Press conference by Prime Minister Edi Rama: 

 

I would like to communicate today several things – I think important ones – regarding beach management issues that need to be fully implemented. I believe you all remember the way how we changed the approach last year, when we clearly stated that the beach spaces should be reasonably divided between the private subjects entitled to run the beach spaces in front of their hotels and the rest should remain a free space available to the public. Looking at the map and the way how this process has been implemented, we are generally satisfied at the fact that … [inaudible] is reasonable. However, on the other hand, difficulties are being encountered since not every private entity is ready to figure out how this process work, because, in certain cases, the municipalities themselves, certain municipalities and local government authorities haven’t realized or they are unwilling to understand the process, triggering confusion or reasons for conflict. However, what has been defined as the framework of this process will be definitely enforced, like it or lump it.

I want to call today on all those private subjects, which lack the required documentation and which have been operated according to a fait accompli theory, to immediately leave the areas they are not entitled to own by law. The State Police will be present along entire coastline and will confiscate any tent, lounge beach chairs or other auxiliary structure that fails to comply with the documents issued to the private subjects. Beaches belong to the public and to the citizens, whereas private entities are involved in the process of ensuring a successful tourist season and certain beach areas belong to these entities and they are legally responsible for their management.

It is also very clear from the financial point of view, in addition to other aspects, that this new beach management scheme has generated more revenue for the public sector, for public institutions, in this case municipalities, and more space for citizens, who do not want to be part of the spaces where the beach is privately administered.

I believe that except some publicly known cases and some other cases that haven’t been revealed to the public, but which are problematic ones, generally speaking the basis is quite positive. But this positive basis needs to improve in the coming days so that the peak of tourist season in July and August be totally guaranteed in this aspect. I want to reiterate, the private subjects that have been resorting to the fait accompli theory should leave voluntarily so that they do not lose the materials they have collected to support their activity, because these materials will be confiscated as tools for illegal occupation of the public space that doesn’t belong to them, but it belongs to the Albanian people, the public and the citizens.

This is more or less what I had to briefly say and without going over details and other elements, I am now open and ready to answer your questions.

 –Mr. Prime Minister, are you worried about the crime rate, the situation of the public order and road safety? Taking notice of the fact that the tourist season is at its peak, there are a number of deadly incidents and accidents with a high fatality rate, while we are urging tourists to visit Albania as a COVID-free country, but it looks like danger is much higher than the risk of contracting the coronavirus during this period in Albania? Which are the measures you plan to undertake? We have heard the Interior Minister blaming judges and prosecutors. The vetting process may take a long time. How long will the citizens wait to be safe?

PM Edi Rama: First of all, I am not worried – to put it clearly in terms of the crime or road accident trends, because the trends need to be seen beyond a certain event, two, three or four events. It would suffice for you to look at them to find out that these trends are within the limits that determine the rate to which crime or road accidents decrease or increase, or whether their decreases and increases happen within reasonable limits in relation to the overall situation. Of course the recent incidents are shocking. They are definitely very shocking, but you have no reason to worry when it comes to the tourists.

The atmosphere portraying a country that tourists should not visit, because they risk being killed on the streets, is the atmosphere existing on the TV screen and it is not a reality. Facts show that tourists are coming in droves and they will keep doing so and no changes are reported regarding their wish or bookings to visit the country. This is because tourists are not being coming from the Moon, but humans who come from countries where people live, but also run into problems and difficult situation and one, two, three or four definitely tragic events do not determine the level of security or insecurity in a country. Saying also that the situation is worse than when hit by COVID-19 pandemic, of course one can say it, but this is completely…I don’t really know how to name it. I think we should be very realistic and better understand the dynamics of each event and what everyone should do.

