
US Special Envoy and Coordinator for the Global Engagement Center James Rubin is starting a visit to the Western Balkans on Monday which will take him to Podgorica, Skopje and Tirana but not to Belgrade or Pristina.
A statement department press release said that Rubin will be in the region from April 10 to 14 for talks with senior government officials on disinformation.
“In Podgorica and Skopje, Special Envoy Rubin will meet with government officials to solidify support for counter disinformation initiatives. He will discuss efforts by Russia, the People’s Republic of China, and other malign actors who deploy disinformation to undermine democracy and national security around the globe, and how our nations can collectively counter threats in the information space,” it said.
Rubin will take part in meetings with US Ambassadors in the Western Balkans during his visit to Tirana, it added.
The US special envoy told N1 last week that “the media environment is polluted and poisoned by disinformation, primarily from Russia” adding that the US “wants to try and do all in our power to eliminate the pollution of the media environment”.