Prime Minister Edi Rama was invited today to an online conversation at the Atlantic Council, on the platform for global leaders ACFrontPage, on the challenges of the region and the European perspective.
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Frederick Kempe: Hello everyone and welcome to the Atlantic Council, the platform for global leaders. I’m Frederick Kempe, president and CEO of the Atlantic Council. Today we will have a discussion with the Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama.
It is quite a good time to talk with Prime Minister Rama, not only about everything that is happening in his country and in the region and the world, also because tomorrow is the Albanian Independence Day and Prime Minister Rama is in Vlora, which is the place where independence was declared. On the 111th anniversary, you will tell us something about the portrait you have behind you.
Thank you Prime Minister Rama for joining us. Welcome to everyone who has joined us online. I encourage you to engage with the conversation on Twitter, also known as X, Balkans Forward, and you can see this discussion on the Atlantic Council website.
Prime Minister Rama is one of the most interesting people I know, not only in European politics, but also in global politics. He is a prominent figure in Albanian society long before he assumed the position of prime minister. He is an artist, a professional painter, a member of the national basketball team, the mayor of Tirana, as well as a prime minister with a multi-plan view in his view of the country’s challenges and aspirations. We will also talk about it today. I’m glad we’re talking today, I hope to see you again in Washington. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Prime Minister Rama for the successful Summit of the Berlin Process that took place in October, which showed Albania’s key role in promoting the cooperation and integration of the Western Balkans and, as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called it, a champion or in the vanguard of integration Albania. Of course, I also wanted to congratulate the national football team that qualified for the European Championship. In fact, we have a lot of fans here at the Atlantic Council. We have many fans who cheer for you. To return to the wider region, the countries of the Western Balkans can return and see 2023 as a year of challenges, but also of opportunities. In fact, our initiative, Balkans Forward, as you know Mr. Prime Minister has been a leader focusing not only on the great work and diplomacy required to address existing disputes but also on energy empowerment to return in fact potential in the Balkan region, in prosperity, in peace also in a brighter future in the Euro-Atlantic community. To start, Mr. Prime Minister, I want to start with your reflection on the region, but also on the international stage, with taking the presidency of the Security Council. I also said that the Berlin process that took place, taking an active role in the normalization between Kosovo and Serbia. Also the work towards membership in Albania itself. So can you talk to us a little bit about all these roles in the challenges at the national, regional and global level and how you see them, how interconnected they are, and what you hope to achieve?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Thank you Fred for inviting me. Yes, tomorrow is the 111th anniversary of our independence and I believe that Albania has never been better, but I also have to say that the region has never been better. That said, both Albania and the region need a lot more to feel and be absolutely better, which means we have challenges ahead of us and at the same time I’m a person who strongly believes in the fact that you can’t think to be better in this region without thinking of making a better region, because in this world that is so interconnected, we have to learn and work with the strong conviction that what we have to do is how to improve the country ours, as the improvement of the region and the improvement of the world. On the contrary, doing one without the other does not really work, and when I say that the region has never been better, I mean compared to a few years ago, not compared to 20, 30 years ago that there is no comparison, but of course, we have problems to solve. We still have a big elephant in the room that still does not give us that last piece which is the mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia and as we have seen more than once, this political piece, the most difficult to date in the region, has shown that it really is a necessity. On the contrary, there have been setbacks and shortcomings which will continue to happen. In the broader context, in the framework of Russian aggression in Ukraine and more recently with the war between Israel and Hamas, the effects can be even more negative if we do not focus and if we do not work day and night to keep the conflict outside the borders of our region.
Frederick Kempe: Thank you for that Mr. Prime Minister. Let’s talk about this elephant in the room you mentioned a little more. I think you are right in saying that history has shown that when you have conflicts, we have war in the Middle East as well, these conflicts can spread and can arise elsewhere. The progress after the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, you have seen this progress, after what happened in Banjska and what is the path towards normalization within the current situation. What role will you play and what role should the US and the EU currently play.
