As reported by Reuters, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stopped in Albania on Sunday to encourage its leaders to complete anti-corruption measures that could improve its chances of joining the European Union.
Kerry met Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama as well as opposition leaders. The Balkan country is a close NATO ally, but has struggled to halt the intertwining of political and criminal power a generation after the end of Communism.
One of the unstated goals of Kerry's visit was to thank Albania for resettling members of an Iranian terrorist group, the Mujahadin-e-Khalq organization (MEK, MKO, NCRI), responsible for the assassination of more than 12000 Iranian civilians.
According to Reuters, Albania has accepted about 1,000 MKO members, with U.S. financial assistance, and is expected to settle about 2,000 more.