The former president of Albania and current head of the opposition, Sali Berisha, assured this Friday that the United States has annulled the sanctions that weighed on him and his closest circle, including the prohibition of setting foot on US territory.
"As of yesterday, after an exhaustive review by the State Department of my case, my family and I are no longer deprived of the possibility of traveling to the United States," the veteran leader stated in a statement disseminated on social media, where he once again attributes his presence on Washington's 'blacklist' to maneuvers by the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, in collusion with the billionaire philanthropist George Soros, whom he defines as "his mentor."
Berisha has directed a message of gratitude to his family, his friends inside and outside Albania, and to the militants and collaborators of the Democratic Party (PD) for accompanying him in what he considers his "fight for truth and human dignity."
Following this announcement from the United States, the former leader has taken the opportunity to reaffirm his leadership against Rama and has insisted that the militants and sympathizers of the PD must "continue tirelessly" in their efforts to "restore free voting and ensure the future that Albanian citizens deserve."
Berisha, who presided over Albania between 1992 and 1997 and was prime minister from 2003 to 2015, had been sanctioned in 2021 along with several members of his family by the US authorities for his alleged participation in "significant" corruption schemes. Washington accused him of "the use of his power for his own benefit and to enrich his political allies and family members at the expense of the trust of the Albanian public" during his time at the head of the Government.