Direct communication with the Albanians: 

 

My honourable fellow citizens!

According to the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Republic of Albania, the today’s fire and barbaric violence used against the common property and the investment made according to the law, as well as the attack against the State Police to violently hinder the enforcement of law on the imposition of tolls on the Nation’s Highway are serious crimes. I assure you that these crimes will be punished accordingly with all the severity of the power of law. Whoever set that fire, whoever resorted to vandalism against public and private property, and whoever dared to raise the against police, threatening both public order and the safety of many passengers and violently blocking movement of the people across both sides of the border, will stand no chance of escaping due punishment pursuant to the law.

Meanwhile, to the arsonists of Tirana’s political cauldron, to those who miserably are not leading but are increasingly leading the Albanian opposition into a dead end, holding it hostage because of fear of new justice and daily misusing it as an instrument of threats to Albania’s European path, I would say only this: Neither the people of all Albania, nor the Kukes people themselves have anything to do with this ugly demonstration of vandalism. They also have nothing to do with your aggressive desperation. The adding fuel to fire rhetoric and the boot of despair that drag the opposition will receive the answer they deserve from Kukes and whole Albania next June, which will undoubtedly be even more exemplary than the clear answer they received in Kukes and throughout Albania last June.

Meanwhile, I’ve nothing to tell to the inconsolable headless head of the opposition, who entered the arena with the wooden sword of his arithmetic soon after the fire, confusing the $ 200 million that held him accountable on charges of embezzlement of the Highway of Nation funds with a $ 200 million that, according to him, is being hidden in the state coffers and should be spent for the free maintenance of the Nation’s Road.

All those locked together on the forefront of the political cauldron thanks to the votes of this country’s ordinary people, these opposition’s “road overthrowers” actually know nothing else but what they have always done to mock the minority and the minority of the minority by inciting riots and the fire-setting while in opposition and do shoddy work and making deep holes in every field of ​​Albanian life whenever they are in office.

This really is bitter to them, but, unfortunately, even to the rest of Albania which lacks the opposition it deserves, The overwhelming majority of reasonable Albanians, which keeps on increasing in number and awareness that Albania we want cannot be built with fairy tales, neither with lies, parliamentary gabbing and crocodile tears in the name of the people, but with profound, sometimes painful reforms, hard work, patience and sacrifices.

The fate of miserable politics of fairy tales and destructions with petrol on mouth and boots in hands is already written and they should just read it till the end.

Kukes can’t and should never become a cannon fodder for the fire the fired cards of Tirana’s politics are seeking to set. To this country’s ruling majority and to me as the Prime Minister, the vandals who staged today a despicable anti-state show are not from Kukesi, neither from Tropoja and Has, nor from Albania. They do not represent the people of Kukës and absolutely not that honourable and respected part of that community that considers the toll imposed on road users high and therefore opposes it.

As to the vandals, we will act just like the law offender deserve. Meanwhile, we will behave with citizens who oppose payment, because they consider it high, in line with our vision and the office we hold. We will talk, we will listen attentively and patiently explain all the distorted truths or completely denied by liars and charlatans of the political and media cauldron.

The contract clearly stipulates not only an annual contribution of 120 thousand euros to cover the transport cost for the most needy local residents, but also a route toll pass at a reduced payment that will be provided to any local frequent user of the road. These terms are written on the contract and they have been explained by us at every recent public debate.

In line with the contract’s stipulations, we have sat with the private company to determine specific monthly or annual payments to the frequent road users. Therefore, all those who oppose the current toll rate in the area and who have nothing to do with the today’s grave crimes should be clear and calm because they won’t pay same amount for the frequent use of the road.

Within next 60 days, we will continue to communicate intensively not only with the company, but also with the area’s local communities and with all stakeholders, not only to explain the truth to everyone, but also to the do what we plan, the best possible for frequent road users who reside throughout the Kukes district area.

Meanwhile, since the Mayor of Kukes has written yesterday to request a meeting with me on this issue, I will sit with him on Monday to talk, certainly hoping that by Monday he would have first distanced himself, not from the controversy over the toll, but from the criminal violence of today.

