Prime Minister Edi Rama welcomed today the Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni, with whom they visited the migrant reception structures set up in the area of ​​Shengjin, in Lezhë, where work is being done according to the agreement between the government of the Italian Republic and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania for strengthening cooperation in the field of migration, with the aim of strengthening bilateral cooperation between countries for the management of migratory flows from third countries, in accordance with international and European law.

After this visit, Prime Minister Rama and Italian Prime Minister Meloni gave a joint press conference.

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Prime Minister Edi Rama: Good day! I will speak in Italian because we are in Italian territory here anyway.

A warm welcome to all and especially to Italian journalists. Allow me to express my relief and pleasure to see you all here safe and sound in this area that according to an Italian newspaper is where the clans that are related to the traffic of human beings operate.

I have to confess to you that we took this disturbing “discovery” very seriously and since the newspaper also said that the Prosecution is dealing with the discovery of these clans, it means that we engaged with the Special Prosecution which assured us that this clan does not exist either in this area or in other countries or areas of Albania, where, of course, criminal groups operate, but according to the special prosecutor’s office, which is part of the Eurojust network, there are no premises for talking about an Albanian mafia, a concept that has been used quite recently to throw mud on Albania, but quoting the head of the highly respected Special Prosecutor’s Office, we cannot say that there are structures in this country that resemble mafia organizations such as Cosa Nostra, Ndragheta, Camorrra or Sacra Corona Unita because Albanian criminal groups do not have their own hierarchy and operate in close family or social circles.

I cannot help but use this opportunity to express my sadness for only half-truths, which have been told in the Italian media, including the Italian public service, about Albania, with the clear intention of throwing mud on this country, to attack the agreement between the two governments, the agreement and cooperation in the fight against illegal immigration. They should be ashamed, that is, ashamed of all those who have turned the democratic right to oppose this agreement into an abuse of the fourth power, and this at the expense of the Albanians of Albania and the Italian public itself.

I thank all those who have shown their solidarity towards us.

I have received many messages from friends in Italy, in the world of culture, of sports, against that river of mud that has erupted against Albania and against our government, a government that can bear all the sins of the world, but has never stopped the war against crime, nor has turned its back when asked to help Italy and not only. I will have to tell you that somewhere, a few hundred meters from here, in a big hotel, a community of Afghans has been living at our expense for two and a half years now.

There are almost 350 people who escaped death after the fall of Kabul and who were welcomed and accepted by Albania with thousands of people, whom none of the NATO member countries refused to accept. A good part of them have taken shelter in the USA and Canada, while every Friday a plane arrives with 90 or up to 120 people, who stay here for a period of 3 to 6 months to be transferred afterwards. Those who fail to pass the filters remain sheltered by us and we will neither turn them away nor demand money from NATO that made them dream of democracy and the beautiful life, and not even from the European Union, although I have to confess that this money is not a small amount for our coffers. But how do we explain the fact that some investigative journalists come here and don’t see them? So they don’t see these hundreds of immigrants who were saved from death, but they see ghosts, they see spirits of criminality that exist only in their minds when they pay the ticket to arrive in Albania, to inform their public with news already written before.

I have to say that I am proud of an Albania that can serve Italy.

Italy has been useful and has served Albania many times and if we have the opportunity to be useful to Italy, that is to serve it once, twice, three times, then let’s use this opportunity and do it with the heart and with the conviction that the sea between Italy and Albania is not a space that separates us, but a space that unites us.

And in such a difficult moment, not only for Italy, but for all of Europe, we are very proud to be able to give our help not as Europeans united within the EU, but as Europeans with the EU, because at the end, no one decides whether we are European or not, no one has decided to place Albania and the Albanians at the heart of Europe, then of course we can discuss anything and we can have doubts about anything, even on the goodness that this agreement brings.

Meanwhile, instead of talking, we tried to act, without pretending to solve this huge migration problem in Europe, but on the other hand, without just sitting around, talking about this – as the priests of Constantinople used to talk about the sex of angels, while the walls of the city were full of holes – but trying to build and add something constructive.

