Dielli | The Sun

Albanian American Newspaper Devoted to the Intellectual and Cultural Advancement of the Albanians in America | Since 1909

How Delta Is Changing Advice for the Vaccinated – Experts Answer 10 Questions

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computer illustration of coronavirus delta variant mutation concept

By Rafaela Prifti

The rise of the Delta variant of the coronavirus has raised new questions about how the vaccinated can stay safe and avoid breakthrough infections. 
The vaccines remain remarkably protective against Covid-19, especially against serious illness. Headlines about breakthrough infections and new recommendations that vaccinated people should sometimes wear masks have left many people confused and worried. While new research shows vaccinated people can become infected and carry high levels of the coronavirus, it’s important to remember that those cases are rare, and it’s primarily the unvaccinated who get infected and spread the virus.
As long as large numbers of people remain unvaccinated, vaccinated people will be exposed to the highly infectious Delta variant. Parents have the added worry that children under 12 probably won’t be eligible for vaccination until well into the fall. As a result, every vaccinated person should consider a safety checklist to help minimize the risk of becoming infected and spreading the virus to others. The experts answer 10 questions about how vaccinated people should adjust their lives and behaviors during the Delta surge. Here are their answers.
New Guidance for the Vaccinated

-If I’m vaccinated, why do I need to worry about Delta?
No vaccine offers 100 percent protection. Compared with earlier forms of the virus, Delta is like a viral hurricane; it’s far more infectious and presents a bigger challenge to even a vaccinated immune system.The good news is the current crop of vaccines available in the United States are doing a remarkable job of protecting people from serious illness, hospitalization and death. More than 97 percent of those hospitalized with Covid-19 are unvaccinated. And new data from Singapore shows that even when vaccinated patients are hospitalized with Delta breakthrough infections, they are far less likely to need supplemental oxygen, and they clear the virus faster compared with unvaccinated patients.

– What’s the real risk of a breakthrough infection after vaccination?
Breakthrough infections make headlines, but they remain uncommon. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped tracking all breakthrough cases in May, about half of all states report at least some data on breakthrough events. The Kaiser Family Foundation recently analyzed much of the state-reported data and found that breakthrough cases, hospitalizations and deaths are extremely rare events among those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. The rate of breakthrough cases reported among those fully vaccinated is “well below 1 percent in all reporting states, ranging from 0.01 percent in Connecticut to 0.29 percent in Alaska,” according to the Kaiser analysis. But many breakthrough infections are probably never reported because people who are infected don’t have symptoms or have mild symptoms that end before the person even thinks about being tested. Experts say that it’s not a failure of the vaccine that we’re having breakthrough cases. What is clear is that the risk of a breakthrough infection increases the more opportunities you give Delta to challenge the wall of protection conferred by your vaccine. Big crowded events — like a July 4 celebration in Provincetown, Mass., or the packed Lollapalooza concert in Chicago — pose a much greater risk that a vaccinated person will cross paths with an infected person carrying a high viral load.

– When should I wear a mask?
The C.D.C. has a color-coded map of Covid-19 outbreaks in the United States. Blue and yellow zones show relatively low levels of infections, while orange and red zones indicate areas where cases in the past week were above 50 cases per 100,000 people. The agency advises people to wear masks if they live in an orange or red zone — which now accounts for about 80 percent of the counties in the United States.Infection numbers remain relatively low in much of the Northeast and Upper Midwest, while Delta has caused huge spikes in cases in Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and Florida. The problem with the map is that case counts are changing rapidly and may surge in your local community before the map has changed colors. Even if you’re certain you’re living in a highly vaccinated community with very low case counts, it makes sense to consider the case counts and vaccination rates in nearby communities as well, because people — and viruses — cross state and county boundaries all the time.Most experts agree that you don’t need to wear a mask outdoors if you’re not in a crowd and have plenty of distance (at least six feet) from people whose vaccination status isn’t known. It’s still risky to attend a packed outdoor concert, but if you do, wear a mask.

