OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, PM Edi Rama: I would like to begin by saying I have never felt prouder when speaking to the press and the media. I just walked out of a session with very good feelings of encouragement from the comments made about priorities program and most importantly of all, the comments about me and all of us, our wonderful team and preparations. Therefore, the clear meaning of all the interventions was that the preparations are excellent and this is quite encouraging, because it is certainly legitimate to say that some Participating States may have been a little sceptical and more than some members, in Albania, in other countries. they have expressed scepticism on whether we are ready to handle these responsibilities.

This is a historic day for Albania because it is the first time throughout its history when Albania has a role in the international arena. And certainly for every Albanian – every Albanian knows how long was the path for us to arrive at this point – and this is a reason for us to be proud.

So, in terms of re-evaluating the whole situation, I can state that today was a really good start. We set our priorities for the year ahead, we emphasized our determination to focus on the core principles and deliver good results. In my address, before leaving the room I emphasized that we were not seeking to reinvent the world. We will not seek to revise anything new about this organization, but we are simply seeking to make sure that during this year the basic principles will remain as they are and won’t be compromised by some of the winds that can sometimes be very dangerous in the world we live in.

We want to make a difference on the ground and this is our top priority, implementing political commitments together and this is our motto and commitment. Of course, this means ensuring full compliance with the OSCE principles and commitments, which have been developed in the last 45 years since the Helsinki Final Act. Having said this, we should make sure that the Helsinki Final Act itself is still considered quite valuable in its clear and straightforward principles. But of course, we should also adopt our own tools in order to reflect the current and the future pressing challenges, always bearing in mind that failure to deliver on the Helsinki Final Act’s core principles would harm the OSCE integrity itself as it may weaken democracy and pose unacceptable risks to the citizens.

Of course, third priority is building stability through dialogue.

The OSCE is undoubtedly the world’s largest organization for regional security and its successes are embedded in consensus, but the OSCE strength depends on trust, which in turn depends on the quality of the dialogue.

In my concluding speech, I told the honourable representatives of the Participating States that quality of freedom eventually does not depend on how much we agree with each other, but it depends on the way we don’t agree with each other, brutally or elegantly. Therefore, we will do whatever possible so that we elegantly accept agreements, create agreements and I am pretty confident that whenever disputes surface and when time to resolve these disputes comes then elegance should be also strong.

This is more or less what I would like to say without repeating myself or without repeating the address I delivered earlier. And again, sincerely and cordially, and not so diplomatically as it is the case in this very building, but straightforwardly, I would like to thank the Secretary General for his strong support in all preparations we have made and I count on him for a successful year for both the OSCE and Albania as well, because our goal is of course to succeed and to this end we need to make sure we work easily with each other. The Secretary General is a source of inspiration and also a source of assuredness that would facilitate our work in this regard. Thank you!

OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger: Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your kind words! Ladies and Gentlemen, good afternoon!

I welcome Albania’s 2020 OSCE Chairmanship. I am looking forward to closely working together with you Mr. Prime Minister, the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs (Gent) Cakaj, and other cabinet members and Albania’s delegation to Vienna. Albania has proven to be an engaged partner of OSCE and a big supporter of this organization, I am grateful that Albania has the chance of leading our organization. It is clear that assuming OSCE Chairmanship is an historic achievement for Albania. You Mr. Prime Minister emphasized and clearly stated it in your speech today. At the same time, you Prime Minister can count on me and you will have full support of the OSCE Secretariat and my personal support throughout the year. Albania’s motto implementing our commitments together sounded a very good motto.

Indeed, all the 57 Participating States can do more to strengthen the implementation of their commitments and deliver on all three dimensions, namely the political, military, economic and environmental and in the human rights area.” The OSCE Chairmanship represents an opportunity for Albania to lead and also learn good practices, exchange and share experience.

I am confident that Albania is particularly a reliable leader in this sense, because Albania has coped with many security challenges and especially those of the cross-border nature. As the Prime Minister stated earlier this morning, Albania has deployed a team as part of the OSCE operations on the ground for years now and I welcome Albania’s Chairmanship and its goal to capitalize on this direct experience in the future hot wo maximize its potential in this regard. I also welcome the efforts made so far towards the adoption of our unified plan for this year. We need it as quickly as possible, but at the same time we need a decent budget in order for us to get out of this situation that requires us to do more every year with less financial resources. I would also like to welcome Sweden as the 2021 OSCE Chairmanship and then, finally, Slovakia. At this point, I would also like to thank the Slovak colleagues for the great job they have done during their 2019 Chairmanship and I am looking forward to cooperating with all Troika state members. Thank you very much for your attention.

–Which is the most pressing challenge facing the OSCE Chairmanship?

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, PM Minister Edi Rama: I believe that since they speak Albanian, so that not only to respect the Albanian journalists, but also to celebrate this starting point as an Albanian day through the fact that I am given the opportunity to speak Albanian at this press conference today at this very hall where Albanian has never been used.

As I already stated while presenting Albania’s Chairmanship priorities, our main challenge is to focus on the core or basic principles. We have taken over the OSCE Chairmanship neither to reinvent the wheel, nor to reinvent OSCE, but by devotedly analysing and looking into the past in view of assuming the OSCE Chairmanship we have reached the conclusion that we are probably valuable, an added value, referring to the basic underlying principles of the OSCE.