Having said that, I hope you can understand the turmoil I have in my soul due to the fact that I have lived as prime minister of this country all this spectacle of half-truths, which are lies, big falsehoods and streams of mud against Albanians and Albania.

On the other hand, I must thank Giorgia, the prime minister of a country with which we are inseparably, indelibly connected, for all the affection and all the goodwill she has shown as she has accompanied Albania on its journey towards the European Union.

Italy has always been our most important advocate in Brussels and to have the honor to be here today is something we see as a blessing.

On the other hand, I have to say that for us here in Albania, the color of the political forces that govern Italy are not highly relevant. Italy has been governed by the left, the center left, the right, the center right, their positions have been exchanged based on the will that the Italian people have had, but we have had a fraternal relationship with everyone, and everyone has done their best to help us.

This must be well understood by my dear friends of the Italian left because when they express considerations about the way the Albanian government acts vis-à-vis Italy, they must also understand that the membership in a party and in a political field of action, is not so relevant. For us, the Italian government has been, is and will always be the government of a country with which we have a very special friendship and a strategic alliance that we want to develop and strengthen step by step.

If the Italian government makes a mistake, we participate in that mistake without any hesitation, but let’s not turn this into a daily political issue and a matter of mistakes that are another reason to feel at home when following Italian politics because we are very similar, a similarity that sometimes makes one think “Why don’t we unite our two countries into one and thus unite both political parties and journalists and let’s have a big celebration of half-truths?”

Thank you and I leave the floor to the Prime Minister of Italy.

Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni: Thank you Mr. Prime Minister! Good day everyone!

I would like to say that I am really happy to be here, that I had the opportunity to meet you, that Prime Minister Rama also had the opportunity to closely verify the situation of the works that are being carried out within the framework of the agreement signed between our two governments in the field of migration.

I would also like to say, as we saw and heard from Prime Minister Rama’s words, that our countries are two friendly countries, they are countries that have historically cooperated together, and I would like to thank Prime Minister Rama once again, the entire Albanian people for the opportunity they gave us, for the help they gave us so that we could realize this agreement which I hope will be an example for the whole EU.

Following Prime Minister Rama’s words, I have no choice but to repeat once again the closeness of the Italian government and the Italian people for the attacks that have been made on Prime Minister Rama and his government and that the Albanian government has actually done nothing other than helping the Italian government.

We have actually followed a denigrating campaign against the Albanian government and in a certain way we have also heard labels as if the Albanian government is a narco-state because it is not the first time that Prime Minister Rama and Albania, as the Prime Minister himself mentioned, offer cooperation to Italy because even before, the history of Albania has shown that it has really had a sincere desire to be part of the European Union and to find, all those opportunities for cooperation, and it has never lacked Italy’s support for this.

I remember when, in the most dramatic days of the Covid emergency, the Albanian government courageously and generously offered 30 doctors and nurses in Lombardy, which was the center of the Covid emergency, unlike in other cases, Prime Minister Rama was thanked for this and one of journalists and the Italian newspaper called it “a beautiful tale of the Albanian government and the Albanian prime minister”, while today Prime Minister Rama is called “spregiudicato” because a lot has changed when the government decided to continue cooperation with the new Italian government, as it had done with the other 5 governments before.

I would like to tell Prime Minister Rama because in fact he is not the target because the Italians understand it, they are grateful to the government, they are grateful to the Albanian people for this important effort that constitutes a sign of friendship between our two peoples.