– Should I upgrade my mask?You will get the most protection from a high-quality medical mask like an N95 or a KN95, although you want to be sure you have the real thing. If you don’t have a medical mask, you still get strong protection from double masking with a simple surgical mask under a cloth mask. A mask with an exhale valve should never be worn, since it allows plumes of viral particles to escape, and counterfeit masks may have faulty valves that let germs in.You may want to pick your mask based on the setting. A cloth mask may be adequate for a quick trip into an empty convenience store in an area with high vaccination rates. But a higher-quality mask makes sense during air travel or in a crowded grocery store, especially in communities where vaccination rates are low and case counts are high. Masks with straps or ties around the back of the head seal more tightly than masks with ear loops.
Doctors advice that all the mitigation efforts we used before need to be better to hold off the Delta variant, and this includes masks. 

– What’s the risk of hanging out with my vaccinated friends and family?Vaccinated people are at very low risk when they spend time, unmasked, with their vaccinated friends and family members.But some circumstances might require extra precautions. While it’s unusual for a vaccinated person to spread the virus to another vaccinated person, it’s theoretically possible. A vaccinated friend who is going to crowded bars, packed concerts or traveling to a Covid hot spot is a bigger risk than someone who avoids crowds and spends most of their time with vaccinated people.Spending time with smaller groups of vaccinated friends has less risk than attending a big party, even if you believe everyone at the party is vaccinated. If you’re indoors, open the windows to improve ventilation. If someone in the group is at very high risk because of age or because they are immunocompromised, it’s reasonable to ask even vaccinated people to be tested before a visit. A simple rapid home test can even be offered to guests to be sure everyone is Covid-free.

– Can I still dine at restaurants?The answer depends on local conditions, your tolerance for risk and the personal health of those around you. Risk is lowest in communities with high vaccination rates and very low case counts.Parents of unvaccinated children and people with compromised immune systems, who studies show may get less protection from vaccines, may want to order takeout or dine outdoors as an added precaution.

-Is it safe to travel? Should I skip the peanuts and water and keep my mask on?Airplanes are typically well ventilated and not a major source of outbreaks, but taking precautions is still a good idea. The potential for exposure to an infected person may be even higher in the terminal, sitting in airport restaurants and bars, or going through the security line. In airplanes, air is refreshed roughly every two to three minutes — a higher rate than in grocery stores and other indoor spaces. While airlines still require passengers to wear masks, people are allowed to remove them to drink water or eat.To prevent air from circulating to everyone throughout the cabin, airplane ventilation systems keep airflow contained to a few rows. As a result, an infected passenger poses most risk to those sitting in the seats in the immediate area.
Most experts say that they use a high-quality medical mask, like an N95 or KF94, when they fly. If you don’t have one, double masking is advised. For a vaccinated person, the risk of removing a mask briefly to eat or drink during a flight is low, but it’s better to keep it on as much as possible. The C.D.C. says it’s best for unvaccinated people, including children, to avoid flying.

– How safe are buses, subways and trains for vaccinated people?Most buses, trains and subways still require everyone to wear a mask, which lowers risk. While vaccinated people are well protected, the risk of viral exposure increases the longer the ride and the more crowded the train car or bus. For many people, riding public transit is essential for getting to work or school, and wearing a well-fitted medical mask or double mask is recommended. When public transit is optional, the decision about whether to ride should factor in local vaccination rates and whether case counts are rising.
-Can I hug and visit older relatives? What about unvaccinated children?While it’s generally considered safe for vaccinated people to hug and spend time together unmasked, parents of unvaccinated children have more risks to consider, particularly when visiting older relatives. In communities with low case counts and high vaccination rates, it’s generally considered safe for unvaccinated children from a single household to spend time with vaccinated grandparents. But as the Delta variant spreads and children return to school, the risks of close contact also increase for older or immune-compromised people who are more vulnerable to complications from Covid-19, even if they’re vaccinated.When families plan a visit to a high-risk relative, it’s a good idea to minimize other exposures, avoiding restaurant dining or working out at the gym in the week leading up to the visit. Even though the risk of a vaccinated person spreading Covid-19 remains low, vaccinated grandparents should also reduce their personal exposure when they spend time with unvaccinated children.
Rapid home tests are an added precaution when visiting grandparents or an immune-compromised family member. Take a test a few days before the visit as well as the day of the visit.