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Let me tell you first that we are a region that has great complexities and among other complexities we are a very religious region. Albania is a very religious country, where Muslims and Christians live in harmony and so far this has been our fantastic asset as a basis for a tolerant society. This is why I believe that the war between Israel and Hamas is really dangerous, because Hamas and others who support Hamas are real agents of chaos and this chaos they want to spread everywhere, not only in the Middle East, can also affect our region, if we are not fully aware of this and if we do not do all the necessary things in the right way, to keep the chaos out and to prevent the conflict from engulfing us all, as a much-desired conflict of civilizations , as these rioting actors want to paint it.
On the other hand, as I said, this situation that has improved a lot if we consider that only 10 years ago or until 10 years ago we were not even able to talk to each other should address and resolve this issue between Kosovo and Serbia with a full recognition of Kosovo and practically with final peace.
What happened in the very tragic event a few months ago was absolutely a very strong sign and a literal alarm bell of the potential that such an unresolved issue has to become a decisive issue in jeopardizing regional peace and cooperation. In this case, it is certainly very clear the responsibility not only of the persons directly involved in the criminal actions that should have exercised terror in the north of Kosovo, but also the responsibility of Belgrade, which did not punish him, but on the contrary declared a day of national mourning in his honor of these criminals. However, once again, we must not fall prey to confrontations, not fall prey to escalations, but double, triple efforts to normalize and make peace.
I must say that I am encouraged by the change in the approach and attitude of the Kosovo authorities and by accepting in principle the association of municipalities with a Serbian majority, the Prime Minister of Kosovo and the Government of Kosovo have shown a significant will to move forward and seek solutions and not alibi or to look for the past instead of the future.
Frederick Kempe: I think this is a very important point Mr. Prime Minister and many of our followers probably do not know much about the association of municipalities, this agreement, part of it is confidential but can you share with us how this proposal is different and why makes you feel more encouraged than perhaps many others are right now?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Listen, I do not know exactly the full content of the new proposal. What I do know is that I myself have tried to contribute in this direction and I am pleased to hear that much of what was in the content of my proposal has become part of the new EU proposal and some say that there are some things from Kosovars, who prefer to have things as they are or were in my version, but I cannot make comments because I am not informed about all the details. What I know for sure is that if the Kosovo authorities will stick to what they started with the agreement in principle, as stated by Prime Minister Kurti in Brussels, this will be extraordinary. Extraordinary for the sake of Kosovo, extraordinary for the sake of the region.
Frederick Kempe: We just hope this goes forward. It has long been US policy that the future of the region is in the EU, and the European Union and the Atlantic Council have worked hard in this direction. However, the enlargement process for quite a long time seems to have lost momentum and you have been a great critic of this EU process in the region. Russia’s war in Ukraine appears to have changed some of these geopolitical dynamics. I don’t know if you could tell us where you think the expansion process is now? Is it in a better place? You said the region has never been better. Albania has never been better. What about the expansion process, especially in the context of the belief that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed just last week in a press conference in Malaga with journalists where he said that Albania quotes: “soon it will be a member”.
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Listen, in this direction as well, I see a big difference compared to the EU’s attitude in the EU’s will, in favor of the EU’s activity towards our region. So the difference today compared to a few years ago. Yes, I have been critical of the EU’s approach and its position. Likewise, in a way, the approach and the passive attitude of the EU I would say, but this has changed because there is more recently a common understanding that has no doubt also been fueled by the Russian aggression in Ukraine, which to some extent has given me the right for all that I said a few years ago and that others have said. So the idea of the region as a very important geopolitical asset for the EU has practically materialized in the reality of the facts. We are now in a different country, but this does not mean that the full integration and membership of Albania or others in the EU will be something that will come very quickly, it will take time.
