Prime Minister Edi Rama’s press statement after delivering speech at European Council’s Parliamentary Assembly:
Prime Minister Edi Rama: I would feel uneasy if no debate was to ensue; because I would see it as indifference. The fact that there was so much debate shows that the message was comprehensive.
Of course, I do understand the entire reaction, since it is normal for them to feel shocked and it is equally normal to initially blame me for why they are shocked and not for the reason that brought me here and the history that is truly shocking.
I am convinced that once they analyze in detail they will figure out that the issue is much more serious than I portrayed it.
– Mr. Rama, how would you convince the Assembly members given that a number of them expressed reluctance after your speech regarding Dick Marty’s report and the resolution?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: It is normal for them to feel somewhat reluctant because, as you already could realize in a couple of moments in the nuances of the speeches delivered by some of them. They felt insulted, but I came here neither to insult them nor to question their good intentions and it was that good intention that a very ugly action was committed and a very tragic mistake was made.
I am convinced that everything will soon be in their right place, because this is always the case with the truth, because the truth of Kosova can’t be concealed by any kind of hypocrisy and by the pride-hurting of anyone anywhere.
-Mr. Rama, ok, the goal to do justice is the reason why this resolution was drafted.
PM EdiRama: No, the process on the resolution has yet to start, because the Council has to follow procedures.
– I mean the resolution adopted by the Albanian Parliament, the reason why it was initiated. If Hashim Thaçi, your friend, was not to be the one standing trial, but another former fighter or former Prime Minister like Mr. Haradinaj, would this initiative ever be launched?
PM Edi Rama: I am sorry Elia, because I respect you very much, but I won’t answer this question. This question is rude to me. I am very sorry.
– Prime Minister, you delivered a very strongly-worded speech and you highlighted several truths. Which one was in your view a backfire for the Assembly?
PM Edi Rama: Nothing was “backfire”. I already said I would feel worried if no reactions were to be triggered, because they would simply forget it, thinking “Ok, he delivered a speech and this is not a big deal.” It was really an extended presence compared to the normal presence as the Council includes the 46 countries in Europe, but it is normal as it is like a bomb going off right in the middle of this gathering, the place where this hogwash was made. I certainly don’t accuse anyone of any malicious intent, but again, a disgusting hogwash was made while trying to cook great food.
-Mr. Prime Minister, a Serbian lawmaker reacted strongly to your speech at the Assembly. Do you think such a debate could be transferred to the parliament of Serbia too and it may jeopardize Albania-Serbia relations?
PM Edi Rama: Look, I don’t consider any of these whenever it is about telling the truth and when it is about expressing the positions that, in my view, are the ones I am tasked with taking and holding. A debate will certainly ensue in Serbia. This is not a big deal. It has been a long time now that the debate about me as a servant of Serbia is taking place in Kosova, while a debate about me as an instigator and mastermind of Kosovar irredentism will commence in Serbia. Let it happen, I believe it is better that way.
But joking aside, this is nothing to worry about, because I think things should be said. Truth hurts, but it also heals, however bitter it might be. Medicines are also bitter, we haven’t had any sweet pill, as it has yet to be invented. But medicines heal, candies don’t.
– Mr. Prime Minister, you launched it in the Albanian parliament and went on with presenting it to the UN Security Council and here in Strasbourg. How this battle to shed light on the truth will go on, as you put it, as it is indeed.
PM Edi Rama: The truth is out there and the bare truth is that no fact, no evidence of whatsoever, nothing but the fantasy channels “of the living general of the dead army” to show that there has been organ trafficking going on. So this is irrelevant with the process in its entirety there. The process there has its own history, but this history of organs trafficked by Albanians goes beyond, far beyond Hashim Thaçi, it goes far beyond the Kosova Liberation Army, this affects the entire Albanian nation and this has been repeated so often, it has been spread so much, it has been circulating for so long that it affects the psyche of those who see us from the positions of other nationalities and say, “Oh, these are the ones who commit everything, even they harvest the kidneys and run away. They remove the heart, yes, but no other organs.
– Mr. Prime Minister, was the reaction of Assembly members a political one during the question and answer session with you?
PM Edi Rama: I don’t know them at all, but as much as I could figure out then, of course this is politics. These are representatives of all our parties, with representatives from the Democratic Party, the Socialist Party and other Albanian parties.
-Would this be reflected in the final vote?
PM Edi Rama: First of all, it is not our honor being questioned here. This is for everyone to understand. The honour of Kosova is not also being questioned. It is the honor of the Council of Europe that is being questioned here. It is them who should restore their honor, not us. Our honor is in place and this is for sure.
