TIRANA, Dec. 7 – The Director of Central Intelligence Agency John Brennan visited Albania this week to discuss “regional security, counter-terrorism cooperation, intelligence sharing, and other bilateral affairs,” according to a statement released by the United States embassy.
During his visit, Brennan met with Prime Minister Edi Rama, President Bujar Nishani, Minister of Defence Mimi Kodheli and officials from the intelligence agency and police to discuss terrorism and other bilateral and international issues.
The visit was not announced before it happened, and there was little detail on the discussions made public. Commentators in the Albanian media speculated the visit could be related to Russia’s increased forays into the Balkans and the Islamist terrorism threat to the region.
Albania has been a NATO member since 2009, and the United States is seen as the country’s key global ally.
