

The following is attributable to Acting Spokesperson Pooja Jhunjhunwala:

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Mark Green met with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, the Honorable Edi Rama, on Wednesday, February 5, 2020.

Administrator Green welcomed Prime Minister Rama to USAID headquarters and reiterated the condolences of the American people for the devastation Albanians suffered from the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that occurred on November 26, 2019. The Administrator commended the Prime Minister for his Government's swift and comprehensive response to the crisis. The officials also discussed USAID's mobilization of resources to support the Albanian Government in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake.

Building on their conversation in Tirana in November, the two officials discussed USAID's on-going partnership to assist Albanians on their Journey to Self-Reliance and Transatlantic integration by continuing to pursue innovative solutions that take advantage of the tremendous private- and public-sector expertise in Albania and in the wider Balkan region. Administrator Green and PM Rama both agreed that corruption and inconsistent rule of law are key hindrances to Albania's development progress, and the Administrator reaffirmed USAID's commitment to help Albanians address these challenges, which degrade faith in government institutions and undermines the efforts of civic leaders to serve their citizens.

USAID's Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia, the Honorable Brock Bierman, also attended the meeting.