Prime Minister Edi Rama today is on a visit to Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, to sign the financial agreement on building 2000 new apartments in Durres, as well as the intergovernmental agreement on a direct investments program and involvement of the largest UAE companies.

Speaking about the agreement, Prime Minister said:

“It is by coincidence that on the first anniversary of the earthquake tragedy I happen to be here in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, to sign the agreement on funding and reconstruction of 2000 new apartments in Durres.

It was the brotherly kindness of a prized friend, Crown Prince, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who, on those gloomy days, opened his home door and heeded my plea for help, in an extraordinary and unforgettable demonstration of solidarity of the United Arab Emirates with Albania at the Brussels Conference.

The Minister of Reconstruction and our National Territorial Planning Agency have ceaselessly and closely worked with the team of engineers made available by the Prince, as well as with the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development to agree and implement the agreement we signed today and which finally clears the way to the launch of the construction site in the coming weeks.

The Albanian government will finance construction of the entire infrastructure of the new residential neighbourhood due to be built in Spitalle, whereas the renowned Arab entrepreneur Mohamed Alabbar, the developer of some of the most impressive buildings, and not only, like the Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure and building in Dubai, will build both the new houses in Spitalle and the new apartments due to be constructed on the site of the residential buildings that collapsed due to the earthquake on Nov 26 last year in Durres.

At the same time, together with the Crown Prince we have agreed on involvement of the United  Arab Emirates on development of Durres, and some other areas initially, through direct investments in major development projects, primarily on tourism, but not only.

Thus, today we will also sign the agreement between the two governments, which will pave the way for direct negotiations between the Albanian government and the Emirati entrepreneurship on direct investments in Albania, starting with Durres.

His Highness, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan returns this way for the second time to Albania, again in a moment of need for our people and country. I remember that for the first time he was on the board of a humanitarian aid plane and landed on the runway of Kukes airport, which his father Sheikh Zayed quickly built to support the ethnic cleansing victims from Kosovo.

He returns back to Albania 20 years later, not only to help the families affected by the tragedy of the last November in Durres, but also to join and support us in our efforts for the Albania we want, becoming part of these efforts through projects and long-term investments in our country.

Starting from Durrës where we project an initial major investment to transform the cargo port in Durres into one of the most beautiful tourist ports in the Mediterranean.

Gratitude to this friend, gratitude to this country!

Once again, we have left the worst behind, the best lies ahead of us all!