Frederick Kempe: Can you tell us what can happen next with Albania considering that the negotiations in the first chapters can start this year as well. What do you think about these deadlines?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: I am not obsessed with telling the truth about these technicalities. We have started the talks, the negotiations are ongoing, we have progressed very well. As the progress report has emphasized page by page this year as well, this is what is important. What will be the technical aspects? I’m not going to try or put a lot of energy into understanding it because it’s a complicated process, it’s a complex process and it’s the way it should be. The important part of it for us is that we do the right things and as we know between doing the right things and getting everything else approved there are 27 member states. They are all together on the general and big principles, but they don’t always come together when it comes to making decisions so let’s be quiet about that.
Frederick Kempe: Thank you! We have two non-resident researchers in line with us and you know them both, Maja Petrovič and Ilva Tare. I would like to give the floor to Maja, she is a non-resident researcher at the European Center and has been one of the most important advocates of the Western Balkans for years. Maya, let me address you first.
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Yes, I know them. I know Maja well, I know Ilva very well and I am very pleased to see her in such a good presence here.
Maja Petrovič: I am also happier, Mr. Prime Minister, to see you and as always thank you for being with us today. I’d like to raise an issue that I’m very passionate about, but I know you are too. This is the regional integration of the Western Balkans. You have been quite a staunch supporter of regional cooperation for many years, until it became a more tangible topic through the Open Balkans and now also through the Berlin Process, but I want to ask you how you see this particular moment, especially within the framework of the announcement by Ursula Von der Leyen, at the Berlin Summit Process, in Tirana, for a new growth plan and for a phased integration into the European Common Market as a reward in exchange for reforms. How enthusiastic are you at this stage? How do you see the next steps and do you think we can trust the EU to be committed to realizing both of these offers, as they call them?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Listen, I have never lost faith in the EU and I never will because there is no doubt that the EU does what it says, even when it does not fulfill all the words it says. The vision is there, the objectives are there, then the actions depend on many other things. What is most important is not to lose faith in the EU because it is the most extremely beautiful political project that the human mind has not only dared to imagine, but also to implement. So, we should never forget such a thing and of course we should try to do even better when it comes to deeds.
As I said at the beginning, we are in a completely new phase of relations with the EU. Until a few years ago this would have been very utopian, today it is clearly the reality of things that the EU and our region are in an ever deeper partnership, in an ever deeper dialogue and what ka is more important, in a situation of more and more mutual respect, which ka has not always been like this, to be honest. Of course the Open Balkans has helped a lot as of course the push from the region to make the Berlin Process more inclusive has also helped and I believe that these initiatives have been key and I think they should work in parallel even though the Open Balkans has fulfilled the mission to to make everyone within the region, but also everyone outside the region aware of the vital and strategic importance of regional cooperation and the authorship of this regional cooperation.
And the Berlin process in a certain way has known a revitalization thanks to the Open Balkans, I believe, but right now, we are at the stage where we are looking at the occurrence of new developments, such as the new growth plan, which will bring new energy there will be more reasons to never give up on the EU.
Frederick Kempe: We can come back to the idea of the growth plan which is very enthusiastic, but first let me give the floor to Ilva Tara. We are honored to have her at the Europe Center as a non-Albanian non-resident scholar with us, she is a household name in Albania and has won awards for the highest quality journalism she has developed in that place.
Ilva Tare: Thank you, Fred, thank you, Lord Rama, for speaking about the Atlantic Council, especially from the city of Vlora, which I miss a lot. Prime Minister I want to ask you about the agreement you signed with the Prime Minister of Italy Georgia Meloni for the establishment of two processing centers for immigrants in Albania that will be financed and I will give context to all our followers, and they will be financed by Italy and will operate in the jurisdiction of Italy, which will process about 30 thousand asylum seekers rescued in the Mediterranean by Italian ships every year. Albania has in fact been outstanding in terms of immigration and its humanitarian gestures, especially with the Afghans, and you said that this agreement represents an act of solidarity and reaffirms Albania’s commitment to the EU, but my question is: How is this agreement compatible with the legal framework international and European that protects the right to asylum and how do you respond to critics of this agreement?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: To correct a little, to say things as they should be. There is a center and there is another reception terminal at the border where these people will be registered first as they enter. Second, 36k is a wishful thinking number, based on the idea that this process will be a Swiss watch process, meaning 3000 will be processed each month, which will be left to the place of 3000 others and that during the year will go to 36 thousand. Will that happen? I am not sure, however, even if it will be like that, the point is that this immigrant reception center will only have 3000 places, so it is a center for only 3000 people. It will be built 100% based on the criteria that the EU has drawn up for how these centers should be and how they should function.
