Joint press conference by Prime Minister Edi Rama and the President of France Emmanuel Macron

Prime Minister Edi Rama: Mr. President, dear Emmanuel, 

I would commence my remark with a short sentence in French to acknowledge in front of you and in front of your entire delegation that I would need three days with you to resolve the Balkan conflicts through my French that has been quite impaired along this English path towards the European Union, but I think, anyway, my French today is better than yesterday and I am very confident that with all that very strong push you gave us today for much closer ties between the two countries, my French tomorrow will be better than today.

And now taking into consideration that your Albanian is much more sensual than conceptual, we must deliver remarks via interpretation.

According to diplomatic protocol, the word happy is so frequently used. But the truth is that every time I find myself in such a situation, I must express the satisfaction of having a precious friend. I tend to shun the word “happy”, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggests when it comes to my speeches, and instead use the phrase “I am satisfied.”

However, today I would like to actually say that I am happy, very happy to be next to the President of the Republic of France, neither in Paris nor in Brussels or in another EU capital, but right here in Tirana.

I am very happy that the head of the French state pays a bilateral visit to Albania after a century-long wait. 

This visit is much more than a formal visit, it is a friendly visit and a visit of commitment to further deepen the Albanian-French ties and if we are to look at the concrete data, we would find that the bilateral relations have recorded unexpected and long-awaited development in the past few years, due to France’s commitment to region through the President’s personal commitment seeking a very concrete and very productive relation between the European Union and the Western Balkans. A relationship that must exceed the normal process of European integration and provide the Western Balkan countries the opportunity of unification with Europe, without falling into the trap of the European integration tradition, which in my opinion – and in the President’s viewpoint – must continue to be a merit-based process for each individual country, but we should not allow it to actually become a reason for anxiety and insecurity vis-à-vis the European future of our countries.

Anxiety and insecurity are triggered by the internal difficulties of the European Union regarding its enlargement along traditional routes and according to the traditional methods at a time when autocracies are increasingly prevailing over the democracies due to opportunity provided to them to make strategic decisions and make them quickly.

I am very delighted and happy that in his last night’s speech the President clearly stated that the EU enlargement should not hinder the reunification of Europe and I very much hope that the President will lead this process of re-engagement of the European Union in view of the Europe’s reunification in order to build two rails of a train, with each individual country doing their homework on the one hand, whilst the European Union will press ahead with the internal reform efforts and, on the other hand, the relations between the EU and every other country will be very deep one with a direct impact on our economies and with a direct impact on our social lives.

It’s already been more than 100 years, precisely 101years of diplomatic relations between France and Albania and the strategic partnership agreement that we have already signed with the government of President Macron a few years ago is a foundation stone on which we are going to build a broader path of cooperation in the future.

I don’t want to take up too much of your time, because this day’s historic fact is the President’s presence here and not mine, elaborating how much we much we have always wanted and how much we want Europe and how much Europe, in our minds, is identified with France’s name and how much France’s name is connected with Europe for 1001 reasons.

I would like to underline that 80,000 French tourists visited Albania this year and perhaps the number will keep increasing during the next months of 2023. 

The total of 80,000 French tourists visiting Albania was an unimaginable figure just a few years ago and the ever growing number of the visitors is a strong reason to believe that it is our citizens that are strengthening the people-to-people relation and the mutual recognition.

Just a few years ago, Albania made the headlines in Europe and on the news in France for the wrong reasons, whereas over 80,000 French tourists visit Albania to spend their holidays today and this is good news for all the good reasons and I would like to wholeheartedly thank the President and the French government for really showing patience in the difficult process that we carried out internally to combat crime, illegal migration and they have always been available to cooperate with us and, for the sake of truth, the security cooperation between France and Albania in the fight against illegal emigration has become a model for other countries too. At the European Political Committee meeting in Granada, we discussed the matter, agreeing that this model has paid off and has served to show how to further deepen and make the fight against illegal immigration more efficient by being open to cooperation and by joining forces against the illegal immigration in its origin.  This has certainly taken patience, but it has also taken place amid an internal political and media pressure that hasn’t really supported this bilateral relation. However, the cooperation has been taken to a whole different level now.

We can talk about very good news now. France is now present through its many flagship enterprises, including Voltalia and another flagship of France which is very famous for everyone who visits Paris and whose holder is attending this conference at this very room, namely Barrière group, through its restaurant and hotel Fouquet.

For one to sleep a night at hotel Fouquet, they should always travel to Paris. However, as of today the flagship Fouquet hotel group will be present here in Albania, and they are here today not to merely accompany the President, but they are doing so after having visited Albania earlier and have already launched preparations for an investment plan on luxurious hotels.

France is present in Albania through 111 shared capital companies. 111 companies are still very few from the economic point of view and their value is probably equal to only one foot of Mbappe, but that represents a lot if compared with just a few years ago, when the exchanges and economic cooperation was probably valued equal to just one of the shoes of Mbappe.

