New US Ambassador Eric Wendt meets Rama at the Prime Minister’s Office

Prime Minister Edi Rama held a meeting with the new ambassador of the United States of America, Eric Wendt. The head of government posted a photo on social media from the “welcome meeting,” as Rama called it.

“WELCOME,” Rama wrote in his post, accompanied by the flags of Albania and the United States.

It should be recalled that the American diplomat officially took office on September 26, when he also presented his credentials to President Bajram Begaj.

The US Embassy said that Wendt and Begaj “reaffirmed the strong partnership” between the two countries and discussed “advancing the priorities of the administration of President Donald J. Trump, including cooperation in the field of defense, economic growth and the fight against transnational criminal groups.”

Wendt begins his term in Albania at a time when the country is facing significant developments in the areas of security and the rule of law. For more than 100 days, protesters have been calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and his government.

Meanwhile, the launch of an investigation by the Special Prosecution Office into former State Intelligence Service director Vlora Hyseni, over suspicions that she disclosed secret information in the interests of a person accused of criminal offenses, has raised questions about national security, as well as Albania’s relations, as a NATO member, with its partners.

Eric Wendt is the 11th ambassador of the United States of America to Albania since 1991, when diplomatic relations were re-established between the two countries.

He succeeds Yuri Kim in the post, while since 2023 the US Embassy has been headed by Nancy VanHorn as chargé d’affaires.