– How do I know if I have the Delta variant?If you’re diagnosed in the U.S. with Covid-19, the odds are overwhelming that you have the Delta variant. The C.D.C. now estimates that Delta accounts for more than 82 percent of cases in the United States. The Delta variant has become dominant in other countries as well. In late July the World Health Organization said Delta accounted for 75 percent or more of the cases in many countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Denmark, India, Indonesia, Israel, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa and the U.K.
Standard Covid tests won’t tell you if your infection was caused by the Delta variant or another variant of the virus. While health departments may use genomic sequencing to identify levels of different variants in a community, this information typically isn’t shared with individuals. You still need to isolate and seek medical advice if you have low blood oxygen levels, have trouble breathing or have other worrisome symptoms.

Edited and summarized from the NYT original article by Tara Parker-Pope

The W.H.O. seeks moratorium on boosters to help other countries with vaccination

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By: Rafaela Prifti

Source: WHO Briefing Reports

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization’s director general, who spoke during the World Health Assembly in Geneva on Wednesday, called for a moratorium on coronavirus vaccine booster shots until the end of September to help all countries vaccinate at least 10 percent of their populations, appealing to the world’s wealthiest nations to address dramatic disparities in global vaccination rates. Dr. Tedros said that of more than 4 billion vaccine doses that have been administered around the world, more than 80 percent have been used in high- and upper-middle-income countries, which account for less than half of the world’s population. High-income countries have administered almost 100 doses for every 100 people, he said, while low-income countries have administered just 1.5 doses for every 100 people, mainly because of a lack of supply. During the briefing,  he urged for “an urgent reversal, from the majority of vaccines going to high-income countries, to the majority going to low-income countries.”
As the debate over booster shots has heated up, humanitarian groups have pressed the moral and scientific case for doses to be given first to vulnerable people in poorer nations. African countries have administered 5 doses for every 100 people, compared with 88 doses per 100 people in Europe and 85 in North America. As deaths have surged in African nations in recent months, some health workers and elderly or vulnerable people have remained entirely unprotected. The urgency of vaccinating more people globally has only grown as the Delta variant considered to be highly contagious and causing more illness, is now dominant according to data.
Scientists have still not come to a consensus on whether booster shots are necessary. But as worries emerge about continuing pandemic waves and future lockdowns, an increasing number of countries like Germany, Israel and France are preparing to give part of their population booster doses, or have already started. Studies have indicated that the immunity generated by the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines is long-lasting. Researchers are still working to understand recent Israeli data suggesting that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine declined in efficacy months after inoculation.
The W.H.O.’s appeal on Wednesday largely put the onus of fixing the world’s vaccine gaps on the world’s wealthiest nations, saying that the leadership of G-20 countries would determine the course of the pandemic. Dr. Tedros asked health ministers of those countries, who are meeting ahead of a planned summit in October, to make “concrete commitments” to reach the organization’s global vaccination targets. Wealthier nations have a clear incentive to fill vaccination gaps in a continuing crisis that has gripped every corner of the world, because the pandemic will not end “unless the whole world gets out of it together,” Dr. Bruce Aylward, a senior W.H.O. adviser, said on Wednesday. “With the huge disparity in vaccination coverage, we are simply not going to achieve that.”

Source: WHO Briefing Reports

Interview with Teuta Shabani-Towler, the Peaceful Doer

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by Rafaela Prifti

Q. You are the CEO of a digital marketing company, a speaker, and a certified life coach with a background in nursing, computer programming, journalism, grassroots organizing and political activism who lived in Mitrovica through the Kosovo war before immigrating to the United States a decade ago. There is a lot to unpack here. Let me start by asking how do you introduce yourself? Who is Teuta Shabani-Towler?

A. I’m a mom, a daughter, a sister, an auntie, and a friend to many. I consider myself to be a strong, peaceful person who really loves helping people. I feel so fortunate to be able to help friends, family, clients, and impact women through my coaching, workshops, and inspirational speeches.