Likewise, every Socialist councillor to the Municipality of Kukes, who has blindly or consciously has raised his hand to call the pseudo protest planned on directives from Tirana in order to stage the today’s show of violent barbarity, starting today, has lost the right to be member of our political family, the Socialist Party of Albania.

Nation’s Road has cost Albanians dearly and today it seriously risks entering a stage of irreversible ruining, should its users do not contribute to the daily maintenance and protection operations during the 365 days and nights of the year, sunny and snowy.

This maintenance operations, vital to the traffic safety on that road, will be carried out for 30 years in a row by the contracted company, which was selected for the job following a long process of study and competition launched in 2010. No one who doesn’t want to see and doesn’t want to listen the truth over the today’s risk the road faces today, and if, today rather than tomorrow, no measures envisaged in the relevant contract, they won’t be able to stop us from protecting the Nation’s Road from its physical degradation and ultimate ruining.

Nation’s Road has cost Albanians dearly and every sane Albanian will not agree the road to cost even dearer to all Albanian taxpayers and our children themselves in the future, should we fail in doing the only right thing to guarantee its future.

I am not infallible and always try to do whatever I can for the best of this country and for ordinary people of this country indiscriminately. If I have failed, if we have failed to do more to better explain to the citizens of the area that the written truth on the Road’s of National maintenance contract is that every local resident, if a frequent user of that road, will benefit from a reduced payment system.

If I, or we have even the smallest part of responsibility that the deliberate lies by the fire instigators of the media and political cauldron, by the malevolent and impious pollutants of the public debate environment as a whole, have disturbed the soul and confused the thread of reasoning of the area’s ordinary people, then I beg to accept my apology today. And availing myself of this occasion, I want them to all ordinary people of this country to learn again that in no decision or action there is never intentional betrayal to their interests, there is never indifference to their situation, their woes, their often limited opportunities, there is never any ease and no forgetfulness of their dreams, hopes, needs and pain.

Who would ever be that Prime Minister, or leader of his country and people who wouldn’t wish to please them all and always?

Who would be that Prime Minister, or an official elected by his own people to represent and decide for them, who wouldn’t have wanted everything to be free of charge and everyone to have more than they can afford, to get electricity, water and all public services for free, the salaries to be higher and everyone to live in better conditions, no matter whether he works or he doesn’t like to work.

Who would be that Prime Minister refusing to speak about difficulties, never address painful reforms and operations and zero the taxes, zero the service delivery rates and make the country thrive during his term in office?

There is no Prime Minister who would not want all this. But these are not opportunities of this world, sisters and brothers!

And when the Prime Minister opts the easiest way to comfortably sit in his chair, delaying and never making difficult decisions on reforms, operations and the right measures to make the future better for everyone, he simply lies and betrays his own people, because in this way, the possible things become impossible, that is exactly what happened in Albania for a quarter of a century, as it happened with Albania’s efforts to reach the height it should have been today should our state-building reforms were to be launched 25 years ago and not 4 years ago.

It would have been much easier for me to say: “Ok, no toll on road will be imposed. It’s not a big deal! Let the road further ruin and leave the others to scratch their head once I’m no longer in office.” I could even say: “You know what? This contract that was launched by the former Prime Minister and signed by the SMI ministers is a stab in the back, but I will remove payment.”

It would be certainly no one telling me: “It is you the one lying us and stabbing a knife in our back, because should we fail to start maintaining it today, the road will begin destroying bit by bit, the tunnel will collapse with us inside and we will pay much more if we fail to start paying today.” I would even drawn applauses, even more votes as a saviour of the people.

The Albania we wanted failed to become so for over a quarter of a century, because those who ruled the country stayed away from troubles and chose the shortest way, forcing people to take the longest path in order to never arrive where they should.

The Albania we want cannot be sacrificed for another quarter of century. I’m pretty convinced that a overwhelming majority of citizens, who get by and survive on work and sacrifices, know best what I’m talking about and what I’m striving to do, pouring my heart and soul into, every day. The rest, if they do not know, let them learn and if they fail to do so today, then tomorrow will realize that these efforts are not for my pleasure, comfort, and my narrow personal interest. I have left aside all these since I took office. All these efforts are dedicated to them, the children of today’s Albania and the Albania we want tomorrow.