We are not satisfied with our work at all. We are not satisfied with the work performance of our structures and the work of anyone who is tasked with moving things forward and make things better, but exaggerating things in such an incredible way won’t help and it would solve nothing and we wouldn’t help ourselves as we try to figure out what we are going to do. I don’t know how the State Police can avoid a road accident caused by the madness of a road user. Or I don’t know how the State Police could be present at a location where two neighbours quarrel with each other in the dead of the night. Of course, except several incidents, there are certainly a lot of things that should be used in order to improve work. But it is one thing that doesn’t change. It is not the State Police the one that sentences individuals. The state Police react, detain and send offenders and criminals to the court. If, for example, the fact that individuals involved in a tragedy also possess illegal firearms and this is considered a reason for the tragedy – and illegal firearm possession carries a much longer sentence than in many other countries in Europe – it is not the State Police that can sent them to prison, but the police send them before judges and the latter deliver sentences below the minimum sentence stipulated by law.

What are we supposed to do, one might ask?

You should be the first to denounce these judges, for example, as you can actually do it. You can do it because there are scandalous facts and evidence and the courts, like it or not, the judges still holding their position as they have yet to undergo vetting and keep abusing until then, and the government has not a tool to reign over them and this should actually be the case, because we haven’t chosen to live in a country where the government assumes the competencies of the prosecutor, the judge, police and all of them together. Everyone should do their part.

It is clear what our part is; the continued reform process and empowering the State Police in terms of the continued restructuring to deliver on the main targets regarding the age of the State Police officers, their integrity and performance. On the other hand, empowering the State Police by providing technology to make sure that everything in terms of monitoring the territory is done better. This is the path we have to move on, and there is no other way for us. Meanwhile, when we talk about the state, the state is the government, the police, the prosecution and the court, so it is not a matter of blaming others. We live in a system where responsibilities are individual. Violating the law is individual responsibility, and it is not a collective responsibility. Whoever breaks the law should be apprehended and sentenced. It is as simple as that. And should one of the links doesn’t work, things then become more difficult. In terms of an overall picture, I would again tell you that it would suffice to take a look at the trends. Many people, probably rightly enough when overwhelmed by emotions because of a tragic event, are not willing to be taught about figures, facts and contexts, yet figures facts and contexts are the ones that guide the government’s work. And the figures, the facts and the contexts make it very clear for us what our tasks are and what we as a government need to do.

– Mr. Prime Minister, the US Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Reeker will arrive in Tirana tomorrow. What should we expect from this visit? Any political message?

PM Edi Rama: Let’s wait about it.

– Mr. Prime Minister, are you sure police will succeed in freeing public beaches from the illegal occupiers of public spaces, as you already stated, and they won’t be hindered by any Socialist Party senior official like Pjerin Ndreu, for example, who has been referred to the prosecutor’s office by a police officer, who alleges that Lezha’s Socialist Mayor has tried to violently prevent police patrol from apprehending a pub owner for playing music and violating the COVID-19 curfew.

Prime Minister Edi Rama: First of all, I don’t realize whether there is any correlation between the public beach occupying and the music. However, when it comes to insulting or taunting police officers, nobody has the right and nobody should get away with it without facing justice. But the police are also being taunted on daily basis when being blamed for everything happening. This is a much serious offence than the insults thrown by a person towards two or three police officers, because it is easier to address it when it comes to the individual insult, as it is a direct violation of the ethics and the law and a process takes place. I would really be worried if the police or relevant structures wouldn’t follow the legal path. Everyone can make mistakes and everyone has to be held accountable for their mistakes. It is important that in this case we do not have a tolerance for the fact that a senior official offends a patrol or a group of police officers, but the biggest insult to the police is the daily insult and lack of support. Most importantly, this is the case showing that a senior official is not tolerated when insulting a police patrol or a group of police officers, but lack of support is the most serious daily insult to the police. This is the most serious insult, namely flooding the public opinion by telling the half-truths which are also the biggest lies, because, I reiterate, if this was to be the case, taking notice of the incidents in the United States, where dozens of people could be killed in some tragic events, the police in the United States and entire political chain in the United States should all face the so-called “popular trial”, but it doesn’t happen that way. Therefore, I would like to reiterate. We are really concerned that the everyday work is best done, but claiming that one, two or three very tragic and grave events make Albania a country should refrain from visiting is very ridiculous, because no visitors are abandoning the country and this is quite obvious.