Q. Do you feel that education impacted your later choices?

A. My education and my work experience is a “mutt”. I believe everything happens for a reason because one thing led me to another. My nursing education was out of scarcity because just when I went to high school, Kosovo was stripped of its autonomy. That meant, my opportunities to get a college education was limited to nonexistent. I attended nursing school while still in high school to be able to have the skill to get a job. Plus, my parents really wanted me to be a doctor. While attending nursing school, I was really drawn to brain function and human behaviors, so I wanted to become a neurophysiologist. By the time I graduated from high school and nursing school, the political situation in Kosovo worsened and I no longer had the opportunity to pursue my medical studies at the university level. I worked as a nurse for two years at a pediatrician’s office and I absolutely hated sticking children, especially newborns with needles. In my second year working as a nurse, I started taking private computer programming classes after work. I didn’t even own a computer and we could probably count how many families had computers in the city of over 100,000 people. Most of my friends and relatives criticized me for wasting money on computer courses because there were no computer job opportunities in Kosovo. I really fell in love with computers and programming. I built my first patient records software at no cost for the doctor that I was working for. He considered it as a favor to me because he had to buy a computer for his office. I trained the doctor and two other staff members how to use it. As soon as he appreciated the convenience and efficiency of pulling up patient info, he told other doctors. So, I started getting requests to build software for other doctors. I just made minor changes and was selling the same program. I made more money in two months selling my software than the entire year working as a nurse. Six months later, I quit my nursing job and became a full-time programmer. I went back to college for computer programming, but at that stage, I was more advanced than what they were teaching. When the war broke out in Kosovo, I was just finishing college. During the war, we had limited journalists left in the country. I became one of those “I reporters” who frequently called BBC radio and Deutsche Welle Radio to inform the outsiders what was happening in Kosovo. I loved finding information and sharing it with people. That led me to take journalism classes after the war. Fast forward to 20 years later, I started Mitro Digital Marketing business in Kosovo and the United States, where I use my coding and writing skills in one job, Website Design and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). I think my personal tagline summed it up nicely: I write for humans and code for machines. It was hard to be both the CEO of a company and a programmer. To grow the business, I had to let go of programming and hired people to do that for me. I love marketing because it deals with human buying behaviors. I thought by helping my clients make money, it will impact their lives and they will be happy. However, that wasn’t always the case. It didn’t matter how much money they made, many of them were still not happy. I started feeling not fulfilled and realized I’m not making much of a difference in people’s lives. I was searching within myself to do something more meaningful and fulfilling.

Q. Was there a defining moment in your life that led you to want to become a life coach?

A. In March 2020, I attended the Mindvalley Personal and Professional conference in Los Angeles just before Covid shut down. I met many amazing speakers and attendees. I attended Lisa Nichols’ workshop Speak and Inspire. She really did inspire me to use my voice and my story to inspire others. Some of the attendees that I was having dinner with thought I was a life coach because of the way I was talking about issues related to immigrant identities. That got me thinking about life coaching. Then Covid hit my marketing business pretty badly for three months. All of my paid ads and other marketing efforts were either canceled or put on hold. I found myself at home with two kids and not a whole lot of things to do. I researched many coaching schools and chose the John Maxwell Team. I took the classes for life coaching, speaking, and professional development training. Now I’m a John Maxwell Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer. My coaching, speaking, and training brand is called, The Peaceful Doer because it’s important for my clients to feel at peace with the decisions they make, and the actions they take. Plus, this world really needs more peaceful doers.

Q. There are countless numbers of life coaches, what’s your distinctive or defining quality?

A. I work primarily with women who want to make changes in their lives, reach personal and/or professional goals. Most of the time, women call me when they find themselves at crossroads and are not sure which way to go. Whether it’s a career, a personal relationship, poor health habits, money problems, moving to another country, etc. The majority of my clients are women who are immigrants and struggle with finding out who they really are and what they want. As part of assimilating into this country, immigrants go through a personal identity crisis. I know how they feel because I went through that and it was a brutal journey. But I found my way back up and now I can help others do the same. My coaching training with John Maxwell also enables me to help women become leaders in their families, businesses, nonprofit, or their communities. I do this through one-on-one coaching, the leadership workshops I teach as well as masterminds I facilitate which are based on the John Maxwell books.

