At the end of Ambassador Kim’s diplomatic mission in Albania, Rama dedicated an article to her on social media, where, among other things, he expressed his gratitude and thanks to Ambassador Kim.

“Yuri Kim closed her mission in Albania. She stayed the same time as all the other ambassadors, but her stay seemed longer than all the others put together. Because different from all the others, she didn’t spend a day without activity, appearing daily on television or writing in the social media.”

“The ambassadors of a superpower to our country have fallen more or less into the trap of Albania’s admiring sweetness”, added the Prime Minister.

“Would it be better if they did not plunge into the country’s political and institutional life, but stood like a sphinx at the residence of Elbasani Street”…. I say no, definitely not. On the contrary,” he continued.

Rama said that: “At the end of her mission, I have to hand over to the outgoing ambassador Yuri Kim the Great Star of Public Gratitude for her love for Albania, her efforts to help Albania become a better country than it was when she came and above all, for the strength it has given to Albania and the Albanian nation in every direction, and undoubtedly the strength to justice in Albania to fight with the evils that until yesterday seemed eternal and without the USA by our side would remain so forever”.

“The gratitude and thanks to ambassador Yuri Kim are sincerely felt and thought quite freely, as the plane from Brussels is landing in Tirana bringing another US ambassador who is expected to fall soon into the sweet trap of Albania. Thank you for everything dear Yuri and may force be with you all the way! God Bless you and the United States of America”, concluded the prime minister. /m.m/p.s./

During a press conference, Kim was asked about the operation conducted by the State Police in the Mujahedin camp in Manez on Tuesday by order of the SPAK and decision of the Special Court on Corruption and Organized Crime.

Kim emphasized that the departure or not of the Mujahedin people is a decision that belongs to Albania.

“This is a decision that must be taken by the Albanian government. One thing is very clear, that we support the right of Albania to implement its own laws in its own country. There are certain terms that must be applied to every guest in your country and these must be applied and we must respect them,” said Kim. /p.s./

“It is sad to see a good friend go. We have worked so hard together to advance relations between our countries & I am grateful to Yuri for having Albania’s best interest at heart”, wrote Xhaçka on Twitter.

“I wish her all the best in her new, important mission, certain that our paths will cross again in the future”, concluded the minister.

Ambassador Yuri Kim ends her mandate in our country, while the new US ambassador David Kostelančik, a diplomat with a long career in the State Department, is expected to arrive to our country. /r.e/p.s./

Ambassador Kim assured Zaçaj of the U.S. commitment to strongly support justice reform in Albania so that courts operate independently and with integrity.

“Today I met Holta Zaçaj to congratulate her on election as Chair of Albania’s Constitutional Court. The United States of America will continue to strongly support justice reform so that courts operate independently and with integrity,” Ambassador Kim said via the social media.

“This is the rightful demand of citizens, necessary to attract more investment, and required for the EU membership. We wish Judge Zaçaj and all other judges wisdom and success in fulfilling their duty,” the U.S. Ambassador said.

/gj.m/r.e/u.sh/

“We express thanks and respect to these extraordinary prosecutors for their courage and professionalism in confronting corruption & organized crime over the past 3 yrs. Now is the time to intensify those efforts and end the old ways of impunity”, said Kim.

“SPAK is delivering more and more results that demonstrate no one – no matter how rich or powerful – is above the law. We will continue to strongly support justice reform, including SPAK, because we want an Ally that is strong, secure and prosperous and because we believe as the Albanian people does belong to Europe”, wrote Kim on Twitter./p.s./

Speaking to reporters after the end of the conference “Judicial practice of the Supreme Court, from national identity to universal values”, in the framework of the 110th anniversary of the Supreme Court and Justice Day, Kim said that, “Everyone who is entitled to vote, must vote”.

“We have also seen reports of vote buying and vote selling, and we hope that law enforcement authorities will do their job,” Kim underlined.

The US diplomat stated that, “If someone says they are buying votes for a political party, this political party must also take action”./p.s./

Modelled after the White House Fellows program, the LEAD Albania initiative gives talented young professionals the opportunity to work in senior-level positions within Albanian government institutions.

During the meeting, Ambassador Kim congratulated the fellows for being selected in the competitive process and shared her own experiences in an open discussion with them.

She encouraged them to remain true to themselves and to lead with integrity for a brighter future for the country.

/m.m/ /gj.m/u.sh/

The Embassy said that the Ambassador reminded them of ODIHR’s observations and recommendations from previous reports. For example, in its final report on the April 2021 parliamentary election, ODIHR recommendations included the following:

The state should guarantee the right to a free and secret choice. Any form of pressure to disclose whether and how people voted should be prevented.

Law enforcement agencies should intensify efforts to identify, investigate and prosecute cases of vote-buying. Citizens should be encouraged to report and provide evidence of any vote-buying or pressure.

Albania should ensure the security of citizens’ personal data. Relevant institutions should thoroughly investigate and sanction any breach which impacts public confidence in the electoral process.

Legislation should be amended to ensure that media are able to independently cover activities of electoral contestants with a view to limit the use of party produced content in the news.

“The party leaders also affirmed they will review their respective candidates to ensure they meet the requirements of the law as well as the expectations of Albanian voters for clean candidates. The United States will continue to work closely with Albanian voters, authorities, parties, civil society, media and others in support of an electoral process that reflects Albania’s status as a NATO Ally and aspirant for membership in the European Union,” the Embassy said.

/u.sh/

Kim said that the justice reform was not easy, fast or perfect, but, she emphasized, it is moving forward.

“Congratulations to the Constitutional Ct on electing a new chairperson. Holta Zaçaj is the 1st chair elected since the Court achieved a full bench. We wish success to her and all the judges as they strengthen the integrity & independence of the Court. Justice reform has not been easy, quick, or perfect, but it is moving forward. The USA will continue to strongly support the full implementation of justice reform in Albania. One step at a time…” wrote Kim on Twitter.

Kim assured that the US will continue to strongly support the full implementation of justice reform.

“One step at a time…”, suggested Kim.

Holta Zaçaj was elected at the head of the Constitutional Court on February 20 in the third round of voting, after the failure of the first 2 rounds. /r.e/p.s./

During the conference on “Challenges of cyber security in Albania”, Ambassador Kim stressed that the cyber attacks of Iran in Albania, our ally in the NATO, are dangerous, malicious and are a threat to the Albanian state and people.

“The US will not hesitate to respond forcefully to malicious cyber actors when their actions threaten the US or our allies and partners,” Kim said.

The ambassador said that the White House strongly condemned Iran’s attack and expressed full support for Albania in the face of this attack.

“Starting from July, the US has continuously sent cyber security experts to work together with their Albanian counterparts to identify existing vulnerabilities and threats,” she said.

The ambassador said that the USA will provide a fund of 50 million USD for the protection of Albania from cyber attacks.

“You are not alone, the US is with you. There are 50 million USD in support against cyber-attacks of Albania and this is just the beginning. We have been working together with the defense sector to strengthen this sector with $25 million in support. This is the beginning of assistance,” she said./p.s./