At the same time, the agreement is 100% within the framework of EU law and the criteria of international law on this matter. The reason why all this noise happened is one and only; Albania is not a member of the EU, that’s why it has been considered and called with all the most inappropriate names, from Guantanamo, from violation of international rights and everything else. If this agreement had been made between Italy and the other EU country, no one would have wasted a minute to deal with it, let alone talk to it, forget that it took so much time, and so much space on people’s screens to talk, but I think this is sad because it shows a bias, nothing more against our country and countries, which are not members of the European Union, while countries that are members of The European Union is reluctant to show such solidarity, we are not. So I just look at all these comments and all these criticisms with a kind of regret, but it’s not like it matters.
Frederick Kempe: Thank you for that Mr. Prime Minister. I’m afraid we’re running out of time, but let me say a couple of things and then I’ll turn the floor over to any closing comments that you might want to make, but also to introduce the gentleman behind you because on the side on the right, I see that you have the EU flag and the Albanian flag. You said in this conversation that Albania’s situation has never been better, the region has never been better, and if you look back 10 years, you understand. You spoke about hope in the process between Kosovo and Serbia and the approach to the association of municipalities between Kosovo and Serbia. You spoke of a new hope in the EU enlargement process helped by this tragic alarm bell of the war in Ukraine. But also, you talked about the dangers, including the situation in the Middle East with Hamas as an agent of chaos and the danger that this chaos will spread. You are a person who has seen these situations for a long time in the region and we are all encouraged by this note of optimism and also when it comes to the risks that are on the rise. I have to close by asking what your feeling is about balancing both of these things and what do you think we need to do so that we don’t go back and get on this positive trajectory again.
Prime Minister Edi Rama: The short answer is that I am a tragic optimist. Which means, we have one life, we know it will end sometime. This is tragic, but until it ends we must live with full optimism and try to leave a mark behind. This is what I do. This is what Albania is doing with the distinction that Albania will never die. So, thanks to the people who will do a good job with their lives and their contribution, Albania will become extraordinary, as God decided, when he took so long to embroider this country as a miracle. In 28 thousand square kilometers we have everything. We have beauties, which are so full in such a small place that we should feel blessed and we should do everything so that this blessing will be the blessing of the generations to come.
I think the same applies to the region. We have a wonderful region when it comes to what God decided to give us, but for some reasons that we don’t have time to talk about now, this has not become the place that people deserve to have. I see many more positive things happening and I am sure that if we continue like this, we will also make the region a great place to live.
Of course, we are too small to change everything in the dynamics of a big world or in the dynamics of wars that are decided by agents of chaos and neo-imperialists, but I believe that we can learn a lot from what happens around us and do our best to we as a region always become an example of how it can be different. How people can change the course of history and get rid of and escape the curse of history by working together and seeing each other as human beings rather than their ethnicity, religion, language, and so on.
Frederick Kempe: For the followers that I promised you, can you share with us who is the individual on your left behind you?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Ismail Qemali. It’s my grandfather. See similarities?
Frederick Kempe: I was going to ask you about that.
Prime Minister Edi Rama: He is the founding father of Albania. It is the man who raised the flag of independence here in this city, a few hundred meters from where I am speaking to you in 1912. So, in a way, he is the grandfather of all Albanians.
Frederick Kempe: I believe we should end with this. Thank you to the prime minister who is a tragic optimist, Edi Rama. Thank you to Ilva, and also to Maja for driving forward this initiative of the Balkans Forward. I want to thank you very much for taking the time one day before the 111th anniversary of independence.
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Thank you Fred and big kisses, but not for you, but for Ilva and Maja.
Thank you!