Forum on

TIRANA, Jan 26 – The Albanian Institute for International Studies, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of the United States of America in Tirana, held the Forum of Security and Foreign Policy on “US Foreign Policy: New Administration, New Doctrine.”
Participants were Prime Minister Sali Berisha and Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha, opposition Socialist Party leader Edi Rama, US Ambassador John L. Withers II, US personalities Janusz Bugajski of the Washington DC -based New European Democracies, Center for Strategic and European Studies, Prof. Bernd Fischer and also other local personalities, lawmakers and politicians.
The forum discussed on what the new US policy with its new administration and President Back Obama would focus on, its attention in the region and, of course, what it could bring to Albania.
Main priorities to the new US administration would concentrate on the economic crisis, its military commitment to Iraq and Afghanistan, closing of the Guantanamo prison, the Middle East and Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.
Though still an area of the American concern the Balkans is not in the top list of priorities of the new administration. That does not mean, however, that Washington will take its eyes away from that area.
Berisha and Basha both highly evaluated the new era seeming to start in the United States with new President Barack Obama.
They repeated that the country would again be a faithful follower and supporter of the big power and its policy in the world. They also much believed in Washington’s support to their effort on becoming a new NATO member likely in April, also assuring they will fulfill all the requirements for that stage.
At the same time Berisha repeated that next elections were their primary concern to show to the world the country was willing to enter its big democratic family in its daily life as well.
Rama in his speech, besides hailing the new era in the world, said that pledges to the US and the democratic family were not enough but more should be done in practice.
He also said that fighting corruption with words only is not enough.