A highly criticized lobbyist in the US media as a ‘spokesman for autocrats’ issued a praiseworthy outlook for the head of the Albanian Parliament, Ilir Meta, calling it a “moderate voice” and a “reputable politician for his reformist thoughts and dedication deep for Euro-Atlantic integration. ”
Jason Katz, who introduces himself as the leader of a company that offers “full-scale strategic communications and public relations services,” but described by US magazine Harpers as a lobbyist who “writes idiotic articles” in the service of autocratic states like Azerbaijan , published a praiseworthy article in the controversial Washington Times newspaper on April 12, 2016.
His article was distributed translated into Albanian by the Press Office of the Socialist Movement for Integration.
“Ilir Meta, one of the most influential politicians in his country and region, started his career as one of the students who stood up against communism, a movement that brought political pluralism in Albania. As prime minister, foreign minister and now as parliament speaker, Ilir Meta has gained the reputation of a reformist man and a determined leader for his country’s Euro-Atlantic integration, “Katz writes for Meta.
“Albania has faced its challenges and thanks to leaders like Mr. Meta has managed to build a democratic state with a majority Muslim, but committed to law enforcement, secularism and modernization, “Katz further praises Meta.
A significant part of the Albanian media published the translation distributed by the SMI on April 14 without critical thinking. The translation of the SMI translation coincided with the visit of Prime Minister Edi Rama to Washington.
Katz is a well-known American media person for such commendable writings for other international political figures such as Azerbaijan’s Autocratic President or Macedonian Highly Critic Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. He is often considered not as an opinionist, but as a lobbying spokesperson.
In one case, in 2010, American magazine Harpers criticized the Huffington Post’s collective blog because it had allowed Katz’s advertising for Azerbaijan entitled “A weird voice from a noble land.”
Katz is a registered foreign agent who has long worked for Azerbaijan’s government, a dictatorship regularly criticized for violating human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Harpers, criticizing Huffington Post for publishing the material, described it as “a relationship – or a verbal, to be politely-for the client of his firm”.
Since then, Huffington Post has apparently deleted Katz’s article about Azerbaijan from its site, but Katz’s activity as lobbyist continued. During this year, he also published two other articles, evidently in defense of former Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski at WashingtonTimes.
His articles on Macedonia are full of incredible praise for Gruevski and his ten-year rule, suggesting that Gruevski’s current problems today come from Russian destabilizing efforts and Greek obstructionism.
According to a Katz article, Macedonian opposition leader Zoran Zaev “is suspected of being involved in a foreign-organized coup and being investigated for massive illegal interception”. Katz reiterates Gruevski’s accusations against his political opponent, but does not speak of accusations that Zaev and others have done over Gruevski on large-scale electoral manipulations, false trials and massive corruption, in addition to the illegal wiretapping of over 20 thousand Macedonians or Albanians of Macedonia.
The Washington Times is a US conservative, anti-communist newspaper linked, amongst other things, to the economic interests of the Unification Church group. The Washington Times was founded in 1982, with the argument that the Washington Post newspaper was “too liberal”. According to the Washington Post, the Unifkimi Church is a mix of business with religion whose founding leader, Sun Myung Moon, once declared his own goal of conquering the world and replacing Christianity as the main religion.
The Socialist Movement for Integration is currently paying $ 30,000 a month to a US company called Global Security and Innovative Strategies LLC, GSIS, with a monthly $ 30,000 bill.
The purpose of this contract according to documents made public by the US Department of Justice is “Education of the US Government and its Officials through Contacts and Communication Related to the SMI Commitment to Implementing Justice Reform.”
Asked whether the article by Katz’s spokesman in the Washington Times relates to the lobbying contract in Washington, the SMI press office said there is no connection.
Answering BIRN’s questions, Katz said he had no economic relationship with SMI and that his writing was due to his general interest in foreign affairs, and in particular for the Middle East, Eurasia and the Caucasus.
This is not the first time that Albanian politics uses peripheral media abroad or pays advertising writing in international media to create a good impression in Albania.
A previous BIRN investigation revealed that after the 2009 elections, a lobby group paid by the government of the time, consisting of the Democratic Party and the Socialist Party with taxpayers’ money, organized a propaganda campaign against opposition leader Edi Rama.
Earlier this year, the current government paid a considerable sum of money to The Economist and introduced the advertising post paid by it as “the Economist”.
