I chose to call it a sincere polemic because both interlocutors share the same goal: To uphold Western values ​​and principles and to secure the leading role of the US as the leader of the western world.

While uniting us, the main goals make it easier for us to talk about differences and views on developments in Albania, seen in two different perspectives from Washington and Tirana. You as an official of the American Administration, I as an analyst of the Albanian media.

But how are the developments in Albania viewed from the Albanian point of view?

Firstly, in Albania we are not dealing with a democratic regime that shares Western values.  Mr. Rama's regime is a hybrid regime, which day by day is turning Albania into a dysfunctional democracy.

Power is personalized by the Prime Minister, who dominates the life of the country by sharing power with the oligarchs. The state is captured, civil society subjugated or non-existent, the media under the increasing control of Mr. Rama and the oligarchs who share interests with him.

Secondly, there is no legitimacy of the institutions because the vote of the people is distorted.  The system of patronage, the cases of vote buying, the non-punishment of the perpetrators of the distortion of the 2017 elections, the use of administrative and power resources to influence the vote and the connection of politics with organized crime, have resulted in not only a deformed democracy but also in an illegitimate power with a democratic facade.

Thirdly, corruption in the country has spread to all levels of administration and the country is experiencing complete suffocation from misuse of public funds.  Popular revolt and discontent has reached such proportions that the accumulation of popular hatred can erupt every day and can bring back an uncontrolled and chaotic state.

Fourthly, institutional and justice reforms are at halt due to their control and their use by the ruling regime. The Albanian public itself today believes in justice reform at the level of 36% according to serious polls. Your idealism and effort to help Albania with justice reform is being misused to capture this reform with political pressure.  Your mistake was that you believed in the government to save the reform, when the government lacked the political will to have a balance of power in the country and an independent judiciary.

Fifth, Albania has become a cannabis republic, not out of negligence, incompetence but as a project to protect corrupt power.

As a result, Albania has become a dangerous country for the production and export of drugs but also a junction of organized crime in the Western Balkans.

We understand that our strategic partner, the US, does not have the proper attention to deal with Albania at this critical time when Russia's revanchism, the war in Ukraine is affecting the very existence of our democratic order.  But in the absence of such attention do not get excited by the clientelistic actions of a leader like Rama, who is ready to do anything, accept the mujahideen, Afghans, etc., etc., so that you do not touch him in his 'ownership’ of interest and his ‘Putin-like’ anti-democratic power.

It is not your fault that you believe in individuals and lobbying firms or pressure groups that sponsor Mr. Rama, Mr. Vucic, as agents of change in the Balkans, who will bring stability and peace. And that's a good intention to support.

In fact, this is a beautiful project on paper, but far from the reality and developments in the region.  Moreover, these Balkan projects radiate the interests of Russia and Serbia to turn the Open Balkans into an open area of ​​interest for non-European powers such as Russia and China.

Despite seeking your cooperation, they seek to fulfill a 'disengaged' world outside of Western influence, which would result in the preservation of their unlimited power.  Which autocrat would like to risk his power by being accountable for the corruption of his government?  Moreover you have stated that the fight against corruption will not end.

The Balkan autocrats certainly want to have their guarantees, the conditions to work when they have your friendly attention, the opportunity to eliminate the opposition and orient what it should be like. When you fall into their game, you will certainly fall into contradiction with the existing reality in the country. The people demand the establishment of democracy, the crackdown on corruption, which is taking its toll when others try hard to project stability.

President Biden with much vision defined our time as the struggle between democracy and autocracy.  And we believed that this attitude would soon be embraced by all.

But, it seems that the action of promoting democracy has been forgotten as a function by the bureaucrats of the State Department. On the contrary, they feel comfortable with the status quo of a false stability.

Autocrats are not the future of our society with Western values, but its death. That is why it is important not only to deal with what the opposition should do, to fight the internal enemies of the autocrats but to understand the need of society for change.

If we do not understand this reality, we will remain in history as those officials who sought to dispel the invincible myth of American democracy in Albania.  Moreover, that we did not understand President Biden's grand vision.

*Former Albanian Ambassador to the UN.