Q. What is the difference between a mentor, a life coach, and a therapist?

A. First of all, I want to say that life coaches are not like sports coaches. Life coaches don’t tell you what to do. We’re not experts of your life, we’re experts of the process to guide you to find answers within through questions we ask. We may offer another way of thinking but we never tell clients what they should do. That’s because when clients find answers on their own, they become more confident and empowered. Imagine how you feel when you figure out things on your own vs someone else telling you. We’re there to motivate clients and hold them accountable for the goals and actions they set up to do. To make sure they understand what holds them back and know they can overcome those challenges. Only if a client feels absolutely stuck, we may offer some options but never tell clients what they should do. Sometimes, your intuition is the best and I’m there to make sure you tap into that. A life coach makes sure you have a balanced life: personal relationship, health, career, money, hobby, and contribution to society. That’s because many people focus so much on their careers that they sacrifice their personal relationships and their health. Or they sacrifice their career for the family but then don’t feel happy about it later. Mentors give advice and share their own experiences in a specific industry or field. For example, I was a volunteer SCORE certified mentor and I would help clients with marketing tips and strategies. I have six mentors available to me through the John Maxwell Team. In case I need advice in one area or another, they provide feedback and support. Another important aspect I want to mention is therapist vs life coaches. Therapists are health professionals who deal with traumas and different emotions. They focus on healing from the past. Life coaches deal with clients, where they’re at now, and make plans for the future by changing habits and creating actionable goals. In therapy, there’s a lot of talking. In life coaching, there’s a lot of planning and action-taking. Therapy focuses a lot on problems, life coaches focus on solutions.

Q. Your profile says that you bring a fresh perspective to your coaching. Can you elaborate on it?

A. I challenge my clients to think differently to achieve different results than they’ve been getting. Understanding why they do what they do helps to build a great sense of awareness. Once they’re aware of their own blocks and clear them up, they become unstoppable.

Q. What should I expect from attending one of your presentations or classes?

Workshops are designed based on the organizations or businesses’ needs and goals. For example, a Real Estate company was struggling with a toxic work environment. I did a workshop on team building and communication. Another workshop I did was Money Mindset-Money Strategy. This was in cooperation with a financial advisor. I was focused on the money mindset, and she did money strategy. The attendees got a deeper understanding of where their money beliefs came from, how it impacted their lives and how to overcome the fear of lack of money. Through masterminds, there is a lot of focus on building stronger and deeper connections through communications, which in turn helps improve personal relationships, forge a better connection with family members, or coworkers and customers. In other words, everyone’s goals are different, but we all learn from each other. It’s important to understand that goes for me too. I’ve been facilitating the same masterminds for over a year now every four and five weeks and I still learn something new. That’s because each participant brings a different perspective and challenge which makes me think differently.

Q. Could you talk about your role model(s)?

I think my first role model was my first-grade teacher in Mitrovica, Kosovo. She was a brilliant, strong woman, a widow who raised three wonderful kids on her own, and was the only woman in my circle at the time that drove a car. One time she gave me a ride home because I was sick. I was very impressed with her driving. She said you can drive too when you grow up. I was seven years old, and I knew when I’m older, I’m going to own and drive my own car. I did that even during the most challenging times to get a driver’s license under the Serbian regime. One of the Kosovo women who inspires me is Valdete Idrizi who was awarded the Women of Courage Award by the United States in 2007. In the United States, the women who inspire me are Lisa Nichols, Sara Blankey, VP Kamala Harris, and many more.

Q. You talk about one of your experiences specifically being the first one to welcome the French UN troops that rolled into the town of Mitrovica after the Kosovo War. What was it like?

