TIRANA, Jan. 13 – Washington’s new top man in Tirana, U.S. Ambassador Donald Lu, officially took over his post on Tuesday, presenting his credential letters to the country’s president and holding a press conference to spell out the embassy’s priorities under his mandate. He said made Washington would make no major changes in its policy to Albania, a NATO ally.
Ambassador Lu, a polyglot with a long history in his country’s foreign service, spoke at the conference in Albanian, a language he learned during a year-long wait in Washington to get approval of the Congress due to internal political frictions between the U.S. executive and legislative branches, which had delayed certain the approval of diplomatic nominations.
He presented his background and family in the press conference, saying his father had been an immigrant from China to California, where Ambassador Lu was born in an ethnically diverse area “where people from all over the world, Albania included, come to find new opportunities for themselves and their children.”
Lu said he had come with three priorities from Washington. These included support for Albania’s reforms in its integration path toward the European Union, Albania’s development as a strong NATO ally and the assistance to strengthen the democratic institutions.
There would be assistance in the fight against corruption and organized crime and improving business climate in Albania, he added. Aid in reformatting Albania’s role in the NATO especially after reduction of troops in Afghanistan is another topic, he said, also adding cooperation in the global fight against terrorism and ISIS and preventing foreign fighters from going to Syria. And he concluded his focus would also be on the reform in the justice system and the development of the non-governmental organizations in Albania.
“Be assured that the American embassy and I will continue to be real and sincere friends to all Albanians,” he said.
Lu said that it was normal for American ambassadors to change, “but the USA politics does not change.”
Lu said he is married to Ariel Ahart, a medical doctor and a renowned specialist in the healthcare sector. They have two kids, Aliya, 9, and Kipling, 13.