When I came here to Albania last summer and had the opportunity to discuss with Prime Minister Rama about this agreement, we took into account some criteria, some conditions because illegal immigration is a worrying phenomenon with which the countries of the European Union cannot cope with alone, but we also need the help of other EU countries, as well as countries outside the EU, and we have no choice but to strengthen this cooperation, and we succeeded in realizing and signing this agreement, which is based on three objectives: in the fight against human trafficking, as well as illegal immigration, and through this agreement, of course, Albania has also made available some of its territories, that is, the area of ​​Shengjin where we are today and that of Gjadri, in which Italy is carrying out the works for the establishment of two centers, which will initially welcome immigrants in Shengjin and the Gjadri center where they will be housed. It is an innovative agreement and when we signed it, I believe you remember that I strongly thought and wanted it to become a model for other countries and you yourself see that a few weeks ago, 15 EU countries out of 27, that is, the most of them signed and sent an appeal to the European Commission to request that these countries, the countries of the Union, follow the example of the agreement between Italy and Albania.

Meanwhile, the German government and the German Minister of the Interior advised following the model of the agreement between Italy and Albania. And we are here after so many months to launch the realization of the works in the Shengjin structure and this structure will perform the exact function of welcoming the arrival of immigrants.

Of course, immigrants were saved by the Italian ships, but of course those immigrants will not come to Albania, including pregnant women, children, people of a certain age. This will be a facility where all border crossing procedures, which take a maximum of 28 days, will be carried out and will also handle asylum applications. Also, we will speed up the procedures in the case when immigrants come, that is, originate from so-called safe countries such as Bangladesh, Cameroon, Egypt and Sri Lanka, and we will therefore expand the origin of immigrants, who will arrive in Albania.

We will also strengthen all the procedures, which will be mandatory for the entire European Union, and the European Union, in drawing up its balance sheet, will foresee the expenses or funds needed to carry out all these procedures that I mentioned above.

While the structure of Gjadri will also have another function. The immigrants who will arrive in Albania will be stopped and there will also be an area, a space where the so-called immigrants will be kept imprisoned in case they commit criminal acts. Of course, public order within the perimeter of the centers will be guaranteed by the Italian authorities and both centers will be operational from August 1, 2024.

There have been those who have raised objections regarding the timing of these centers, and many parliamentarians of the Italian opposition have accused us of setting up a center similar to Guantanamo, but from on the other hand, they then complained that the works for the realization of these centers were being delayed, that they were late. We want to do things the right way because here we thought that things will work and I am convinced that they will work and we have inaugurated a completely new phase in the management of the immigrant flow.

This agreement can be much discussed by other countries as well. It can be done as part of the European Union’s solution, we understand this and of course the supporters of uncontrolled or illegal immigration understand this and have actually strongly opposed this agreement.

Of course, the two months of delay foreseen for the realization of the works were also caused in terms of the somewhat difficult terrain in Gjadër, but also on the other hand, the agreement and these centers will also serve as a solution to the problem that has been encountered since 1991, but then we will deal with the rest of the possible agreements between Italy and North Africa.

About 11,000 people have arrived in Italy from so-called safe countries, and half of these 11,000 people are vulnerable subjects. In fact, we should have sent 5,500 to Albania and in this way the center would then have continued with all their treatment.

Also MediHospes will be the company, which will follow the whole procedure of the management of the structures, the transport will be carried out by the ship of the Italian Navy, Guardia Di Finanza, and so on, and the Ministry of the Interior has also announced a competition for the transport costs that reach the figure of 13.5 million euros, but of course also in terms of the situation in the Red Sea or the Mediterranean Sea, we will see the possibility of handling these immigrants by the ships of the Italian Navy.

So, we also have 134 million euros per year, which constitutes 7.5% of the treatment of immigrants in the national territory, and we are convinced that these resources should not be considered as additional resources, because the immigrants who will come to Albania would anyway be expected in Italy, where of course they have costs, secondly we think that the main useful element of this agreement is that it can be a powerful tool to prevent immigrants from arriving on our shores, that is on the shores of Europe and it can also be an instrument to oppose and fight the trafficking of human beings by criminal organizations, which also translates into a reduction of costs or expenses.

So, in fact, this year we have achieved a 60% reduction in the number of illegal immigrants who have arrived on Italian shores, and as a result, the costs have also been reduced, the expenses have been reduced. So we are not incurring costs, we are making an investment.

