The new US ambassador to Tirana, Eric Wendt, has for weeks been engaged in an official schedule of meetings with heads of institutions and figures in Albanian politics. But one prominent name is still missing from that list in the domestic political debate: Sali Berisha. At a time when every diplomatic contact is also read as a political message, the absence of such a meeting is drawing more comment than the meetings that have taken place.
A packed agenda, but without the Democratic Party leader
The US ambassador has presented his credentials to the President of the Republic and held meetings with the prime minister, the speaker of parliament, the foreign minister, MPs, and representatives of justice institutions.
However, so far there has been no reported meeting with Sali Berisha. This absence stands out not only because of his role in the opposition, but also because the ambassador has had contacts with other figures from the opposition camp.
Contacts with the opposition, but not with Berisha
According to the version made public in the satirical article, the ambassador met opposition MPs and leaders of the parliamentary group, indicating that the avoidance is not related to a lack of contact with the Democratic Party as a whole.
This is precisely where the political reading of the situation begins: US diplomacy may choose to communicate with representatives of the opposition without giving direct legitimacy to Berisha as a figure. There has been no official confirmation of such an approach.
The shadow of the ‘non grata’ status remains in the background
The debate once again returns to the issue of Berisha being declared ‘non grata’ by the United States, a file that continues to produce political and symbolic consequences in Tirana.
Although claims have been made by Berisha’s camp that this measure no longer stands, so far there has been no public confirmation from US authorities to close this issue definitively. That makes the absence of a formal meeting with the new ambassador even more sensitive.
The absence of a meeting as a message in itself
In diplomacy, not only meetings, but also their absence, are read as signals. The fact that the ambassador has met institutions, the majority, and representatives of the opposition, but not Berisha, leaves room for political interpretations.
In the absence of a public clarification from the US Embassy, this remains a situation in which silence produces as much noise as a statement. For Berisha’s camp, the waiting continues; for the public, the question remains open as to whether this is simply a matter of diplomatic scheduling or a deliberate distancing.
At this stage, what is known is simple: the new US ambassador has met many actors in Tirana, but not Sali Berisha.
And in Albanian politics, especially when the United States and the opposition are in the background, even a door that does not open is enough to spark an entire debate.