TIRANA, Dec. 22 – A day after Albania joined 128 other UN member states in approving a resolution rejecting U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a spokesperson for Albania’s President Ilir Meta said the President, who was not informed of the government’s position beforehand, evaluated it as unnecessary and not reflecting a national stance.
Meta’s spokesperson said this decision is not crucial just for Albania’s foreign policy, but the entire Albanian nation. For this reason, he said voting against the U.S. should have been a reflection of a nation-wide consensus.
“The President stresses that we shouldn’t forget that the U.S. remains the most important strategic alley and partner, so this kind of positions and decisions should be well-coordinated,” the spokesperson said.
The declaration concluded the Albanian nation should be grateful of all the historic U.S. decisions related to the vital existence of the nation and the Euro-Atlantic futures of Albania and Kosovo.
On the other hand, in an official statement distributed to the media, the Albanian Foreign Ministry said it had kept same position as EU countries.
“Our vote today at the UN General Assembly reflects our unchanged position on this issue. Albania has maintained international consensus on Jerusalem based on a number of UN documents, including a number of Security Council resolutions, and it is united with the common position of the overwhelming majority of EU member states, consistent with its alignment with the European Union,” the statement said.
Opposition angry, FM explains stance
The opposition also reacted to Albania voting against US’ recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, saying it goes against Albanians’ interests and that a vote against the U.S. is a vote against Kosovo.
Adding to the developing debate, Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati made a statement explaining Albania’s stance. Bushati said that Albania’s position is based on the international consensus of numerous UN documents.
Head of opposition Lulzim Basha said the U.S. has been Albania’s main strategic partner in advancing the country’s interests.
“Without the U.S., Kosovo today wouldn’t be as independent or as free as it is. This is my conviction. Without the U.S. Albania wouldn’t be in NATO,” Basha said.
Bushati’s individual statement on his Facebook said that a country’s foreign policy is expected to tell facts from fiction and that Albania’s vote was not anti-U.S., but an expression of the country’s coherent, principled and unchanged position through the years.
Specifically, Bushati said the decision “was based on an international consensus expressed in countless UN documents and the Resolution of the Security Council, as well as in line with the positions of the majority of UN, NATO and EU members, historic partners of the U.S.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy said through a Facebook statement the U.S. simply accepted the simple truth of Jerusalem being the center of Israel’s legislature, prime minister and high court. Despite this, the post continued, “we will continue working for peace.”
