Ambassador Wollfarth met last month in Tirana with Ekrem Bardha, e well –known Albanian-American businessman and activist.

The German diplomat is the Tirana-based Head of the OSCE presence in Albania and maintains regular contacts with Albanian political actors and other  influential leaders.

Ekrem Bardha who is also Honorary Consul of Albania in Michigan and former publisher of Illyria Newspaper has been one of the first businessman to invest in Albania after the collapse of communism. He is still very active in the Country  of his birth with a sizeable and successful investment in wine-production, known as Kantina Bardha or Kantina Bardha  Vineyards.

Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth invited the Albanian-American leader for a working lunch lunch and they are both shown together in the accompanying picture. The meeting took place place in Piazza Restaurant, on of the most distinguished in the Albanian capital and coincidentally founded almost 20 years ago from Mr. Bardha(he hes sold it recently).

Albania is trying to move forward with its European Union integration while trying  also to attract foreign investment in the country.

Ambassador Wollfarth took office as Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania on 16 September 2010. He has worked as a diplomat for 25 years in the German Foreign Office and has profound  experience in the Western Balkans, as well as in political, international, and security affairs.(Courtesy:ILLYRIA)