Kosovo and Albania were among 66 countries that participated in an international conference organized by the U.S. Department of State on what the administration of President Donald Trump describes as the “resurgence of political terrorism.”
The meeting was led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called on participating countries to strengthen cooperation in addressing what he described as the threat posed by far-left extremist terrorist groups.
“This is an international conference because we are facing an international threat, a cross-border threat. We have no choice but to confront it together. Either we cooperate across our borders, or terrorists will continue to exploit the gaps between us,” Rubio said in his opening remarks.
According to the U.S. Department of State, the conference aimed to secure international support in combating what it described as the “resurgent threat” of far-left terrorism.
Among the participating countries were Albania, Kosovo, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Australia, Israel, and dozens of other nations from Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
During the conference, Rubio argued that left-wing extremist violence has been underestimated for years within counterterrorism policies.
“For too long, our counterterrorism doctrine has had a blind spot when it comes to politically motivated left-wing extremist violence,” he said.
The U.S. Secretary of State added that the international community must rebuild counterterrorism cooperation mechanisms, similar to those developed in the early 21st century in response to jihadist extremism.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller also described far-left extremism as a growing threat to democratic institutions, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent referred to various forms of the phenomenon, including political intimidation campaigns, institutional sabotage, and acts of violence.
In a statement released after the conference, the White House said the Trump administration had launched “an unprecedented global offensive against the international threat of radical left-wing terrorism,” adding that the issue would be treated with the same seriousness as jihadist terrorism.
