TIRANA, March 30 – David J. Kostelancik, appointed by President Biden to serve as United States ambassador to Albania, presented his priorities as Ambassador before the Committee on Foreign Relations in the United States Senate during the confirmation session held on Thursday.
“If I am confirmed in this position, I will cooperate with Albania to strengthen democratic institutions and justice institutions. President Joe Biden has defined the fight against corruption and organized crime as part of our national strategy. This is a major challenge for the countries of the Western Balkans,” said Mr. Kostelancik.
One of the sectors of close cooperation between the two countries, said the appointed ambassador, will be the further strengthening of the defense partnership. Iran’s cyber attack on Albania in 2022, he said, showed the need to invest in infrastructure and training to build a sustainable cyber system. The United States, he said, has sent experts to Albania to repair the damage done and has offered 50 million dollars for this purpose.
A third priority, Kostelancik stressed, will be strengthening the business climate. The interests of the United States, said the expected ambassador, are served through a transparent market in Albania.
Mr. Kostelancik has served in Albania even before in the period 1992-1994, as the first representative for political and economic issues in the newly opened American embassy in Tirana. Prior to his appointment as ambassador, he served as Foreign Policy Advisor to the US Chief of Staff, General Mark Milley.
If his candidacy is approved by the Senate, diplomat Kostelancik will replace the current American ambassador to Albania, Yuri Kim. /Argumentum.al