{"id":2046,"date":"2012-11-28T18:56:37","date_gmt":"2012-11-28T18:56:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/revistakuvendi.org\/?p=2046"},"modified":"2012-11-28T18:56:37","modified_gmt":"2012-11-28T18:56:37","slug":"pershendetja-e-kongresmenit-gary-peters-ne-mbremjen-solemne-te-100-vjetorit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/revistakuvendi.org\/?p=2046","title":{"rendered":"Pershendetja e  Kongresmenit Gary Peters ne Mbremjen Solemne te 100 Vjetorit"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p>\nGood evening.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/revistakuvendi.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/25-nenetor52.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-2048\" title=\"25 nenetor5\" src=\"http:\/\/revistakuvendi.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/25-nenetor52-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/revistakuvendi.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/25-nenetor52-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/revistakuvendi.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/25-nenetor52.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>I want to thank Father Fran Kola for the generous invitation to celebrate this milestone with you tonight.\u00a0 It is an honor to be back at St. Paul\u2019s with all of you.\u00a0 I want to also acknowledge an advisor of mine: my friend, Dom Kqira.<!--more--><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Also, I understand that my good friend Consul General Ekrem Bardha is representing our community tonight in Albania and that he is receiving an award for his leadership.\u00a0 I am grateful that his daughter &#8211; my friend Donika Bardha \u2013 and his son, Ghani, along with members of the Bardha family are here with us tonight.\u00a0 Donika: please extend my greetings to your father and thank you for your family\u2019s close friendship over the years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Amongst the many distinguished leaders in this great church is the Albanian Ambassador to the United States.\u00a0 A man I have come to know and respect, Ambassador Gilbert Galanxhi.\u00a0 Mr. Ambassador, it is wonderful to see you again.\u00a0 Welcome back to Michigan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I have been with you at many important moments at this church including the celebration of the continued independence and growth of Kosova.\u00a0 Every time I have been here, I have always been welcomed as a part of the Albanian family and I will always be grateful for that.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>As many of you know, I was fortunate enough to visit Albania and Kosova over a year ago and meet with the leaders of both countries, including both the majority and minority parties.\u00a0 I will never forget driving along the roads and seeing many homes not only with an Albanian Flag \u2013 but with an American flag right by its side.\u00a0 Let me reiterate that just as you fly the Albanian Flag side by side with the American Flag \u2013 so too is America on your side.\u00a0 We are united as true allies and our friendship has never been stronger as we celebrate 100 years of Albanian Independence.\u00a0 I also want to make this promise to you: as long as I serve in the United States Congress,\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">the Albanian People will always have a friend in Washington.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I am blessed to represent a large and active Albanian American community.\u00a0 I am particularly privileged to serve on the Albanian Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I have been blessed to have Albanians on my congressional team for several years now.\u00a0 Kushtrim Shaqiri worked on my congressional staff for many years and now Elisa Malile has joined my staff.\u00a0\u00a0 I have had interns Matilda Shpati and Nels Beljeri as well. As I begin my 3<sup>rd<\/sup>\u00a0term in Congress, I am grateful to continue to have the Albanian community represented in my office\u2019s staff and grateful for the service these young men and women provide.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I am particularly proud of your community\u2019s patriotism, love for America and participation in the American democratic process.\u00a0 Your engagement in the American political system is essential to ensure that you are fully represented.\u00a0 My work on Albanian issues is strengthened thanks to our close friendship.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I am grateful that in your active engagement in the democratic process you have chosen to support me.\u00a0 I thank you \u2013 all of you \u2013 for your sincere friendship.\u00a0 It has meant a great deal to me over the years and I am looking forward to growing our bonds for many years to come.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>As I enter my 3<sup>rd<\/sup>\u00a0term in Congress, I am keenly aware of the efforts of your community to bring attention to the needs of emerging democracies in the Balkan region and to strengthen U.S.-Balkan relations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The community\u2019s continued efforts to aid Albanians in Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosova and Albania &#8212; and indeed throughout the world&#8211; are truly remarkable.\u00a0 I applaud you for your commitment to your brothers and sisters back home.\u00a0 Like all of you, I am committed to fight for Kosova\u2019s\u00a0<em>true<\/em>\u00a0independence, which means\u00a0<em>full<\/em>\u00a0acceptance into the international community.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The milestone we are celebrating tonight is impressive.\u00a0 We must also insure that Albanians living in Montenegro enjoy full rights legal and civil.\u00a0 Independent Albania suffered through two World Wars, and a brutal totalitarian regime.\u00a0 Today Albania is a democracy with a market economy, but it still has room to improve in order to provide a better quality of life for its citizens.\u00a0 Democracy is a journey &#8211; not a destination.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Greater respect for free and fair elections, for the rule of law, and for civic institutions is needed for Albania to fully thrive.\u00a0 Ending corruption and the\u00a0<em>perception<\/em>\u00a0of corruption will not only improve the lives of Albanians, it will bring more economic development and foreign investment.\u00a0 I applaud Prime Minister Berisha and opposition Socialist Party leader Edi Rahma for their commitment to free and fair elections next year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I believe the United States can and\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">must<\/span>\u00a0be a key ally for Albania.\u00a0 The United States must actively advocate for Albania\u2019s induction into the European Union.\u00a0 We should explore whether visa waiver programs could facilitate travel between our two great countries, and we should look for other ways to promote greater cultural ties.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Most importantly, the United States should help facilitate greater trade between our country and Albania.\u00a0 I know that the Albanian community here in the United States is both hard working and entrepreneurial, and would love to have greater opportunities to invest in Albania and help grow its economy.\u00a0 We should do more to strengthen the economic ties between our two nations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Whether fighting for justice, advancing democracy, or working hard to strengthen our economy, Albanian Americans in Michigan and across America help make our nation even greater.\u00a0 It is an honor to serve you and the Albanian American Diaspora in Congress.\u00a0 Thank you all for your support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Congratulations on 100 years of Albanian Independence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>May God Bless Albania and May God Bless the United States of America.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Good evening. &nbsp; I want to thank Father Fran Kola for the generous invitation to celebrate this milestone with you tonight.\u00a0 It is an honor to be back at St. Paul\u2019s with all of you.\u00a0 I want to also acknowledge an advisor of mine: my friend, Dom Kqira.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-jete-komuniteti"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistakuvendi.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistakuvendi.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistakuvendi.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistakuvendi.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistakuvendi.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2046"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/revistakuvendi.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2046\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2380,"href":"https:\/\/revistakuvendi.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2046\/revisions\/2380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistakuvendi.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistakuvendi.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistakuvendi.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}