– Mr. Rama, while on a visit to the city of Vlora two days ago you announced plans to restructure the State Police and in your opening remarks you also hinted at a State Police reform. Could you reveal some more details over the State Police restructuring process, who was this draft consulted with and when this draft was prepared?

Second; earlier today you had a video meeting with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia Zoran Zaev, and the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in the framework of the Balkans Mini-Schengen. Would you disclose what you discussed during this online meeting on the relations among the three states and what facilities will be offered in terms of free movement of people and goods?

PM Edi Rama: The meeting has been disclosed as a complete press statement has been issued after the meeting and you can refer to the statement. The meeting has been disclosed and if the press statement hasn’t been made available yet, you can look for it as a statement has been issued after the meeting.

As for the State Police reform, an intensive phase has been launched in all sectors and not only in internal affairs or the police affairs, but all the sectors, as part of the preparations for the third term in office and it is a coincidence, but there is no problem in this aspect, quite the opposite, the recent event is an additional reason to press ahead with this restructuring plan. I would like to underline it so that no misunderstanding is created as it was the case with the Interior Minister’s remarks a day ago as some of you completely misinterpreted his remarks. No incident of whatsoever, in every sector let alone a deadly incident in the interior affairs sector, despite the direct or indirect responsibility, is a reason for one to wash hands of guilt. Never! On the contrary, every incident is a reason to think about ways how things can be done better, it is a strong motive. When I say that the incidents in question, the assault against the State Police is absurd, I don’t imply that the State Police cannot do better their work. Absolutely not. I just mean the fact that in a democratic country and in any other country it is not just the police to guarantee everything and monitor the conduct of every individual on the road or involved in conflicts that take place in few minutes and there are no police around the world that could prevent them.

Of course, our State Police need much stronger support in terms of technology and, in the meantime, restructuring the State Police in organizational terms, in terms of human resources, management, starting with the hierarchy of the police officials in the country’s districts to the lowest-level police officer, it is a process already being discussed and gradually be conceived. I am confident it will be materialized sooner than planned, precisely in order to react in the wake of this situation. This is because, despite facts and details, the public perception is of paramount importance, since overall perception triggers a certain psychological atmosphere. I understand very well that the psychological atmosphere, also because of the emotionally-charged situation associating such incidents, there is a need for a relaxation, the process of changes to the high-level ranks in the State Police will take place sooner than planned. However, this was planned earlier.

-Mr. Prime Minister, you answered to the first question by saying you are not worried, while Interior Minister Bledi Çuçi said a day ago that such events like road accidents and the recent incident in Velipoje are normal as they take place everywhere across the world. Are you worried that you and the cabinet members are actually conveying the message that driving beyond speed limit, as well as illegal and legal firearm possession are normal things to happen, sending thus a message to young people? Have you asked Mr. Çuçi to tender resignation? What have you discussed with the Minister of Interior at a time when such incidents are taking place continuously and it is a repeated situation every summer. I would also like to ask you about Mr. Çuçi’s remarks about changes to the State Police. Will these changes take place at a local or a national level? Will these changes affect only low-level police officials or regional State Police directors or they will also affect high-level officials?

PM Edi Rama: First of all, what I would humbly ask from each and every one of you is please don’t distort my remarks. You can interpret meaning of the words the way you want, but you shouldn’t distort them, because it has become really difficult to convey messages to people, if they are not watching us since people go about their daily activities and they receive the messages through you.

I said I am not worried regarding the overall situation and of course I can’t have such a strong imagination as to draw comparison and even equalize the COVID-19 pandemic with the incident, and I already explained why I am not worried considering the overall picture. I didn’t say that I am indifferent to such incidents. Quite the opposite, I clearly explained this too and I don’t understand how one can deform and misinterpret my remarks face to face in real time. I humbly beg please don’t distort my remarks at least, and it is then your right to interpret my remarks the way you perceive or the way you think the meaning of my words is.

