On 9 January 2020, Albania will assume for the first time the Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Prime Minister Edi Rama, also OSCE Chairperson and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, is in Vienna, where he commented this milestone event at a meeting with a group of Albanian reporters who will provide coverage of the tomorrows event as PM Rama will present OSCE Chair priorities.
-We will assume OSCE Chairmanship for first time. You have already presented some of the most pressing challenges during Albania’s OSCE Chairmanship, including the crisis in Ukraine. Which are the concrete actions you would take in order to persuade the sides to enter into negotiations and help build a friendlier climate?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: It should be noted that taking over the OSCE Chair is a truly fantastic achievement for Albania. This organization was founded 45 years ago and Albania was not only the sole European nation to refuse it, but also mercilessly attacked it and today we assume a great responsibility to chair OSCE. Of course, we have not been called upon to reinvent OSCE, or reinvent the OSCE mechanisms, but advance this effort that neither begins, nor it ends with us and is based on consensus in every step. The consensus of the 57 participating States with over a billion people is understandably an extremely complex process as everyone should agree, while countries or areas involved in conflicts and where pressing issues need to be tackled, they are re generally Participating States themselves, so divergent interests are also part of it. However, we have done intense preparation work. The acting Foreign Minister and the Ambassador have both done a great deal of work, and the team that was set up specifically for this one-year special mission has coped with a great deal of work and we will do our best. We do not pretend to resolve and untie knots that haven’t been resolved for many years on, but to assist in the progress towards resolving.
-Mr. Prime Minister, a new conflict between the United States of America and Iran is likely to erupt in the Middle East conflict. Is Albania at risk after hosting the so-called mujaheddin (members Mohajedeen-e-Khalq MEK? Is the country exposed and has the country heightened the security level because of this issue?
PM Edi Rama: First of all, to us this not a new topic or a fresh issue in relation with Iran. We have taken an action that honours Albania and it is part of the Albanian tradition, is part of the non-negotiable and undisputable strategic alliance with the United States of America, to host or to throw our doors open to a group of people whose life is under threat. As the agreement we have reached stipulates, they are now in Albania as part of a humanitarian, and not a political operation. On the other hand, we have certainly lived under dictatorship – we were talking about this a little earlier – and we do know better than anyone else how dictatorships operate, how totalitarian regimes operate and how obsessed they are in their attempt to control everything and silent every opposing voice and possibly annihilate every opponent around the globe. The then Albania under the dictatorship regime was a very small country with very minimal resources compared to Iran, yet it had an extraordinary counter-espionage that operated in all areas and spots where regime enemies, or internal enemies as they were called, used to live. However, I do not believe this particularly exposes Albania and we have no reasons to believe this, exactly because we are in permanent contact with our allies and when it comes to intelligence they are unrivalled in the world and, so to say, we are in safe hands when it comes to the information collection and we have no objective reasons to think we are particularly exposed, but on the other hand we are of course engaged on a daily basis in this process.
-I would like again to go back to the Ukrainian crisis. Our sources have confirmed that you will pay a visit to Russia in your capacity as the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office. We don’t know the date when this visit will take place and whether you will be meeting President Vladimir Putin, or Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov?
PM Edi Rama: The visit to Russia is part of the agenda of the OSCE Chair and is part of the commitments I have undertaken. In the meantime, throughout the year we have also harmonized commitments with the acting Foreign Minister to balance the OSCE obligations with domestic obligations and there is a series of visits that are scheduled to take place very soon. Practically, I will visit first Ukraine, the United States and then Russia. As for the date of visits, we are waiting for confirmations as these trips should be arranged with all parties.
-Mr. Prime Minister, you said taking over the OSCE Chairmanship is a historic moment, but the conditions when we assume the Chairmanship are not favourable ones, as it is the case of the deep political crisis in Tirana, while journalists have become discontented with the new media law, which are the main principles of what the OSCE represents. How are you going to overcome this handicap, if it can be considered as such, so that Albania is perhaps then in a little more comfortable position when addressing the 56 other Participating States of the OSCE?
PM Edi Rama: Regarding this mission, and I am not speaking modestly, we are not in a comfortable, but in a super comfortable position, we are super proud of taking over such a tremendous responsibility and we are proud that Albania today is in such an absolutely highly valued position, which seriously overshadows the Tirana political and media crisis. If journalists are discontent with the law, they should then read the law, but this is not an issue concerning the OSCE. The OSCE has totally approved the media bill that has been also adopted by the Parliament and as the head of the government and the ruling majority I confirm that we are ready to provide the necessary conditions, reading rooms and reading assistance so that anyone unhappy with the law can read it, because all discontent that has been expressed turned out to be a result of failure to read the law.
As for the “grave” political crisis, the term “grave” is overused and no longer relevant. It is an artificial crisis unilaterally injected in the Albanian politics by one side, but it is very important that we are currently in a process of agreeing on the electoral reform, exactly focusing on inclusion and implementation of all OSCE recommendations in the text of our national legislation. So, I don’t think we represent a country in a special crisis in this family of 57 member states. Absolutely not!
-Who are you in line with, Mr. Rama, because the opposition is working on a draft of its own on the electoral reform, which has nothing to do with the main issues being considered by the special Electoral Reform Commission?
PM Edi Rama: I am not seeking to shun this question, because I don’t mind answering it at all, but I believe you didn’t make this entire long trip to make questions about things you can easily make when in Tirana.
-I made this question since Mr. Greminger himself offered his help to resolve this crisis which might be resolved by the electoral reform.
PM Edi Rama: I just said, the fact is that the opposition has expressed readiness – so I have been told, since I haven’t met anyone – to join the process. This is a very good signal regarding the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations. And in this case, we have a very objective axis and neither we, nor the opposition have other choice but implement these recommendations, while ODIHR can assist us in this process to determine which is the right version. So, this is a good basis.
-I will return to the OSCE once again. What will Albania do for Kosovo, because, as far as I know, it is a little bit difficult, being at the helm of the OSCE, while having Serbia and Russia as OSCE Participating States, what will Albania do this year for Kosovo, as OSCE Chairperson?
PM Edi Rama: We will do everything we have planned to do and I already said we are not assuming the OSCE Chairmanship to reinvent the OSCE, neither to reinvent the traditional mechanisms and approaches, because we will chair the organization for a year only, and our Chairmanship is coordinated with many others and decision making should be definitely approved by everyone else. In this aspect, we certainly have some ambitions. We have set several priorities. We have been very cautious not to include desired but impossible priorities and I believe we have the required capacity to do something for Kosovo too, especially now when to Pristina I am “a traitor” and to Belgrade I am “the most dangerous Albanian nationalist.” So, in this aspect, I hold now a position that can help me in my capacity as OSCE Chairman-in-Office.