In addition to this, making a quick calculation, with the capacity of these centers taking into account the fact of those immigrants, that is, who are not expected in Italy, then in Italy we will save about 136 million euros. We are quite satisfied with the completion of the works and the results we have achieved so far. I would like to thank everyone who made all of this possible. Of course, firstly, the Prime Minister Rama and his ministers, the ministers of his government.

I would like to thank my ministers, Minister Piantedosi, Minister Tajani, Minister Crosetto.

I would also like to thank the Genios Forces, so the entire state administration, I would like to thank Ambassador Bucci, our Ambassador in Tirana, who followed all the procedures step by step.

So, a heartfelt thank you to all law enforcement and all those who have put their hearts and minds into the implementation of this initiative and through this agreement, not only our relationship is strengthened, but I would like to emphasize that our commercial exchange, that is, the exchange with Italy occupies the first place and constitutes 20% of the Albanian gross domestic product.

Also, Albania is a friendly country of Italy and the European Union because Albania already behaves as if it were a part, a member with full rights of the European Union even though in fact it is not and that it actually adheres to all the principles that are the foundation of the EU.

Italy will be and always is a strong supporter of the membership, not only of Albania, but also of the Western Balkans in the European Union and together with Prime Minister Rama we have been the protagonists of the realization and achievement of this agreement.

 

– Dear Madam Prime Minister, I would like to know from you what is the source of all this mud thrown at Albania and Prime Minister Edi Rama from the moment when you signed this agreement together in Rome. Is it an orchestrated attack by the opposition of your country opposing this agreement, or are we dealing with a journalistic whim like that of the program Report on Rai 3?

– Honorable Prime Minister Rama, what will be the benefit of the local economy with the construction of this reception center and the other accommodation center in Gjadër, since the immigrants will of course be fed, need care and so on.

Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni: I also said it during my speech, I think that the real reason is certainly not to attack the Albanian government, the Albanian people, I believe that they are, let’s say, legitimate positions, who are hostile to the Italian government and who play, so to speak, on their point of view, revealing their entire attitude. Of course, I think that the fact that to hit, to attack the Italian government, an international partner is also hit or attacked, because here it is not just the Italian government that is being harmed, but also Italy as a country, because regardless of the success or failure of the agreement, all this is included or is a part of the whole slander that is done to the Italian government and here we risk causing damage to the whole country.

Of course it is legal, so the Italian press has made a choice of its own, I express all my willingness and solidarity to reject all this mudslinging and I promise that in the future we will be more attentive to all the proposals or agreements that we carry out, because we certainly cannot risk, we cannot endanger or compromise the relations of the neighborhood or the relations with other countries. I did this when I was in the opposition, but I don’t see others doing it now.

Prime Minister Edi Rama: I have repeatedly repeated that this process of Albania’s inclusion in the community of democratic countries, its membership in NATO or its membership in the European Union, as well as the fact that Albania finally, after hundreds of years, under the empire and under imposed regimes, it has chosen to be part of this community, and for this it has strategic allies, the European Union and the United States of America, just as it has all the good things, there is also the part that is challenging, so relationships with this community, are not a menu of when you will receive support, when you will be helped, when you will have more opportunities to invest in a path of final exit from the tunnel of the past and climbing to the top where Albanians aspire, and on the other hand, after you have received all of these, when it comes to challenges, when it comes to those moments that are not necessarily moments of happiness, but are moments of insomnia, say no. We could have said no, as everyone else said, when those in Kabul were left to their own devices, but being a NATO country, we are aware that we are not a military power that we can contribute to determine the fate of the wars in which NATO enters, it was up to us, also for our tradition, never forget, we are the only country in Europe that had more Jews after the Second World War than before the First World War, precisely because we were born in a country that in its DNA, it is written that the home of an Albanian belongs to God and a friend and when the door knocks, you have to open it and that’s why we made that gesture, which was not a gesture calculated for any interest, not even thinking about what we will gain from the economic point of view, because I practically said it before, we are paying for the stay of several hundred Afghans in the hotel near here at our own expense and I have heard all kinds of things that I could not even imagine, and I read all kinds of things that I could not even imagine in the Italian media about what is behind this agreement, while we have not asked for a single euro, because in the moment we would ask for 1 euro, we would not be us and Albania would not be what it is and should be, a friend and an ally that is there, pronto, at the moment when a great friend and an ally big as Italy says: Can you give us a hand?