What I can’t help but underline – you can forget it but I can’t – the fact that the homicide rate in this country few years ago was higher than the number of the days of the year and, on the other hand, the number of road accidents was twice as much and I can’t forget this. Is the today’s road accident rate the one we would wish to be? No, it is not. However, the roads are being used by hundreds and thousands of individuals, who have their obligation and duty to obey the law, respect themselves and their families, because one can kill, but also get killed while driving. Your children – God forbid it – can be turned into orphans or parents can lose their children and it is not the State Police only, but everyone shares the responsibility and of course those who don’t feel responsible will have to face the law and the State Police.

So, I am not very concerned over how we need to further improve our work, but considering serious accidents in terms of the number of fatalities and the way how they took place a reason to see Albania as a country that tourists wouldn’t want to visit, because people wouldn’t dare to go out fearing that they could be killed, is really an exaggeration and it doesn’t help the efforts to address the real problem. Take a look at the number of people who have been sent in front of judges for violating the law and the speed limit.

Do you remember an individual who performed some sort of acrobatics with his car and fortunately nobody was hurt in that case, yet it became a kind of horror show several months ago? See how many times that person was caught by the police and was sent before justice. But there is no other system and this is something everybody should realize and we are not sitting idly, because the courts are being vetted, but the process will take time. Who wouldn’t want that justice system be similar to that in Germany and France, where building such justice systems has taken hard work, efforts and hundreds of years.

One could say that justice reform and the vetting process were launched long time ago. Five years are a lot in someone’s lifetime, while in the state-building history, five years are equal to just five minutes.

Serbia and Montenegro, the two countries in the region currently in a more advanced stage of the accession negotiations are also seeing the process being blocked as they have yet to deliver on the chapters concerning the judiciary reform, which we have already finalized. They should approve constitutional changes that we have already done. They will have to launch and go through processes that we have already done. So, our speed has been at maximum. Of course, yielding results would take more time.

–Mr. Prime Minister, will the State Police reform, you and the Interior Minister have already announced, include also dismissal of the State Police Director Ardi Veliu from his post, since grave incidents have taken place during the time he has been serving as the State Police chief?

PM Edi Rama: I don’t know how to explain that concrete cases should be considered against a given context. If we would act  – not only in Albania, but everywhere else across the world, the governments would act by dismissing officials from their post in the wake of every incident, then nobody would be there willing to take up a certain position.

As far as the concrete case is concerned, I repeat, the Albanian State Police are not currently in a problematic situation, but they are undergoing a process of further growth and empowerment. So, there is not a bigger problematic than the ones existing prior to these recent events, when things seem to be normal and if we are to refer to some incidents involving criminals settling accounts with one another, again we need to see the State Police reaction, capacities to discover and detain perpetrators.

So, the State Police are not plunged into crisis. This is totally clear to me and it is based on facts, contexts and trends. The State Police work cannot be downplayed just because of some tragic events, where the lessons that need to be learned have to do with what everyone has to do, including the police, but the contexts are completely irrelevant. What the State Police officers are supposed to do when two neighbours engage in a fight, even a deadly one, in the dead of the night? Can you tell me what are they supposed to do? Where in the world can such incidents be prevented? As far as the illegal firearm possession is concerned, I repeat that in legislative terms our national legislation envisages some of the toughest penalties. Facts clearly show the State Police’s performance regarding the number of people arrested and sent before justice for illegal possession of the firearms. However, we still face problems in terms of the impunity and the court’s ruling.

