Elez Biberaj: THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE REESTABLISHMENT OF U.S.-ALBANIA RELATIONS

Thirty years ago, March 15, 1991, the United States and Albania resumed full diplomatic relations – after more than fifty years of non-recognition and only three months after the demise of Albania’s communist regime, one of the most repressive in the world. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed at a ceremony at the State Department by U.S. Assistant Secretary Raymond Seitz and Albania’s Foreign Minister Muhamet Kapllani. The ceremony was also attended by the leaders of the opposition Democratic Party, Sali Berisha and Gramoz Pashko, and members of the Albanian-American community. In a historic visit to Tirana, in June 1991, U.S. Secretary of State James Baker welcomed the Albanians “to the assembly of free peoples.” Addressing hundreds of thousands of Albanians gathered in Skenderbeg Square, Baker said, “Freedom works. At last you are free to think your own thoughts. At last, you are free to speak your own mind. At last, you are free to choose your own leaders. At last, you are free to worship in your own way.” In a speech in the Albanian parliament, the Secretary of State emphasized that the consolidation of the new democratic order required the democratization of the entire society, the establishment of the rule of law, respect for human rights and freedom of the press, equal opportunities for all citizens, and holding free and fair elections. Secretary Baker’s message resonates as much today as it did thirty years ago.