Balla said, “I take great pride in the fact that Albanian entrepreneurs have achieved remarkable success. We have three here, but there are many others who came here as illegal immigrants and today are successful business owners. It goes without saying that you who have been here for years serve as a point of reference for everyone and, in one way or another, have extended a helping hand. Your merit is that you were the first to open the door.”

Balla reminded that this is a historic year for Albanians in the diaspora as they will vote for the first time. “It doesn’t matter who they will vote for, what matters is that they participate,” was his message.

“You mentioned it yourselves. Here, we feel somewhat overlooked, with a preference for New York. However, Michigan surpasses New York in population and in the activities we’ve been engaged in for more than fifty years. Throughout this time, we’ve always made an effort to talk about our homeland, our country, and especially Kosovo,” said Ekrem Bardha. /j.p/sm/