As horrible as war was, I got to see the worst and the best in human beings. There were many people killed, kicked out of the country, or hidden in the forests or in homes. My family and I were kicked out of our home. My dad was taken away to prison for three weeks and then later was sent to Albania. It was part of the Serbian strategy for ethnic cleansing. We didn’t know if my dad was alive and he didn’t know what happened to us for six months. My mom, brother and I came back home three weeks later to find a burned home but luckily the first floor’s concrete walls were still standing. As part of my “I reporting” self-promoted assignment, I would sneak around in people’s yards and burned houses around the city. At one point I saw two military trucks by the market in Mitrovica. From a distance, they looked like the Serbian military types. As I got closer, I noticed the French flag and I heard a helicopter overhead. I was so happy to see them that I couldn’t believe that the Serbian forces were out and NATO troops were in Kosovo. They didn’t know about any survivors because they couldn’t find any people any where in a city destroyed to the ground. I believe they were as happy to see me as I was happy seeing them. They asked me where the people are. I told them they were hiding in different places. One of them pulled out a map and spread it on top of the hood. I showed him the forest where displaced people were set up in tents. They communicated with the helicopter pilot that flew to the mountain and dropped off packages of food. I was so happy at that moment, I was crying. Then more people came out after they saw the helicopter. The French troops were asking where they could find a bakery to buy bread. I didn’t understand the word bread, so one of the soldiers drew it on a piece of paper. I told them “At my mom’s kitchen!” I got to ride with them to my parents’ house. My mom got so scared when she saw the trucks because she thought they were Serbian military. In less than an hour, more French troops assembled at our house and we’re serving them tea and bread. They had been driving on a road for a long time and scared of falling on landmines.

Q. You have made it your life’s mission to empower women in Kosovo and here. On that topic, Dielli has covered rallies, meetings, Congressional hearings on survivors of sexual violence in the Kosovo war. Can you draw from your perspective some cultural differences between our countries?

A. Women are influenced not just by the culture but by their life experiences. Kosovo women still have many challenges, not as many opportunities and support. In Kosovo, you have women in rural areas who are treated as second-class citizens, and then you have powerful women who serve in high leadership positions such as two female presidents. In America, women have more options but have not been able to climb up to the presidential position. For a country as developed as the United States, women are still treated poorly and are not supported in the political field.

Kosovo women are very brave, and I think going through the war has made them stronger. When you’ve been at the lowest level in your life, where you lost everything, there’s nothing else to do but climb up. The majority of them have overcome the fear of failure because they’ve been there, they survived, and they know what they are capable of.

Q: You told me that leaving Kosovo to come to the US was the hardest decision you ever made. I have heard a similar pain in the stories shared by immigrants forced to leave Albania gripped by civil unrest and corruption. Have you found points of convergence and what does that mean to you?

A. I’m fortunate that I came to the United States by choice. I wasn’t forced to leave the country that many people from Albania and Kosovo did. It was a hard choice to leave my family, friends, the women’s nonprofit that I founded, my United Nations job, and many organizations that I served on the boards. I was very involved in Kosovo. I worked 12-16 hours a day. I had a post survivor guilt and trauma and all I wanted to do was help others. I never stopped working except every three weeks I would get sick and had to stay home for three days. It was after four months, my UN doctor noticed a pattern and told me that I needed rest. I had so much passion to help people that I never wanted to stop. When I moved to the United States, I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. My body was here but my soul was in Kosovo. I lost my identity and my self-confidence. My life really didn’t have any meaning. That was a new feeling for me.

I live on a beautiful island and spent a lot of time on the beach but I got bored. I needed to help people but I felt like none needed my help here. Everyone seems to be doing fine. For the first time, I had time to think about my past, and all the war trauma that I’ve buried while in Kosovo started to resurface. Add losing my identity and self-confidence to that and that was a receipt for deep depression. I suffered in silence for many years. Kept it all to myself, trying to carry the same strength I had before I moved to the United States, but it was acting. At the end of the day, I would feel so exhausted that I slept for 12-14 hours. I was sick very frequently and barely managed to take care of the kids and my business. The interesting thing is I didn’t even think or realize that I was depressed until one day I had a suicidal thought that scared me so bad, I immediately asked for help. I went through therapy and other alternative healing and got back to my old self in two years. I want to take a moment and encourage anyone who’s dealing with depression to seek help. Don’t suffer alone and in silence. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. Life is beautiful but when you have emotional pain, you can’t see it. There are ways to release the pain but you have to be willing to ask for help. I hope anyone who deals with depression seeks help. If not for yourself, do it for the people who love you and need you.