I am not here to justify anything and not to absolve anyone of their responsibility, but we are at a very important period of the year, when Albania is going through one of the most important periods of its economy, namely tourist season. Some sporadic incidents that take place against the overall backdrop of huge work carried out by the State Police are actually a strong reason for everyone to analyse performance and draw important lessons, yet they are not a reason to jump to conclusions suggesting that everyone would die if taking to the roads or that tourists should go back and call of their visit to the country. There are thousands of beach plots being managed and provided with the due documents and no problems have been reported. While some individuals have been engaged in conflicts with one another, just because they are not willing to realize that the time when you own a house that you turn it into a hotel and occupy a public beach is now over. This cannot and will not happen again. Public beaches belong to the citizens. Nobody can occupy public beach spaces. As far as the private subjects are concerned, they are mainly entities offering seaside hotel services. This is what we have done and we will keep doing until all public beach spaces are freed. Such conflicts should be addressed by the law.

– I would like to go back to the question of my colleague about the Lezha Mayor Pjerin Ndreu. You have stated that SP will never become a shelter for the individuals who violate the law or seeking to be above the law, as Mr. Ndreu is reported and quoted to have been saying today. This is the second time his name emerges as involved in a situation, namely the Dibra file where Mr. Ndreu featured in the wiretaps threatening a teacher to be removed of her job position if not voting for the Socialist Party. Taking notice of the situation, will you dismiss Mr. Ndreu and do you think that a strongman culture is increasingly taking hold in Albania? Referring to the fact that – I don’t know whether you have been informed – that police, I am referring to the municipal police in this case, do their job perfectly when it comes to impose fines on people or remove peddlers from the street, yet they hesitate when it comes to dealing with these individuals that you call “crazy ones”, who drive luxurious cars, also probably due to the fact that there are mayors and cabinet members, who defy the law?

Will you go to the end of this operation to remove the beach lounge chair from the public beaches or it will simply suffer the fate of the 2013 operation to demolish illegal buildings, an operation which has yet to complete eight years later today?

PM Edi Rama: First of all, I don’t understand why you claim that SP is becoming a shelter in this concrete case, with a person who has been indicted and the issue will be addressed by justice system. How come that you think that SP is providing shelter in this case. Did I say he has done the right thing? He has done a big mistake and he will have to be held accountable legally for his mistake.

As to the cabinet members who allegedly drive their cars beyond the speed limits…

– [Journalist intrudes)

According to you, not according to me. I would invite you to moralize whenever you see my convoy or the cabinet members violating the traffic light and traffic rules. I stop at every traffic light, except for certain emergency cases. This is mandatory for everyone. I would like to recall the fact that fines have been imposed on my cabinet members, or their drivers, by the State Police for violating traffic rules.

As for illegal constructions, I have never taken any action. This is continuous work, it is an ongoing process with occasional operations taking place. It is not a process that is over once you embark on it. It is a process you have to go over again time after time. But in their entirety, no comparisons can be drawn with the time when there was a huge boom of illegal construction. What are our responsibilities? Of course, I, the government, the police all have their share of responsibility and I want to assure you I do not even think about trying to avoid my responsibilities, on the contrary, only to point them out to myself, to the government.

I think that leaving the ball in the court of the State Police, or blaming the state police about everything, not only it doesn’t help at all and it is not a reasonable way to better solve problems, but it is quite the opposite as such an approach would actually help the law breakers. The thesis suggesting that only poor people are caught by the police, while others get away with it and move freely totally unconcerned, these all merely boost the potential for people to violate the law. These theses too insult the State Police, because facts are not this way. Facts show that the overwhelming majority of people respect the traffic light rule, respect the law. Of course, there is a small minority of people, but that makes a lot of noise, which creates problems. We are working to see how – so that it is something fully argued from a legal point of view – young people at a very young age, who use luxury cars and who violate the traffic rules become subject to investigation into their wealth and not limit actions to just imposing fines and revoking their driving licenses. They should undergo investigations to see whether their income is legitimate or not. This would normally take some time to settle legally.

-Mr. Prime Minister, will you be open to support amendments to the Road Code and the Criminal Procedures Code during your third term in office, so that all serious road accidents because of violating speed limit are classified as premeditated murder, envisaging also severe penalties on drivers who cause such accidents so that they can’t get away with it unscathed and they are denied the opportunity to take advantage of that corrupt part of the system?

