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Good morning everyone,

Thank you very much and thank you also for calling me Ditmir because for some of the fellows that are here, they know what happened when my Greek colleague called me Dimiter. The Albania media goes it a little bit far. So I thank you very much for the kind introduction and for calling my name as it is Ditmir which in Albania means “good day”.

I would like to thank the Brookings Institution for inviting me and for the opportunity to share some thoughts on Albania and the current political and security environment in Europe. I cherish the opportunity to speak at an academic environment because this is a place which naturally drives you towards long-term reflections and analysis. Indeed, my daily work, the world of political diplomatic actions, imposes much faster pace where solutions are needed here and now. The key lies on how to combine these two worlds in order to strike the necessary balance between today and tomorrow. We leave in challenging times facing unprecedented crisis without assessing yet the right instruments to address them.

From the humanitarian standpoint the world has gone through a tough couple of years. The UNHCR annual report published last June said that worldwide displacement was at the highest level ever recorded. The number of people forcibly displayed had reached to nearly 60 million people worldwide, that equals roughly the combined population of the state of New York and California but, it has not been all doom and gloom. UN deal, the adoption of the UN agenda 2030, the historic peace agreement on climate change show that multilateralism can deliver, that patient diplomacy can overcome the challenges posed by depressing global security atmosphere, that ultimately success can breathe success.

What does this all mean for small countries such as Albania? What specific challenges and opportunities are there for countries of what I like to call Adriatic Europe?

Last December, Albania celebrated a quarter of a century of democratic change and let me tell you that it has not been stroll in the park. We had to relearn the hard way what democracy is and how we can be embedded in the foundation of the modern state through the rule of law. We had to learn about the market economy and everything that it brings along and who would like to progress at a faster pace, one cannot simply fast forward history. In the course of the last 25 years, Albania managed to thoroughly transform itself with the help of friends and allies, particularly that of the United States.

Since 2009 a NATO member, since 2014 a candidate country to the European Union, last year we signed the declaration of strategic partnership with the United States and our contribution to peace and stability in South-East Europe is undisputed.

Our orientation is clear we belong to the trans-Atlantic community and the EU ascension is not only our core interest but also our identity.

Nerveless, like all countries of the Western Balkans, Albania faces today a set of internal and external challenges. Internally, the lack of consolidated democracy credentials. The tough requirements, fast development and the absolute need to get closer to the European Union, have made us live in a sort of ongoing reform process. Externally, in many aspects, our region is still in slow motion. Europe is a continent, as you described, in pain and the threats of the east and south continue to pose additional new challenges. It is the combination of all these factors that influence our capacity and speed to further development. When we consider development models, it appears that the traditional dichotomy between conflict and stable countries is a model of the past. It does not always reflect what it is at the root of a conflict nor the dynamics of conflict resolution nowadays. In my view, every development agenda should integrate instruments that address what keeps all contradictions alive and counter what feeds new ones.

The Western Balkans used to be the typical conflict region two decades ago. The region is now engaged in a process of cooperation and integration demonstrating the readiness to address bilateral disputes in a spirit of good relations. It is important to remind that this process is not reversible. It is the EU accession perspective that keeps us going, that pushes us closer together that demand that we get more interconnected. In our corner of Europe we face the same challenges, so our responses need to be in concert too. Threats like violent extremism or the refugee crisis know no borders neither can our action counter them weather through hard or soft measures.

Dear friends,

The fight against terrorism and the prevention of violent extremism alongside efforts to counter it efficiently represent two of the most serious challenges to the international peace and security. The terrible events of last years have clearly shown that no country is immune to such risks and threats and this is the same for our region and our own country.