Q. What are you working on currently? Have you thought about publishing your life advice?

I’m working on expanding my professional speaking business. I’ve been speaking to groups but it’s been mainly on Zoom because of Covid related restrictions. I want to be on stage and speak to inspire others to be the best versions of themselves. If I can do it, anyone else can. I’m working on bringing to the public four other masterminds. I’ve been thinking about writing a book but have not had the time to devote to it quite yet. I’m focusing on spending time with my kids and traveling with them because they are growing up so fast.

Thank you for the interview!

I want to thank Dielli newspaper for your interest in my story and I hope it helps inspire your readers.

GJERGJ BALAJ IS NO LONGER WITH US

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By Rafaela Prifti

It is with a very heavy heart that we learned of Gjergj Balaj’s passing. Our prayers and thoughts are with the Balaj family at this most difficult time. Vatra community is deeply saddened by the loss of a dedicated Vatran, a longtime supporter, a generous contributor and member of the Hudson Valley Chapter, Gjergj Balaj.

Our Lady of Shkodra has posted the notice on its website. “With sadness and great pain, we inform the Albanian community that yesterday on July 25, Gjergj Balaj departed suddenly at the young age of 52. Gjergj was a patriot, a man of faith, and a well known activist. This is a profound loss for the Church and our Albanian community. Pray that the Balaj family find strength with our Mighty Lord.”

Family members, friends, and associates of the deceased are mourning Gjergj’s passing and are expressing their condolences across social media.

The visitation hours will be at the Yorktown Funeral Home 945 East Main Street, Yorktown, New York 10588 today from 2-9pm.

The Funeral Mass and services will take place on Wednesday July 28 at 1pm at Our Lady of Shkodra Catholic Church. From there, the procession will be taking the deceased to the final resting place at “Gate of Heaven” 10 West Stevens Ave. Hawthorne. NY

No obituary is posted at this time.

We are keeping the Balaj family in our thoughts and prayers at this most difficult time, especially his wife Aida and their three sons. May his memory be a blessing.

CONVERSATION SERIES WITH AKRI ÇIPA

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by Rafaela Prifti/

The Pan-Albanian Federation of America Vatra denounced the statement of US Ambassador Philip Kosnett that “Kosovo has an obligation to set up the Association of Serb Municipalities” earlier this month. Kosovo’s Prime Minister Kurti has rejected this suggestion by stating that there is neither a legal nor constitutional basis for an ethnic based association in Kosovo. Vatra’s statement points to the risk of ASM leading into “a mini-Serbia in Kosovo”. What are your concerns?

Unfortunately, Serbia has managed to use the so-called Association of Serb Municipalities issue to block the dialogue process and, at the same time, to put the blame on Kosova. The country’s Constitutional Court has made it clear that the association as pushed for by Belgrade is unconstitutional. At the same time, all Balkan observers and those invested in the region know that there is a real danger that such an entity could be leveraged by Belgrade to destabilize the State of Kosova.

Importantly, the association as called for by Serbia’s representatives does nothing to advance the rights of the Serbian minority in Kosova. On the opposite, it merely offers Belgrade more incentives to continue to meddle in its neighbor’s internal affairs and to hold the Serbian minority in the country hostage in its quest for regional hegemony.

The US Department of Energy feasibility study with regard to sharing the UjmaniLake came just a few days prior to Ambassador Kosnett’s issuing the statement on ASM. The study is tied to one of the points of the Economic Agreement under the auspices of the Trump administration. It was signed by Kosovo’s and Serbia’s PM at the White House last September. In two months, it will be one year from its signing. Can you help us understand the timing of the study by putting it in context? 

The representatives of the Biden administration, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have said that they supported in principle the agreements signed in the White House during the Trump presidency. The publication of the study, which was prepared by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on behalf of the Department of Energy, shows that the U.S. is committed to keeping its end of the bargain. That is an important signal towards both Kosova and Serbia.

