American media reports that Colleen Hyland will be the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Balkans, replacing Alexandru Sasha Kasanof in this position.
Hyland is a career diplomat who has worked in US diplomatic missions in Baghdad, Kabul, and Pristina.
At an event held in September in Tirana, the Director for South-Central European Affairs at the US Department of State, Colleen Hyland, stated that corruption is a major problem in the Western Balkans.
She stressed that “Albania wants to attract foreign investment and to achieve this, it needs to change its behavior and attitude, it needs to address this problem.” Ms. Hyland made these comments at the third regional “Balkanomics” conference dedicated to economic growth.
"Albania has made excellent progress thanks to SPAK, which is an organization that has done extraordinary work. Polls show that SPAK has earned the respect of the country's citizens because it helps the country address corruption issues," said Ms. Hyland.
SPAK, according to her, must be preserved and strengthened in order to send a very strong signal to foreign investors and Albanians to invest in their country, while the US is ready to further assist Albania on its path to European integration.
"In this difficult work, corruption must be kept under control. Laws must be updated and brought into line with EU standards, and this requires focus and determination," said Ms. Hyland. (A2 Televizion)
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