Wendt arrived at the Palace of Brigades in the morning for a ceremony marking the presentation of his credentials, formally beginning his tenure as Washington’s new envoy to Albania.

As part of his initial diplomatic engagements, Wendt is expected to hold his first meeting with Foreign Minister Ferit Hoxha at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

The U.S. Embassy in Tirana is also expected to hold a reception introducing the new ambassador on October 2 at a hotel in central Tirana.

Wendt is a retired US Army lieutenant general with more than 34 years of service. He previously commanded NATO special operations forces and worked with Albanian troops during his military career.

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De Sousa will first present her credentials to Albanian President Bajram Begaj at a ceremony that will formally mark the start of her mandate in Albania.

She brings extensive experience in European diplomacy to the post. Before her appointment to Tirana, De Sousa headed the European Commission Representation in Portugal. Earlier in her career, she served as the European Union’s ambassador to Cape Verde.

Her appointment comes as Albania-EU relations and European integration process remain among the key priorities on the country’s political and diplomatic agenda.

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Begaj reaffirmed Albania’s commitment to strengthening ties with the Netherlands, describing it as an important European partner and a trusted NATO ally.

The two sides described political relations between the countries as excellent, while economic ties were also at a high level, the President’s press office said.

The Albanian head of state thanked the Netherlands for its support to Albania over the years in defence, law enforcement, and the rule of law, democratic institutions, civil society and the media.

Particular attention was given to Albania’s European Union integration process. Through Ambassador Monster, Begaj expressed Albania’s appreciation for Dutch support for its EU membership bid and welcomed Dutch expertise in helping the country achieve its goal of joining the bloc by 2030.

Begaj wished Monster success in her tenure and said Albanian institutions stood ready to support her work and deepen bilateral cooperation.

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Talks focused on bilateral cooperation, regional developments, close partnership within NATO and the European Union’s enlargement process.

Begaj welcomed the intensification of ties between the two countries and praised their dynamic political dialogue, highlighting the planned convening of the third High-Level Cooperation Council later this year as an important step.

Albania and Türkiye cooperate across a range of sectors including security, defence, renewable energy, trade, infrastructure, tourism and the environment, and aim to further expand collaboration in areas of mutual interest.

“The concrete results of relations between our two countries are of great importance for both states and their peoples,” Begaj said.

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During the meeting, the two discussed strengthening relations between the neighbouring countries and advancing long-term cooperation as NATO partners.

“Today I received the letters of credence of the new Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic, Lambrini Komini. We discussed strengthening relations as neighbouring countries and advancing our long-term cooperation as NATO partners,” Begaj wrote on social media platform X.

Komini succeeds Konstantina Kamitsi, who has completed her diplomatic mission in Albania.

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During the meeting, President Begaj and Ambassador Spadafore appreciated the friendly relations between the two countries and discussed on the possibilities of expanding cooperation in areas of common interest. Head of State expressed his gratitude for the recognition of the Republic of Kosovo by Panama and for its support in the processes of international integration.

Also today, President Begaj also received the Letters of Credence of the new Ambassador of Indonesia, non-resident in Albania, H.E. Listiana Operananta.

During the meeting, the president and the ambassador-designate emphasized the significance of developing friendly relations between the two countries, both in a bilateral and multilateral framework.

President Begaj appreciated the opening of the Albanian Embassy in Jakarta and said that our country welcomes opening of the Indonesian Embassy in Tirana, as a further step towards strengthening bilateral ties.

President Begaj also requested a review of Indonesia’s stance regarding the recognition of the Republic of Kosovo and its support in international organizations. /r.e/p.s./

During their meeting, President Begaj hailed the very good bilateral and political relations, expressing Albania’s commitment to enhancing economic cooperation, particularly through promotion of tourism and the establishment of direct flights during the summer season.

The head of state also reiterated Albania’s call for Moldova to reconsider its stance on the recognition of Kosovo, while reaffirming Tirana’s support for Moldova’s European Union membership aspirations.

In this context, Begaj offered Albania’s experience in justice reform as a model for Moldova’s own reform efforts.

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The Albanian head of state Begaj received the letters of credence from the non-resident Ambassador of Peru Arturo Javier Arciniega Calderon.

After congratulating the Peruvian diplomat on his new assignment, President Begaj affirmed Albania’s commitment to further expand ties between the two countries and cooperation in the framework of the international organizations.

President Begaj also hosted the non-resident Ambassador of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, Zaina Benhabouche.

During their meeting, the head of state and the Algerian diplomat reaffirmed commitment to boost bilateral and multilateral agenda between the two countries.

The President of the Republic Bajram Begaj also received the letters of credence from the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Juseong Lim.

During the meeting, President Begaj confirmed Albania’s readiness to enhance political relations and economic cooperation between the two countries, saying the country would welcome Korean investments and economic projects on infrastructure, energy, innovation and information technology.

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After the ceremony, Ambassador Canaj had a courtesy meeting with President Vucic.

Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić also attended the meeting, mainly focusing on bilateral relations, ways to further expand and strengthen cooperation in all areas of mutual interest, Albanian Embassy in Belgrade said.

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“Excited to start my mandate in Tirana as the new EU Ambassador. We have a unique opportunity to integrate Albania further into the EU by consolidating the progress achieved so far and pursuing the reforms needed to make this country more prosperous, more modern and more inclusive. Looking forward to working together with the Albanian authorities and the Albanian people,” EU Ambassador Silvio Gonzato said.

Before being appointed as EU ambassador to Albania, he served as ambassador, deputy head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations in New York.

He was previously Director for Inter-institutional relations, Policy coordination and Public diplomacy at the European External Action Service (EEAS). His responsibilities covered relations with all EU institutions and representation of the EEAS in negotiations having institutional or legal implications, including sanctions. He was in charge of coordinating all political and legislative files and preparing the meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council. He was also responsible for public diplomacy activities (including promoting cultural affairs in EU external relations), strategic communication issues. In this context he oversaw the EEAS communications strategy including activities aimed at fighting information manipulation from foreign sources.

Earlier he was Director for Human Rights and Democracy at the EEAS. In this capacity he was responsible for the organization and contents of all HR-related dialogues and consultations between the EU and partner countries (over 40 of them), the development of policy guidelines, and guidance to EU bilateral and multilateral delegations in matters pertaining to HR and democracy support. He was also responsible for Election Observation activities.

He was also Head of the Secretariat of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament between 2009 and 2014, where he advised the chair on the priorities and organization of the committee work.

With a background in languages and literature, he is fluent in English, French and German and has some knowledge of Spanish.

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