What is quite interesting is the fact that the reception of the study in Belgrade was frosty. Serbian analysts actually complained that the focus of the study was diverted. While the expectation was for the paper to assess how to share the water resources between the two countries, the study and its recommendations mainly focused on ways for Kosova to increase efficiency in water resource management. Some of the commentators in Serbia went so far as to argue that the study was not relevant per se to the Washington agreement. This is quite indicative.

There is controversy surrounding the legal nature of the Washington Agreement. One perspective sees it as a trilateral agreement between the U.S., Serbia, and Kosovo. This view has been rejected by Serbia’s President Vučić, who sees the Washington Agreement as consisting of bilateral agreements between Serbia and the U.S. and between Kosovo and the U.S. A third point of view is that the Washington Agreement is not a legally binding treaty at all but only a political commitment that does not create any legal obligations. Can you talk about this?

In Washington, both Serbia and Kosova undertook certain commitments with the United States, but there was no direct agreement between the two Balkan countries. Both parties pledged to support a series of policies and positions that affected the dialogue and that were advocated by the United States, whose role was central in the entire process. At the time, the event did not seek mutual recognition, which is unfortunate, however it aimed to incentivize both parties as they continued in Brussels the dialogue under the auspices of the European Union.

While the event was political in its purest sense, by agreeing in principle and officially signing the documents, Kosova and Serbia would normally be obliged to respect the content of the documents and their spirit. However, it is worth noting, less than a year after the signing event in the White House, Serbia has already failed to stand by its commitments on many accounts. The Kurti government should actually demonstrate and raise its voice on how Serbia is breaching its own commitments and is actually continuing with its destructive behavior towards Kosova.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has expressed his view that the agreement is not legally binding. Does that mean Kosovo can walk away from it?

While Mr. Kurti was critical of the agreement at first, he has taken a much more careful approach now that he is leading the government. This can be attested also by his position on the feasibility study, on which he said that he would comment on it only after a thorough analysis by his team. This kind of approach should be welcomed by the citizens of Kosova.

While there are specific commitments that were undertaken in Washington by the then-Prime Minister Hoti that were deemed problematic, it is important for Kosova that its government attests maturity as a state. If Prime Minister Kurti and his government continue to be skeptical about one or more elements of the Washington agreement, he should raise those concerns with the United States and coordinate with the American government on how to move forward.

Lastly while the previous administration sidestepped the issue of mutual recognition, President Biden has placed it on the table. Reportedly, in view of President Biden’s stated goal of improving relations between the U.S. and the EU, it is expected that the Biden administration will work more closely with the EU in facilitating a legally mutually binding agreement and a push for a form of recognition of Kosovo by Serbia. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has confirmed that the Washington Agreement will remain valid until changes are made to it in the future.” What is the message here in practical terms?

Differently from the European Union, President Biden and his administration have been unequivocal about the end goal of the dialogue between Kosova and Serbia. President Biden has called for mutual recognition between the two sovereign countries and the firmness of the U.S. position on the matter should be fully leveraged by the Kurti government in its efforts towards centering the current dialogue on mutual recognition. The disbalanced format of the EU-facilitated process so far has not only put pressure on Kosova, but has also harmed the very principles upon which the dialogue is based. 

Considering that Kosova has been on the receiving end of the process for way too long, the UnitedStates could help to challenge the dynamics and the asymmetry of the dialogue by strengthening Kosova’s negotiating position. President Biden and his administration, in coordination with the European allies, should lead a renewed push for Kosova’s recognition by the five EU member states that still refuse to acknowledge its sovereignty. 

We all saw how worried Serbian President Vucic was after some media reported of efforts from Washington to convince Greece to move forward with recognition and establishment of full diplomatic relations with Kosova. There is a need to build this kind of momentum. This is what would pressure Serbia to seriously commit to the dialogue and move towards its finalization.

Thank you! 

Akri Çipa is a political analyst, Balkan expert and consultant. He holds a Master of Science from Columbia University, New York.