukraine, and the influence of other major powers in the region. Our country is under great pressure and due to the interests of countries such as Turkey, Russia, and others that influence the problems of the region, created by history. It is known that this peninsula has historical inter-ethnic conflicts and disagreements. It is also a delicate situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Russia has a negative influence and where a global power like China is joining with its investments and infrastructure projects," Cipa says.

He points out that during Blinken's visit, the differences between Albania and Kosovo on various issues will be discussed.

"It is known that Prime Minister Kurti has diametrically opposite views on some regional projects from Prime Minister Rama, and this includes the difference in his attitude towards a country like the USA or even the most powerful countries in Europe. The relationship between Kurti and Germany was often very important, but there were also problems, especially in connection with the Franco-German plan for an agreement with Serbia. Kurti had conflicts with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic over several chapters of the agreement, especially the one related to the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, i.e. the treatment of Serbia's national currency, the dinar. These issues were discussed at a high level and led to the suspension of the dialogue. Today, there is pressure not only to continue the dialogue, but also to follow up the dialogue, and the talks between Pristina and Belgrade are expected to be more difficult than before. In this sense, Blinken's visit to Tirana brings a message in accordance with the EU position, to influence the relations between the countries of the Western Balkans", Cipa assesses.

Cipa says that it is not surprising that US diplomacy, through its highest representative, the Secretary of State, chooses Germany and Albania to visit.

"Those two countries have specific influences in different regions. Germany has influence on the European continent, and Albania in the Western Balkans. The visit to the Balkans takes on special importance because the USA is interested in the institutional strengthening of the Balkan states, functional democracy, and the rule of law. Several institutions were founded in cooperation with the Americans. Not by chance, Blinken has a meeting in Tirana with the head of the Special Structure for the fight against corruption and organized crime. This institution is a US investment that brought legal stability to Albania, something we lacked in the past. Today is different and striking at high-level corruption is a US strategy. The visit to Germany of course has other purposes, especially in connection with the fact that the US role in NATO has been called into question due to the US election campaign. Blinken brings a message to confirm this alliance between the US and Europe," Cipa says.