PM Edi Rama: The Road Code and the Criminal Code of the Republic of Albania, in this regard, envisage most severe penalties in Europe, even for illegal possession of firearms. It is not a matter of codes and it is not a matter of the State Police. The issue has essentially to do with the final link along the entire chain of punishment. If all the measures taken by the State Police and if all the cases that have been referred to the prosecutor’s office and the court based on documents,  facts and evidence and if the court and prosecutors would have taken into account all these facts and evidence then we would have definitely seen a larger compatibility with what the law stipulates and self-awareness of those who drive vehicles would have been higher. This is the fact. Because you can establish a whole road surveillance system, something we are actually working on by employing new technology, yet the individuals who ignore the law, the reason and the surveillance system will again cause accidents and damages. If the link that should punish him fit to the crime is missing, then this is a deficiency in this battle.

However, I am confident that the State Police will continue showing capacities to live up by their duty in the future, also thanks to the restructuring process and empowerment through the new technology. We will soon make available  a fleet of super intelligent drones that will provide real time surveillance of the territory about all the issues we are interested in, ranging from the illegal constructions to traffic rules, agriculture, forests and so on and so forth. It is about super intelligent drones that will provide real time data replacing a whole army of inspectors flying overhead and monitoring everything. Again, this too, if those who break the law do not face punishment fit to the law when appearing before the judge, it is a weakness too. This is not to avoid and delegate responsibility to others or blame others for these things. Our responsibility is clear and your responsibility is clear, the responsibility of everyone is clear, but neither we, nor you, or everyone else won’t ever succeed in ending the cycle of responsibilities if there is a gap and that gap represents the judiciary system itself at the level where the vetting process has yet to take place and where there are still many judges who are seeking to grab whatever they can. Therefore, these individuals instead of being behind bars, they still take to the roads and do again the very same thing, simply because they don’t know to do anything else. This is a serious problem, yet not comparison can be drawn with the past. And I am not talking about a distant past, but about a very recent past.

– Mr. Prime Minister, you said that the State Police can do nothing to prevent two neighbours from engaging in a physical fight in the dead of the night. Shouldn’t the State Police be patrolling whole territory, given also the fact that a night curfew begins at 11 pm? Let’s consider for example the latest incident in Saranda, where a businessman exchanged fire with some other residents.

PM Edi Rama: The incident in Saranda is something completely different and the State Police are directly responsible for it and therefore all measures have been taken to settle things among the State Police ranks. You are totally right about this case and I fully agree with you. The State Police structures in Saranda are to blame for this case.

– Should State Police officers face penalties for enforcing the law in a selective way and for not living up to their duty?

PM Edi Rama: Is this is a question? Of course they should! But for me to answer the question, or more precisely, for you to have a full answer, not only in principle, I would invite you to ask for information on the number of police officers, who have been sent before justice precisely for this reason. How many police officers have been subject to administrative and criminal investigations as a result of the work by the Service on Internal Affairs and Complaints at the State Police? Of course, neither the judiciary, nor the media are to be blamed for the incident in Saranda and I would like to express my appreciation for highlighting this case so that I can clarify mo position on this, because I am here not to justify anything. The incident in Saranda is unjustifiable and the relevant State Police structure has faced punishment, because this is an absurd case. It has happened nowhere else.

– Mr. Prime Minister, if I may I would like to ask you about the weekend meeting with the Socialist Party structures in the district of Vlora, where you have voiced your unease with Mayor Dritan Leli. I would like to know about origin of this discontent towards Mayor Leli. Has it to do with his refusal to your invitation to run in the parliamentary elections or has it to do with his performance as Mayor or is there something else? And if it has to do with his performance, why haven’t you expressed discontent earlier?

PM Edi Rama: I don’t know why you think I have spared him, because you were not attending the meeting of the SP structures.

Thank you everyone!