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American Senator Tirana: Concerned about Russian funding in the Balkans, sanctions against Berisha...

2022-10-01 19:37:40Politikë SHKRUAR NGA ARMAND MERO
American Senator Tirana: Concerned about Russian funding in the Balkans,
US Senator Jeanne Shaheen and journalist Armand Mero

American Senator Jeanne Shaheen expresses concern about Russian funding in the Balkans. In an interview for the Voice of America, during her visit to Tirana, Senator Shaheen appreciates the partnership with Albania and says that the United States should help it to have a secure cyber structure so that it is no longer the target of attacks from Iran or some other place. Mrs. Shaheen, an expert on the Western Balkans, says that the latest agreement between Belgrade and Moscow goes against the long-term interests of the Serbian people.

VOA: Senator Shaheen, this is your second visit to the Balkans in six months. What is the purpose?

Senator Shaheen: It is my first visit to Albania and I will have to come again to see this beautiful country. I'm actually here to make sure that the people in Albania and the Western Balkans know that we in the United States Senate are paying attention to what's going on here. We are grateful for Albania's partnership and the work that the United States and Albania have done over the years. This is the 100th anniversary of our relationship. And we greatly appreciate Albania's support regarding the war in Ukraine. And the help it has given the United States to resettle Afghan refugees. So I'm really here to help remind everybody how important this partnership is to see how we can help from the United States.

VOA : In August, you, along with Republican Senator Roger Wicker, introduced a bill to promote democracy in the Western Balkans to counter Russia's destabilizing activities in the region. In a recent report, the American intelligence community mentions several political parties in the Western Balkans, in Albania, Bosnia and Montenegro, as having received funding from Russia. Do you have more data that you could share with us on the Russian funding, and how worrisome the situation might be?

Senator Shaheen:I do not have specific information about how much money they received. I am very worried about him. As we see Putin's unprovoked aggression in Ukraine, we know that one of the areas where he has had interest has been the Western Balkans, disinformation campaigns; we just saw a report on how much money, as you say, has been spent to try to destabilize elections in Europe and the United States. We're also seeing how people are being lied to about what's really going on, and if people don't have the right information, they can't make good choices. So we want to do everything we can, and the intent of that law is to try and promote democracy in the Western Balkans and see how we can deal with Russian disinformation,

VOA: One of the aims of the bill is the fight against corruption, and you have proposed the return into law of two US executive orders for sanctions against individuals who threaten peace and stability and are involved in corrupt behavior. In Albania, we have the case of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who after the sanctions became more active in politics and now leads the main opposition force. Based on this, how effective are these sanctions?

Senator Shaheen:Sanctions are just one of the tools we have in foreign policy to try to influence what happens and to try to further the progress toward democracy. And we must also see the economic support that can be given. We have to look at the diplomatic tools we have. We have a very active ambassador here and an embassy very engaged with the Albanian government. And we need to help voters understand what the choices are. You know, in the United States we've had some politicians who have been convicted of crimes, who were elected by the people. But usually, voters realize in subsequent elections that a politician is corrupt and does not act in the interest of the voters. But if people don't have the information,

VOA: What is the current status of your bill?

Senator Shaheen: He has bipartisan support, so we're very optimistic. We expect a hearing sometime in November after the midterm elections and hopefully it will pass before the end of the year.

Voice of America: Serbia is the only country in the Balkans that has not joined the sanctions against Russia. Last week, in New York, the head of Serbian diplomacy signed an agreement with his Russian counterpart, Lavrov, on foreign policy. In the past, the USA has said that Serbia should split its mind, as it cannot play with two gates. What is your opinion about Serbia's behavior?

Senator Shaheen:I think it is something unfortunate and I think it is against the long-term interests of the people of Serbia. The fact is that the aspirations of the people of Serbia are to see from the west, towards entering Europe. They have applied for the EU and are working towards it. And they should feel very concerned about Vladimir Putin's actions in Ukraine. It is an unprovoked war of aggression. Every evening on the news in the United States and everywhere in the world, we see the terrible consequences of that war on the people of Ukraine, the mass graves that have been discovered, the torture chambers. We see the destruction of cities in that country and the attempt to erase Ukrainian culture. Now, if Serbia is not careful, it could be their turn. This is one of the concerns about Russia's intentions in the Western Balkans. We know that Vladimir Putin is not talking about stopping if he gets his way in Ukraine. But he talks about recreating the Russian Empire. Which could be what the Soviet Empire had been. Therefore, I think it is important for Serbia, for all of Europe, to take every action to highlight that Vladimir Putin is isolated, that he is not acting in the interest of the international order, and we must do everything we can to stop it.

Voice of America: Senator, let's talk about your visit to Tirana. What were your messages for Albanian politicians?

Senator Shaheen:As I said, it was to point out the partnership and alliances that Albania and the United States have had in the fields where we work together; the 100th anniversary of our relations; the importance of the fact that Albania joined us in the fight in Ukraine to support the Ukrainian people; the importance of the fact that Albania took in Afghan refugees at a time when the United States withdrew and we were trying to help people in need and Albania stepped forward and said we will do the right thing and try to help people in need. This has been very important. And it is clear that we will continue to work on economic issues together, the fact that Albania has just approved two agreements in an effort to diversify the energy economy is very important - the hydro and liquefied gas agreement with two American companies. We greatly appreciate this and hopefully it will be beneficial to both the United States and Albania.

VOA: Albania is harboring close to 2 or 3 thousand members of the Iranian opposition, the MEK, and perhaps that is why Iran retaliated by attacking its information infrastructure. Albania responded by cutting ties with Iran, but alone, Albania is unable to withstand similar attacks in the future, especially when dealing with a country like Iran. Are you worried about this and is Albania getting the necessary help from the US?

Senator Shaheen: I am concerned. Again, I think Albania stepped forward to get MEK Iranians at a time when they were being killed, when they were in Iraq. And Albania said we will help and this is an important model to show to the rest of the world. And when they are attacked as a result, it is important that we act to help them. And we brought in teams, the FBI and other officials to help respond to the cyber attack. But we must do more. We need to help Albania to ensure that it has a secure cyber structure for the future so that it is not the target of attacks from either Iran or Russia or any other country.

VOA: One last question. After the recent developments, the Albanian authorities do not seem to agree that their country should be used as a base where the members of the MEK will carry out their oppositional struggle. Prime Minister Edi Rama has stated that they have started communications with them "to very clearly restore the framework in which the life of this group should develop in a territory where Albania has provided support to ensure their life and health and not their movement political". What is your rating?

Senator Shaheen: Albania will have to decide this by itself. But I think it's important to note that when Albania expelled Iranian diplomats, the United States also imposed sanctions, and we've been working to address Iran's terrorist activities throughout the Middle East and throughout Europe. And we will continue to do so.


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