FfP & IPDI Inagurate 2004 TRUST Activities

On Wednesday, July 21, George Schlossberg of Kutak Rock LLP hosted an off-the-record breakfast with former Albanian Prime Minister Ilir Meta, Edmond Haxhinasto and Anne C. Bader, Executive Vice President of the Fund for Peace, as moderator. In his opening statement, Prime Minister Meta spoke of his career, his new Institute for Peace, Development and Integration (IPDI), and the upcoming Fund for Peace/NATO TRUST project in Albania focusing on issues of disarmament. In the discussion, he covered the the final status of Kosovo, the progress of economic and political reforms in Albania, and relations between the international community and the Balkans, with a particular focus on Albania's upcoming general elections.

On the same day, at a Newsmaker event at the National Press Club, Fund for Peace President Dr. Pauline H. Baker introduced Prime Minister Meta. Once more, the Prime Minister spoke of his new Non-Governmental Organization, the Institute for Peace, Development, and Integration, and its partnership with the Fund for Peace on the upcoming TRUST project in Albania. Questions from the audience covered topics including Albania's role in the war on terror, Albanian law enforcement and investment, and environmental standards.