The outgoing mayor of New York, Eric Adams, is headed for a several-day visit to Tirana, at the invitation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
Adams, who is known for his strong ties to the Albanian community in New York, will visit our country in the context of promoting business relations for the city, according to the official communication. But the statement also denies that Adams will not consider any ambassadorial post or job opportunities in the future.
Rumors circulated in recent weeks that Adams was a candidate for ambassador in the Trump administration, as a reward for dropping out of the New York mayoral race, in order to prevent the election of socialist Zohran Mamdani as mayor.
The political calculation is that narrowing the field would give former Gov. Andrew Cuomo an advantage in avoiding a socialist mayoral election under the leadership of leading Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani.
Adams met two days ago in Florida with President Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. Details of the meeting were not disclosed, but US media reported the possibility that Trump might reward him with a new assignment, perhaps even that of ambassador to Tirana. That remains to be seen...