TIRANA, Feb. 16, 2022 – Albania’s new role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and its strong coordination with the United States were the focus of a visit by Prime Minister Edi Rama in New York and Washington this week.
Ceremony marks start of UN Security Council mandate
Rama led a special ceremony in New York on Tuesday to mark Albania’s first ever two-year term on the UN Security Council and met with several UN officials, including UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
“We have committed to bring our voice, our values and norms in the shared work of the Security Council, as a contribution to peace. We wish to share with others our lived experience, our lessons learned,” Rama said at the ceremony.
Attending the event, President of the UN General Assembly Abdulla Shahid congratulated Albania on its maiden election as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the period 2022-2023.
“I have no doubt that Albania will build on its longstanding commitment to peace and security, and on its history of robust engagement with multiple UN organs, to strengthen the work of the Council,” Shahid said in his remarks.
Albanian PM meets U.S. Secretary of State in Washington
On the second day of his visit, Prime Minister Rama headed to Washington to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Wednesday.
The meeting aimed, among other pressing issues, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of U.S.-Albanian diplomatic relations.
“Looking forward to the next 100 years,” Blinken said on Twitter as he shared photos of the meeting.
According to a statement issued by U.S. Department of States Spokesperson Ned Price, Blinken “praised Albania’s continued tradition of providing safe harbor to those in need by hosting at-risk Afghans.” Price’s statement added that Blinken “noted our strong cooperation at NATO and on the UN Security Council, and thanked Prime Minister Rama for Albania’s clear support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity against Russian aggression.”
Lastly, Blinken “reiterated U.S. support for Albania’s EU accession and regional economic integration, while emphasizing the need to fully implement justice reform and combat corruption.”
Asked about a meeting in an interview with VoA’s Albanian Service, Rama said the meeting “discussed cooperation in the Security Council, the bilateral relations, the region, and progress of the reforms in Albania.”
He added other topics that are important to the Albanian-U.S. relationship were also discussed, including coordination at NATO.
U.S.-Albania to have coordinated role at UN
The United States and Albania have agreed to be joint pen holders at the UN Security Council, a practice that allows the two countries to co-sponsor and promote initiatives.
“This is a well-known process in the tradition of the Security Council, where two countries come together to address one or several specific files. And the United States proposed to us this union. We accepted it with much pleasure, definitely, and responsibility. And of course this gives us the opportunity to play a special role at the Security Council,” Rama said.
Rama is accompanied by Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Olta Xhaçka in his four-day visit across the ocean.
