US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to visit Tirana on February 16.
Diplomatic sources in Washington told Top Channel journalist Muhamed Veliu that they are working on finalizing the details of this visit, the first for Blinken to Albania, since 2021 when he took over the leadership of American diplomacy.
At the moment, the primary purpose of this visit is not known, but it is suggested that it comes as an American appreciation for Albania, as an ally of the USA and in NATO.
Last year, Secretary Blinken commented positively on Albania's role in the UN Security Council.
It was the American Secretary of State Antony Blinken himself, who in May 2021 announced Sali Berisha as a person "Non Grata" from the USA for corruption and undermining democracy. This was accompanied by a frontal attack by Berisha on Blinken.
Secretary Blinken has also been active through messages for the de-escalation of the tense situation in the north of Kosovo, in September of last year.
The first visit of an American secretary of state to our country was that of James Baker, in Tirana on June 22, 1991. While the second visit of another American secretary of state was that of Madeleine Albright, on February 19, 2000, where she also gave a speech in the Albanian parliament. Followed by another visit by John Kerry on February 14, 2016.
The arrival of Antony Blinken in our country will mark the fourth visit of a state secretary to Albania.