Saranda, Albania: Hillary Clinton Statue

Our tour director teased us a little while walking around downtown Saranda one showery morning. She said there was a statue honoring a famous person that will catch you by surprise.

Yup, that's Hillary Clinton looking over the downtown area. Can't say I saw that coming.

Secretary of State Clinton visited Albania in 2012, in one of her last foreign visits in that job. America had worked with Albania to improve conditions there, as the European nation has needed plenty of time to come out of Communism's grasp. She offered a welcoming hand and urged Albania to make its democracy permanent and fight corruption.

The statue went up four years later. “We are convinced that the bust of Hillary Clinton as an emblematic figure of American politics and diplomacy, with direct contribution to the Albanian people, is an honor to Saranda, its citizens and friends around the world,” Saranda Mayor Floriana Koka said at the time. 

Both President Bill and Hillary Clinton were popular in Albania, due to his actions in Kosovo during his administration. 

The ceremony: