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| Paolo Zampolli while speaking to journalists in Tirana, September 8, 2026 |
Paolo Zampolli’s statements regarding the proposed sovereign Bektashi state in Tirana should not be interpreted as an official position of the U.S. State Department, argues Artur Meçollari.
Meçollari points to several details surrounding Zampolli’s visit to Albania. The U.S. Presidential Envoy for Global Partnerships came to Albania at the invitation of Baba Edmond Brahimaj, known as Baba Mondi, for celebrations marking the 35th anniversary of the restoration of the World Bektashi Headquarters.
Zampolli was received at Tirana International Airport by a U.S. Embassy employee, but, according to Meçollari, he was not accompanied by U.S. Embassy officials during his meetings with Albanian authorities. The U.S. Embassy also did not coordinate his meetings with senior Albanian officials or religious communities, he says.
For this reason, Meçollari describes the visit as a lobbying visit rather than an official U.S. government visit.
The distinction is important because Zampolli’s comments about the proposed Bektashi state have attracted considerable attention. He did not announce U.S. support for the creation of such a state. Instead, he emphasized that the final decision belongs to the Albanian people.
And this is where the central question begins: Who is sovereign?
Not Washington. Not the Albanian government. Not a minister or a political party.
The sovereign is the Albanian people.
Whatever one's position on the proposed Bektashi state, a decision affecting Albania’s sovereignty cannot ultimately belong to foreign governments or individual political figures. If the proposal ever moves beyond a political idea, the decisive question should be what the Albanian people themselves want.
As Meçollari argues, Zampolli’s remarks should therefore not be confused with an official U.S. State Department position.
The debate can continue, but one principle should remain clear: the government represents the sovereignty of the people; it does not own it.