What will the local economy gain from this agreement and from the fact that, as you said, these people will be fed, served, and of course it is the economic resources of the area that will help in this, we have not made this calculation. We did not make this calculation, this is the truth and it is terrible to see how this agreement has been commented up to and including the awarding of tenders for the construction of the center, the Albanian Malavita, while everything is administered by the Italian side. Everything! We have made our home available for a problem that Italy told us to help us address together. What calculations did Italy make for 30 years, what calculations did the Italian governments make when they launched whole missions here, thousands of soldiers? What calculations did the Italian government make when it started here the largest department of firefighters that came to Albania for the first time when the earthquake struck? Did they come first and get under those ruins to save people’s lives at the risk of their lives? I saw them myself, they could have died there.

What calculations did the Italian government make? Neither did it say “Look, this costs so much”, nor did it think that “Look, we are doing this for you, but you have to do this for us”, but it did it because this is how this relationship works and this is how this special relationship that we have with Italy works.

The last thing I have, I told this to other partners, when they came and told me “You did it with Italy, do it with us” and we said “No”. We have this opportunity and this opportunity that we have can only be used by Italy, no other country”, for a thousand and one historical reasons of today and tomorrow.

There are no calculations of any kind here.

Then, whether it works or not, there will be problems, how the problems will be solved, these are all things that time will prove, but this is an agreement of the heart and an agreement of responsibility, in relation to a strategic friendship and in relation to a community such as the community of European countries that is today in a situation where there are many question marks on how to address this phenomenon. That’s it.

 

 – I would like to ask Prime Minister Meloni why she has not allocated the funds for the realization of this agreement for the health sector?

 Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni: I have answered this question. Of course, the resources that will be used in Albania for the management of the migratory flow of immigration because here we try to solve this problem, while the use of these funds in the health sector is something that cannot solve this problem and also, the resources that have been requested of me were used precisely to solve something that the Italians citizens also asked me, so they are resources spent to solve a problem and you would like to know what are the expenses that could be used for health? 17 billion euros in superbonus scams. So, money that was intended for the sick, but ended up in the pockets of fraudsters.

So, if I had those 17 billion euros, I’m not saying the 200 billion for the bonus in the construction sector, but simply the 17 billion euros of fraud. Of course, I would have used these financial resources for the health sector and that’s all.

 

-Mr. Rama, those refugees who will be refused asylum and if these refugees will seek asylum in Albania, what will be the procedures in such cases?

Prime Minister Edi Rama: Then, once again. This is an agreement and I want to emphasize this because at this point there has been a lot of confusion, which, not only has not been rejected or disputed by the European Union or any European Union country, but on the contrary, it has been considered as an effort to be followed up and as a process to be evaluated step by step. Practically, the prime minister said, the Chancellor of Germany, who is the leader of the German Social Democratic party, that is, of the European left, has expressed that this agreement is of special interest to Germany itself.

Secondly, I said it and I am repeating it, we are not a country of the European Union, but we are European. The European Union is the first geopolitical reality in the history of maps, since the world began to draw maps, that has two borders; an external border and an internal border, that is, an external perimeter and an internal border, and in the middle of the European Union is an area called the Western Balkans. To enter Albania you will enter from the European Union because there is no other way to enter and to leave Albania you will leave the European Union because there is no other way to exit. When an immigrant sets foot in Lampedusa, he does not only set foot in Italy, but sets foot in the entire European Union. So it is a newcomer to the European Union, it is not a newcomer to Italy and the redistribution means that all countries take their burden to manage this flow of people who seek to stay and build a life in the European Union .