I would like to conclude my opening remarks by reiterating that I am really very happy and I am proud that Albania was ready to welcome France today, because you can of course host many French people, but you can welcome France only when the head of state knocks on your door. This is France’s specifics and, trust me, it is not an easy feat to convince the French President to visit Albania.

That’s why I am very happy, because the President’s visit confirms the confidence that Albania’s European path and Albania’s growth to become Europe of the Balkans is irreversible. And I would like to renew our commitment to keep making efforts and deliver on our ambition not to just be one of the six Balkan countries that sounds European when talking about Europe and becomes typical a Balkan country when talking with five other countries in the region. We aim to become the European reference in the region and the reference of this Balkan community and keep investing to embody Europe, because, after all, the integration process, the EU enlargement and reunification are processes that would be valuable as long as we transform ourselves.

This process doesn’t imply that we should go somewhere. This process is for Europe to come here ; it is a process that our citizens live here up to the standards and the principles of a EU member state and, Mr. President, I would like to assure you that we will do whatever it takes and succeed each year to become Europe of the Balkans in all aspects. I know it is not an easy feat. It is not an easy challenge. There is a lot to be done. However, I would like to say that you motivate Albania, you motivate Albanians to strongly push forward with our efforts to resemble France and to resemble Europe, not by imitating, but by meeting standards, because we might never succeed to become like France, yet we can become an added value of Europe and a loyal friend of France, an ally that despite its size is still a worthy friend anytime France needs to smile a bit more, because the integration process is the most boring in the world. We can’t afford that by completing this boring process, we become boring too.

We should make sure that this boring process, standards, principles and the whole boring coexistence under the law does not diminish our desire to smile and make others smile. Otherwise, a boring Albania would have been less attractive, no matter if the rule of law is consolidated. In a nutshell, we want the rule of law and living a happy life together. By quoting Justin Godard, yesterday you said that Albania is a country with an optimistic future and thank you for quoting Godard, but also for doing so right here in Tirana, where you are injecting a significant sense of optimism through your presence too.

Thank you and the floor is yours!

President of France Emmanuel Macron: Thank you so much Mr. Prime Minister,

Dear Edi, 

Dear cabinet members,

Ambassadors, 

Ladies and gentlemen,

I can say that I am happy to be here without any diplomatic precaution or language of reference. I am happy to be by your side today in such a difficult time for our Europe, with the war having returned on its soil with what Ukraine has been through for more than a year and a half, with the war returning in the Caucasus and the unfortunately return of terrorism on our soil.

I would like to spare a thought for our Belgian and our Swedish friends. Brussels was indeed  under attack yesterday and two fellow Swedes who were affected by this terrorist attack. And therefore I have a very special thought for our Belgian and Swedish friends at this moment.

 I said being by your side today is marked a form of France’s re-engagement in this region and in your country, because it was in some way sort of a profound aberration that since 1912 and the establishment of our diplomatic relations there had never been a President of the Republic of France to come not simply to visit you but also to walk together. It was time and therefore this official visit is somehow a reparation, if I may say so.

However, this is a sort of a deep re-engagement and a reinvention of our relationships but I don’t want to look so much at the past but rather at the future. And the delegation accompanying me bears witness to our readiness.

First of all to respect what brings us together, namely linguistic, intellectual, cultural history. You are the living example, Mr. Prime Minister, as we already saw it yesterday and I was very happy, very proud to be able to award the Grand Officer of Order of the Legion of Honor to Ismal Kadare and we enjoyed some have magnificent moments of culture with Anxhelin Prelocaj and Tedi Papavrami during the dinner that you offered us with also several leading musicians and all this is translated into the testimony to the strong relationship between our cultures.

The accord signed about the cinema today represents a significant step towards building an imaginary Franco-Albanian and fully European world and towards working together.

Thank you for having reserved the Cube France project for us at the Pyramid building and the Villa 31 that is slated to be used by the Art Explora Foundation, we will visit shortly. It shows real audacity on your part and the readiness to move forward with you. I hope that we can continue on this path by investing even more in the French language by better supporting our French alliances and our network. We will also press ahead with the French Lyceum in Korça.

You can count on me!

What we also like to do is clear new lands in case the area is insufficient.  An important delegation from New Delhi was last week and major renewable photovoltaic energy deals were signed. This is an important step forward regarding the water infrastructure, innovation logistics and airport infrastructure and we hope to be at your side backing your ambition for tourism development. Having leading French groups on your side in this regard is important today. We can not only help you open leading establishments, but also to train Albanian human resources.

We discussed at length the fact that France will work alongside you to be able to train young Albanians on the hotel and catering management, as well as everyone else interested in the professions of the future in your country. To this end, we are ready to open School 42 for the future digital and software engineers. This is an area we want to move ahead.

We are seeking to move forward with the French Agency for Development to assist and support Albania in its economic reforms, its energy and environmental transitions. 210 million euros in funding have already been committed since 2019 for the implementation of projects and more than 650 million euros will be committed by 2027 for project reforms, according to your priorities.

