US Senator Jeanne Shaheen said in Tirana on Friday that the United States should focus its policy towards the Western Balkans on three key areas: economic opportunities, stability and democratic institutions.
Shaheen, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is leading a US congressional delegation on a multi-day visit to the Western Balkans.
She has visited Bosnia and Herzegovina and is currently in Albania, before travelling to Kosovo on Monday. She will also visit Montenegro and Croatia.
During her stay in Tirana, where she met with young leaders to discuss the role of the next generation in shaping Albania’s future, Shaheen emphasised the importance of US economic engagement, including removing trade barriers, expanding market access and supporting American businesses and Albanian entrepreneurs.
“I want to give credit to this administration in Washington. It has paid more attention to American economic engagement, and I think that is good for the region,” Shaheen said, referring to the Trump administration.
However, she added that “American diplomacy should open doors for American businesses, but it should not decide which American businesses should walk through those doors.”
Last month, US liquefied natural gas (LNG) project developer Argent LNG signed a memorandum of understanding with the Albanian government to assess the construction of an onshore LNG storage and regasification terminal with a capacity of up to five million tonnes per year.
Several Western Balkan countries have signed agreements with US companies and the United States to expand their gas networks, including Albania, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Meanwhile, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in July that the country was considering the possibility of using American gas in the future, amid continued calls for Kosovo to join its closest ally’s LNG supply project.
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