Albania has joined since the start the global coalition against DAESH and we have helped the Peshmerga fighters with military equipment and ammunition like almost every other country. We have been confronted with the phenomenon of the foreign fighters and the early years of the Syrian conflict even though this phenomenon is of a much smaller magnitude compared to other countries. Our government has quickly adopted very bold measures and has stepped up efforts to discourage foreign fighters. Now the number of intended persons to travel to the conflict areas has come to a halt, but we know that this is not enough. Last November we adopted a national strategy on countering violent extremism. Now work is underway to establish a regional center on countering violent extremism which will bring together efforts and the commitment of the government, civil society, media and the religious communities to prevent violent extremism in the region. In particular, we are investing in education programs and schools to provide our children and our youth with the proper knowledge to successfully resist hate, discrimination and to reinforce social collaboration.

Dear friends,

The second point I would like to talk about is on refugee crisis and its spillover effect across the continent. Indeed, over the past year we have witnessed the rise of legitimate concerns about terrorism and migration excess, the rise of not so legitimate negative stereotypes, the rise of political extremes across Europe, the rise of distress among neighbors and allies. All these at the expense of cross – border cooperation and of united response. Over the last year, the European way of dealing with refugee crises has been in fact a confused set of messages and policies and an external observer could go as far as saying that over the past years we appear united in selfishness as we are concerned between, on the one hand, the values of liberty and solidarity, on the other, the increasingly illiberal set of policies that are blurring the political debate across the continent.

I believe that at this particular moment in time is important for the Western Balkan countries to avoid becoming stationary countries as this would be highly disruptive for the entire region, not to mention the security concerns. The next few weeks will be critical as we try to avoid the temptation to bring national responses to a Pan-European problem. My concern is that the above mentioned issues have helped downgrade the EU enlargement as a second tier issue and we are all now feeling the heat of the EU debate about reestablishing borders, quotas and the end of Schengen. Indeed, the refugee crisis and the joint fight against terrorism made the Western Balkans and the EU experience interdependent firsthand and, it is curtailing to translate this interdependence into an enhanced cooperation with the Western Balkans in order to help them successfully finalize the democratic state building exercise.

In this contest the continuation of the so – called Berlin process launched by the German Chancellor Merkel and the pursuit of concrete regional deliverables for the Adriatic Europe will be particularly important for the next few months. Here, allow me to share some thoughts in the opportunities that lie ahead even when Europe faces political stress test. Indeed, another issue of paramount importance for us in Adriatic Europe is energy security. Our power generation system relies entirely on hydro, which can be unpredictable. A great opportunity has opened up for us not only to diversify but also to secure a much-needed long term back up. Work is already underway to build the Trans-Atlantic Pipeline which will transport natural gas from Azerbaijan to Italy through Turkey, Greece and Albania. Its completion will allow the beginning of the gasification process in my country. Our long-term goal is to turn Albania into a regional energy hub enabling regional supply to the north through the Ionian – Adriatic pipeline. Trans Adriatic Pipeline will also contribute to further reduce Europe’s dependency and increase predictability. Connecting TAP with IAP will increase regional security for EU and create new investment opportunities for the Western Balkans. This makes TAP more than just an exercise in the diversification of supply, it could be an element in the European’s neighborhood policy especially as the region seems to have delivered when it comes to collective security.

Dear friends,

The economy data showed that the Western Balkan countries have remained behind, not only compared to other EU member states but also to other Central and Eastern European countries that have joined the European Union. Over the past 25 years, both the EU and the UN have invested heavily in our region’s democratic stability. Now the right approach is to support regional interconnectivity as a way to release the growth potential. This is particularly true of Adriatic Europe where existent energies must be used to reduce distances and integrate markets in order to help increase the levels of income in the wider area. This past experience has clearly shown that for the process to be successful, the United States need to participate and actively engage. Albania shares with the United States deep historic ties which go back to the birth of modern Albania.

Our special connection with the United States has been forged especially through our progress towards building democratic society. It has strengthened throughout a long series of joint responses to cover challenges based on shared values. I strongly believe that this special bound gives us energy but also the responsibility to continue to promote peace, enhance security and strengthen democracy in our part of Europe.

Thank you very much.