Speech by Prime Minister Edi Rama at the General Assembly of the Albanian-Turkish Chamber of Commerce:

Good evening!

I don’t know any more words in Turkish, but I believe Albania’s relationship with Turkey says it all. Our two countries are bound by history and a great ambition for the future that unites us.

Three years and a half ago, we, together with several friends attending this gathering here, put a lot of effort in establishing this Chamber of Commerce and today, thanks to this Chamber, we have another important instrument to add more weight and content to our economic cooperation.

I would like to recall since emerging from the darkness of communist isolation, Albania has had Turkey on its side, with a continued contribution, technical assistance n all areas, from infrastructure to health, agriculture and culture. Thousands of Albanian students have been educated and trained in Turkey’s civilian and military universities, becoming an important bridge and embodying also one of the best examples of this friendship and the support of the friendly nation and country.

For over two years, some 50 Albanian students have been granted scholarship to attend one of Turkey’s most prestigious universities, as well as Istanbul Technical University, one of the world’s oldest technical universities. Together with the Ambassador, we have explored ways to expand this opportunity to award best Albanian students the scholarship to Turkish universities and return home again to contribute to their homeland.

I would like to express today the gratitude for the fact that Turkey has always been the first country to send aid and concrete emergency assistance in each emergency case.

I am also very grateful to President Erdogan for personally putting too much effort in supporting an extremely important flood prevention program by making available an extended team of the Ministry of Forests and Water experts, as well as the heads of a number of his country’s government agencies and making the commitment to fully implement this program in Vjosa and Buna rivers.

The Ambassador provided concrete economic and trade cooperation figures and we share the conviction that although progress has been made in growing the investment stock and the direct investment volume over the past few years, a lot more can be done. Last year, the trade exchanges volume grew around 10% compared to the previous year, but the overall figure is extremely small given the great potential that we need to transform into an inherent reality.

I am absolutely pleased that we will launch two very important and highly symbolic investments to the quality of this relationship; the construction of the new Vlora International Airport and the Turkish Airlines investment to help Albania to set a national air carrier.

Vlora airport will provide a major incentive to the economic growth and employment, as well as promotion of our tourism industry. Meanwhile, the new air carrier will finally represent a new and long-awaited opportunity for Albanians who will now have their own national flag carrier.

Thanks to these two strategic investments in our economy, the passenger inflow to Albania will significantly increase while the current ticket prices will be reduced.

I would also like to salute and appreciate my friend and fellow in misery, the head of the Albanian-Turkish Chamber of Commerce. He is my friend because we have worked together and my fellow in misery as we share the sciatic pain. But unlike me he can afford to go swimming every day, whereas I am forced to swim in the Albanian politics. This is the reason he is physically fit and more in shape than me.

I think there is no use talking further about Albania’s potential for direct investment growth, but I want to assure you all that we are well aware of various bureaucratic difficulties you encounter and we are also very committed to overcome these difficulties together thanks also to the support of the Minister for Protection of Entrepreneurship.

By inviting you all to count on the minister’s assistance to address every problem you may counter when dealing with the public administration and reiterating that you are here at your home, I would like to thank you all and I am pretty confident that we will have a lot more to say about the economic cooperation between our two countries at the next year’s meeting.

 

Thank you very much!