Press Release
☷Secretary Antony J Blinken at Youth and Alumni Event “Celebrating the Future of the U S Albania Relationship” United States Department of State
U.S. Department of State ( By Press Release office)
Feb 17,2024
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Alrighty , folks! Thanks for having me here in beautiful Albania . Gotta say , the welcome has been absolutely amazing . The vibes in this room and all around Tirana are just heartwarming . Big shoutout to Fiori for being an incredible leader and showing us the power of youth and exchange programs . And to all of you who are working hard to strengthen the ties between Albania and the US , you ' re doing an awesome job . Gotta give a shoutout to David Wisner for holding it down at our embassy here in Tirana and connecting our people in different ways . And of course , big ups to Prime Minister Edi , who ' s not only a fantastic leader but also an incredible partner . We ' ve faced some tough challenges together , and I ' m grateful for his support . Now , this place we ' re in right now , the Pyramid of Tirana , is a true reflection of Albania ' s journey since the end of the Cold War . It used to symbolize a dark past , but now it ' s a vibrant space filled with life . It ' s got cafes , classrooms , and tech incubators . It ' s a symbol of the present and the future . And let ' s not forget about EducationUSA , where Albanians can learn about studying in the US . And of course , this place got a makeover with some help from the Albanian American Development Foundation , showing how Albania and the United States are working together to build the future . Basically , Albania has completely transformed . Everywhere you look – and even just driving around today , you can feel the energy and optimism about the future . Albania is becoming more integrated with Europe , the West , and the world . Last year , a ton of tourists visited Albania , and the Albanian national team just qualified for the Euro Cup for only the second time ever . Funny enough , the last time that happened was in 2016 , which also coincidentally was the last time someone in my position as Secretary of State visited . Maybe I should come back during the Euro Cup finals and see if there ' s a connection – just kidding ( applause ) . You ' re also seeing some awesome connections between our countries in different ways . Americans of all ages are dancing to Dua Lipa , who is from Albania . And get this – one of the people helping to shape the world ' s most powerful technologies , the chief technology officer at OpenAI , is actually from Albania too . There ' s also this great Albanian restaurant in my hometown of New York that apparently serves amazing food , which I still need to try for myself . But here ' s the thing – these examples are just a small part of something much bigger . Albania ' s transition from being closed off to being open wasn ' t as simple as flipping a light switch . You all know this; very few things in life are that easy . Young people , like all of you in this room , played a huge role in making that change happen . Young people are crucial to keep driving Albania ' s transformation and shaping its future . In this room , we have journalists who are exposing corruption and holding leaders accountable , women entrepreneurs who are turning their ideas into successful businesses , and civil society leaders who are working to protect Albania ' s environment and fight against violent extremism , to make Albania a more fair and inclusive place . Some of you even helped welcome Afghan families who were escaping the Taliban , showing how much you genuinely care for the vulnerable . I ' ve learned so much about that . Just a little while ago , before coming here , I was at our embassy and had the chance to meet with some Afghan families who came from Afghanistan to Albania and will soon be starting their new lives in the United States . That journey wouldn ' t be possible without Albania . And it ' s absolutely amazing ( applause ) . I also want to mention Dea Rrozhanizani , a talented young woman from Tirana who participated in our TechGirls program and is now studying computer science at the University of Pennsylvania . She created an app to combat gender - based violence and her attitude of taking action instead of complaining is a great lesson for all of us . The exchange programs we conduct are all about learning from each other and sharing good ideas , because no country has all the answers . Let ' s continue to inspire and support each other in our endeavors . The connections between our people are what really matter and lead to amazing outcomes . I ' ve been lucky enough to travel the world while working for the US Government , and I ' ve realized that someone out there has probably already found a solution or at least a starting point for the problems we ' re trying to solve . But if we don ' t share our experiences and insights , we have to start from scratch . The more we connect and share , the better off we ' ll all be . The US and Albania have had formal diplomatic ties for over a hundred years , but for almost half of that time , our people didn ' t get to know each other . However , with young people like you strengthening our partnership , I ' m confident that the next century will bring more stability , security , prosperity , and opportunities for both our countries and the world we share . You are the ones who will make that happen , and I ' m grateful and excited to see what you ' ll accomplish in the future that we ' ll build together . Thank you .
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