This has not worked.

Meanwhile, this center here makes a lot of noise just for the fact that we are not in the European Union because if the same center as here was built, in any country of the European Union, it is considered normal. Here it is considered Guantanamo or Lager. But why? For what reason?

The last one, I said before in the case of the Afghans. We took in several thousand Afghans right away when NATO countries, very rich countries, like Great Britain, rejected them. We got several thousand immediately, Great Britain said “I will get 15 thousand in the next 15 years” that in the meantime they change 6 governments in 4 years and they have no problem saying “let’s postpone it”.

When we received them, we were aware that not all would make it through the application process and not all would be considered legally admissible to the United States or Canada. So, we took a risk that they could leave us and everyone here. It wouldn’t be surprising if the United States forgot this promise because being so big, they have the luxury of forgetting and we can’t hold them accountable. Things that have happened and I don’t have, so to speak, criticism, but I say it as a statement.

But a large part of them moved, I said that on Fridays almost weekly planes come here, are processed and leave, we have about 350 that are not accepted there, they are here.

Have you heard that we should put the pin or go and tell them “Come on, get them, we will throw them into the sea”?

No, we keep them in the hotel and we pay them, as others kept us and paid us, when we were in need, when we were the “Afghans” fleeing from the “hell” of the communist dictatorship and bumping into the doors of the Italians.

That’s life, there’s a time to take, there’s a time to give. Fortunately, we had Italy in the first place who had the opportunity to give us a lot. We are not Italy, we are Albania, but we have the opportunity to give a little and this is what we are doing, so there is no concern in my point of view because it is not a “spregiudicata” agreement, as they say.

Also because I think it’s better to be “spregiudicato” when you want to do something good than to be “pregiudicato” when you do bad things.

So there are 3,000 fixed places that can be accommodated in Gjadër and there they will be treated according to all the laws and rules of democratic Italy, because it does not appear to me that Italy has problems with human rights, then those who will be considered by Italy as acceptable for asylum requests will go to Italy and only those places that will be freed from those who will go to Italy will be able to be refilled.

So, in all cases, even if we say, Italy ends it like that, we can’t make any noise and we can’t make any noise for 3 thousand people, people in trouble, people who run away from poverty and who are victims of traffickers who take the last lek from them and bring them naked to the shores of Europe.

Our grandparents protected the Jews, they did not hand over any Jew to the Nazis, none!

Just as they protected thousands of Italian soldiers who were wanted by the Nazis and took them, hid them, fed them and kept them until they took them to Italy, risking their lives. No one is risking their lives here, on the contrary, your life following these events becomes more interesting because you have news, you also have situations that you can describe in attractive colors, you can increase the audience, you can increase the “likes” and dislikes on those social networks so don’t worry.

 

– I would like to return to the issue of time regarding the realization of the works. A question for Prime Minister Meloni regarding the time of completion of the works in this center which cannot be functional if the works in the Gjadri center are not completed because they are actually connected to each other. Such a circumstance causes the opposition to speak even on the eve of the European elections, to speak about its role at the head of the government, i.e. as the head of the list of the most important candidates for Italy, i.e. the works that will be carried out in Gjadër, will to be completed by July 31st and will be operational from August 1st and how many migrants will be received in these centers because the contracts with the ships are from September 15th?

The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni: As far as the opposition is concerned, it does its job and I consider it as something normal. They always say that I am doing an electoral campaign, but I am still doing my job because I follow everything that needs to be done and I understand the opposition because you cannot ask me to disappear, that is, to do nothing. I did only one event last week. So I go to Albania, they tell me she is doing an election campaign; a TV spot, it’s an election campaign, so what should I do? Should I suspend government activity for a month? I’m sorry, but I can’t do it because I’m just doing my job as head of state.

Of course, the two structures are interconnected and will be operational from August 1st, and there is currently talk of more than 1,000 places and then to reach the figure of 3,000 as we have talked about and as we have agreed.

Thank you all!