This means not simply adhering to these principles as keywords used by all Participating States, nor as common points of principle, but as objectives that each member should commit to deliver in everyday life.

And on the other hand, our challenge – not the OSCE challenge, but our challenge – is render Albania’s Chairmanship a more respectful profile for everyone. Otherwise we wouldn’t succeed in doing our Chairmanship job properly with as much inspiration as possible for all Participating States of this diverse and increasingly challenged organization.

– Will you commence the job in your capacity as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office by helping Albania first? We face an unsolved crisis in Albania for a year now. Are you ready to engage in real dialogue with our opposition?

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, PM Edi Rama: Thank you for the question about which I would answer during a press conference in Tirana as the Prime Minister and leader of the governing majority in Albania. We are communicating in a different format and context here.

-Referring to the address you delivered earlier at the start of the OSCE Chairmanship, you also mentioned the most recent statements issued by Iranian leader Khamenei. Does Albania face any imminent threat because of his statements in particular, and is Albania ready to face a cyberattack by Iran?

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, PM Edi Rama: I would reiterate what I said yesterday. We are not particularly threatened in the aftermath of the event. We are well-aware well that by taking the step of getting involved in the humanitarian operation to protect death-threatened individuals by the Teheran’s dictatorial regime, we have taken a risk. I am very proud that this is a bipartisan risk. So, in this respect, Albanian politics is united in its stance and has taken this step as part of the obligations under an indisputable and irreplaceable strategic alliance with the US.

On the other hand, I want to recall and point out that we are NATO members and to put it clear an attack against our country is considered as an attack against NATO. Of course, for everyone that might have imagined our NATO membership just a celebratory moment for a new status of the country and not as a moment of commitments to an Alliance that faces dangers too should of course should rethink it. We live in a world where we face dangers, we face enemies of freedom, enemies of democracy, and we are very proud to be helpful in supporting an Alliance that fights for a better world.

-I am from Ukraine. I have a question for the Prime Minister. Could you provide more details about your plan regarding Ukraine and when presenting the Chairmanship priorities – I am talking about Ukraine – you didn’t mention the issue of Crimea’s occupation by Russia. You also focused on the challenges.

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, PM Edi Rama: I would like to emphasize what I already stated at the beginning of this press conference, as well as during my presentation of the priorities that in my capacity as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office I should distance myself and I should not express attitudes, views, opinions that I can of course express when speaking in my capacity as the Prime Minister of Albania and when I speak on behalf of the Albanian government. But this is impossible when speaking in my capacity as the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office. Therefore, as the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, together with the OSCE Secretary General and everyone else, it is my duty to promote as much as possible dialogue and the way forward to guarantee peace. Of course it is clear that the challenge in and around Ukraine is the most pressing security challenge in Europe and my and our main priority is to support the monitoring mission in Ukraine and the Trilateral Contact Group, work with the newly-appointed Special Representative and be at the same time as helpful as possible so that we can bring both sides closer to a positive conclusion.

It is not by accident that I have actually picked Ukraine as the destination of my first visit as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and I am strongly committed to do my best and make sure that this crisis that has been going on for more than 6 years does not escalate further.

On the other hand, we should continue commitments towards full implementation of the Minsk Agreement that has been accepted and recognized by both sides.

-Spanish news agency EFE. In December, Albanian Parliament passed a controversial media law, somehow criticized by the OSCE and the Representative on Freedom of the Media. You have talked with the OSCE representatives here in Vienna and I would like to know what is the experience so far.

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office: It is simple. Your information has not been updated, because the OSCE has not criticized the law, but, quite the contrary, we have worked with the OSCE team throughout the year in order to make sure that we clarify those minor uncertainties. Indeed, you are referring to the criticism that was made while the discussions were taking place.

But the law that was forwarded to the Parliament enjoyed 100% support from the OSCE team, which means that it is a piece of legislation in absolute compliance with the OSCE standards designed to find a solution regarding what we are experiencing with the online media outlets, not only in Albania, but worldwide. It is part of our priorities that we address the hate speech issue and treat it responsibly as a fuel that incites and is disseminated via the online media in various ways as a fuel that fuels these media outlets. I hope you are satisfied with the answer that the OSCE is in full harmony with us when it comes to this law.

-Mr. Prime Minister, let’s go on with the issue of Crimea again. If I have understood it right, Crimea should not be mentioned during your Chairmanship?

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, PM Edi Rama: No, no, you haven’t understood it right.

-Could you please clarify it, because your predecessor actually mentioned Crimea a year ago. I am a little surprised indeed…

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, PM Edi Rama: If you were not surprised, then we wouldn’t have assumed the OSCE Chairmanship. I have stated and I will reiterate the fact that we should explore all possible opportunities to bring all sides closer and I have cited the basis for this. I have also said that how the government of Albania, the Albanian Parliament and the Prime Minister of Albania, we all are open regarding the issue you asked about. But as the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, I do not want to be so open because I might not achieve the right result. So, it is not about what I think, but it is how this organization that comprises 57 Participating States with different views, we will see how these states will reach a faster conclusion in solving various problems. I’m not here to create problems, I’m here to solve problems. I wish myself luck and wish the Secretary-General luck in our shared work.