TIRANA, July 6 – Albania’s southern coastal town of Saranda has honored former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton with a bust in its central boulevard in gratitude for her support to the Albanian nation.
The inauguration of the bronze bust created by Albanian sculptor Idriz Balani comes as the city of Saranda in southernmost Albania is getting busier with thousands of tourists having already flocked the town lying in the Albanian Riviera and its famous rocky and sandy beaches.
“We are convinced that the bust of Hillary Clinton as an emblematic figure of American politics and diplomacy, with direct contribution to the Albanian people, is an honor to Saranda, its citizens and friends around the world,” said Saranda Mayor Floriana Koka.
The Clintons enjoy wide popularity among Albanians due to Bill Clinton’s intervention to end Slobodan Milosevic’s military campaign in Kosovo in the late 1990s.
Back in late 2012, in one of her last visits overseas as U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton toured several Balkan countries, urging key regional ally Albania to cement its democracy, fight corruption and achieve political cooperation on key issues.
Secretary Clinton’s visit to Albania took special significance because it came during Albania’s celebrations of 100 years of independence, which culminate on Nov. 28.
Several busts of American statesmen have been erected in recent years in Albania and Kosovo, while many streets have also been named after prominent U.S. public figures.
Besides the bust of former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in Tirana and the bust of Bill Clinton in Prishtina, a bust of former President George Bush has been erected in Fushà«-Krujà« following his visit to the small town in 2007. Meanwhile, a bust of former U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke was unveiled last year in Fier on the 239th anniversary of independence of the United States.
The U.S. has been a staunch supporter of Albania since the country’s independence in the early 20th century and a strategic ally in Albania’s Euro-Atlantic integration.
