Balkans Mission: A Perspective on Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia

Join Ambassador G. Philip Hughes and Ambassador Thomas Riley on American Ambassadors Live! with host, Ambassador Jim Rosapepe in a debrief of the Council of American Ambassadors' recent Mission to the Balkans. The three countries visited during the Mission were: Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia. Discussed in the podcast are the aspirations of each country to join the EU, the influence of China and Russia in the region, and key take aways from the trip.  Ambassador G. Philip Hughes served as the U.S. Ambassador to Barbados, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines from 1990 to 1993. Prior his appointment, Ambassador Hughes served as Executive Secretary of the National Security Council during 1989 and 1990. Ambassador Thomas Riley was the United States Ambassador to Morocco from 2003 to 2009. Ambassador Riley was selected as the recipient of the State Department's 2009 Sue M. Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service, the only award given by the State Department to a political-appointee Ambassador. He joined BrightSource Energy, an Oakland, California-based global provider of utility scale solar technology, as senior adviser for International business development. Ambassador Jim Rosapepe served as the U.S. Ambassador to Romania from 1998 to 2001 and is a member of the CAA Board of Directors. He currently is Chairman and CEO of Patuxent Capital Group LLC and serves in the Maryland State Senate.