The “Albanian-American success story” was the main topic of a friendly meeting of Prime Minister Edi Rama with senators, congressmen and representatives of the community in Capitol Hill in Washington.
The Albanian-American community was defined a strong bridge of the friendship and special relationship between the two countries, with valuable contributions to the American social life and to the developments of Albania’s democratic life in the last 25 years. “Ambassadors of their country” Congressman Charles Rangel called the members of this community, while commending them for the strong bond they have with their country.
“Welcome, Mr Prime Minister. The words you shared here with us make all of us Americans feel stronger, because these are things in which we believe, how to support our friends when they need us. All Albanians in America are ambassadors of their country and make America great, because they do not forget Albania and they must not forget it. Despite everything we have gone through, the United States is a young country. We are powerful and great, wealthy and healthy, but we are only 400 years old, so we need other friends with a rich history who can join our path. So it is a great honour for the House of Representatives to have you here”, Congressman Charles Rangel said.
A very special friendship, almost a unique one, Senator Mark Kirk said about US-Albanian relations, for which he is committed to work in order to strengthen them further.
“It’s a very special relationship that we have with Albania, a very good friend of ours. It was very surprising to me when I travelled to Albania to see flags waving on the top of people’s homes, and it was not only the Albanian flag, but the American flag as well was in the houses of Albanians across the country. You will not find any other country in the world where the Albanian flag flies alongside the American flag in so many houses. It’s a special friendship, a friendship that we treasure here in the US, and which I appreciate very much personally, so I am determined to strengthen these excellent relations”, senator Mark Kirk said.
For the Prime Minister Edi Rama, the success story of the Albanians in the United States started with previous generations, who have become today an inspiration to make Albania and Kosovo a European success story.
“I urge my compatriots in this room and outside to work together to preserve our language, to develop our culture and identity, to cultivate and advance the legacy of our fathers and grandfathers. Let us be inspired by our best success stories to make it possible for Albania and Kosovo to be a success story in the Balkans, and the Balkans to be a success story in Europe. Europe needs very much a success story, and who else besides the Western Balkans can provide a success story? We are the only success story that Europe can write now. Let’s make it a reality!” – Prime Minister Edi Rama said.
Speakers at the meeting praised the excellent relations between Albania and the United States, domestic reforms in Albania and cooperation in the field of security, as well as Albania’s role in the region.