We can clearly see the bilateral agenda is in the process of transforming and we plan to prepare a government-to-government agreement in the coming weeks and this agreement will structure this relationship and allow us to go much further forward.

I am also pleased with what we have been able to achieve together over the last few years in terms of, as you said, cooperation on issues of fight against crime and all trafficking. I’d really like to appreciate you for being so effective in this area, which allowed us to not simply sign an agreement in 2018, but also to enforce it and, as you said, to set an example for many other European countries to follow.

We will therefore continue to move forward with this dynamic, because I am confident  that your country is anchored in Europe, not simply in this region. We wanted to lock you up several times while you feature the singularity of the Western Balkans, but also in our Mediterranean and therefore at the heart of our continent.

Apart from the bilateral agenda, being with you today is also an important moment in this historic time that our Europe is experiencing and Europe has been experiencing it in a way over the last few years as if in a different way, but we are entering a new era, the era of reunification of our continent. Around 20 years ago, several countries joined the European Union, while you set an important milestone in 2022 with the first Intergovernmental Conference on which you worked hard and marked Albania’s irreversible path towards the European Union.

I would like to praise the ambitious transformation reform agenda you have embarked on. As you already stated, Albania is a country and a nation that longed for Europe. I think this is essential at this time of reunification.

This reunification is not a process dictated by Brussels or other capitals that are used to teach reforms to sovereign peoples, because if we are to go about that way it will be worth nothing and it would build up resentment. We are at a time when you have to give everything to yourself and historical visibility to the whole region.

Yes, your future fully lies in this Europe. We owe respect to sovereign people. Yes, it is you who choose the path you embark on and, yes we mark this path with a political investment, and this is what we wanted with the European political community, a meeting between colleagues, unlike the kind of conference that we do once a year, with the Western Balkan states come to Brussels and provide explanations on the reforms they have implemented and then are taught by others. This is horrible. We rather seek a meeting between equal colleagues in a respectful manner to discuss common interests, including defence, emigration, energy and geopolitics.

And I say it from France, this European reunification is good for us, because who would be able to speak of Europe being a power, if we leave countries at the heart of Europe be influenced by powers that simply want to destroy Europe?  Who can speak of a powerful Europe if we decide that energy, emigration, defence and technology issues would follow the map of a political institution which is not finished. Just look at it!

If Europe wishes to see itself as a power that has a geopolitical destiny it needs to reunify. I say it here too, very humbly and ambitiously; it is not a gift that is granted to Albania, its people. The EU enlargement process, which is already underway, is good for you, it’s good for us. It’s a geopolitical choice and common will, because you have the intelligence and the will to carry precisely this ambition, to carry out bold reforms and I do not underestimate what this means in a country, which has lived for so many decades under the yoke of totalitarianism and ideology.

I notice here a love of human dignity, for the founding principles of our Europe, which are the salt of Europe itself. You should lead on this path and it is our duty to accompany you with respect, but also with proof of love. This would be translated into concrete investments, that is to say commitment to giving you a full-fledged place in the European Political Community. The European Political Community is a first step, but I hope that we Europeans will know how to find the path to reunification in the coming month, which allows us to make this movement totally irreversible and powerful.

Otherwise, we would risk that these never-ending processes in the whole region can end up discouraging the most Europhile public opinion, by setting unclear objectives which become too bureaucratic and a horizon which moves backwards unstoppably. This is now what I want.

That’s why I have always been sincere about this mechanism and I want it to be more political than technical, I want more love than bureaucracy because that’s what people’s lives are.

We live in times of passion, where somehow we won’t be able to build anything if we end up with a Europe of chapters that open one by one.

Therefore I precisely want our Europe be the means for your country to continue moving forward on the path to culture and emancipation, to continue moving forward on the path to energy transition, to continue moving forward on the path military equipment as fully sovereign country; to continue moving forward on the path to technological independence and we will do it together. You understood it and I stand here among you today convinced that the new era that we are ushering in and you will have a very important role to play here, it is this reunification of our Europe which would resolve several tensions existing in the region. I mean tensions between Belgrade and Pristina and we need to settle all the disturbing disputes that concern us, but on which there is a path and readiness. We have shown it with the Franco-German roadmap revealed in recent months and on which we will continue to advance in any case.

I would like to thank you for your hospitality, your friendship, but more than that for what I feel while being among you for the strength of the European dream,

To quote an author, who is not Ismail Kadare, whom I quoted a lot last evening, who is from another part of this Europe, Milan Kundera who left us just a few months ago; you are part of this West that has been kidnapped from you, a country which has always looked at Europe, which has always thought of itself as European and Mediterranean and that the vicissitudes of history have kidnapped several times, a bit like in the myth of Europe,  moreover trying to take it to another shores that of the Ottoman Empire, then to that of a totalitarian ideology, which wanted to be less and less European and less and less in conformity with this identity of Europe, by denying the dignity of women and men and the sovereignty of the people.

This is all what you have restored by yourself over the last few decades and it’s all this that makes you resolutely, terribly European. 

Thank you!