Joint press conference of the Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti:
Hello everyone!
I believe you have provided live coverage of the joint session of the two governments, so that I won’t further elaborate and repeat the issues we discussed at this meeting, but before giving the floor to my counterpart Hoti and my friend Avdullah, I would like to emphasize that facts, these victims of our era, facts speak for a tangible progress in all areas of cooperation and show that none of the agreements we have signed since the inaugural meeting of this interaction process, has not remained on paper.
The implementation process of the agreements has either completed or is already underway.
I am very glad to be here today, especially with Avdullah Hoti, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, who by acting with wisdom, grace and courage stepped into and reopened a frozen process and removed a self-imposed obstacle to Kosovo, paving the way for the continuation of the only international line of conduct that Kosovo has to follow since the first day of its birth, dialogue and unwavering affiliation with the large family of nations that were key to its liberation, in a decisive partnership with the United States and the European Union.
Of course, I am very pleased that the Regional Schengen is no longer a taboo. I repeat it here that the Regional Schengen is a project for our children and a project that no man, despite age, cannot take it hostage and should not delay by taking advantage of a representation mandate granted by people on both sides of the Alps. The Regional Schengen is a project that will directly affect a much better future for young people, our children and the children of our children.
It is a transforming project in terms of living in a region, where we should do whatever it takes and it is our obligation to do whatever it takes to ultimately cut loose from the past, but it is also a transforming project regarding the final solution to the great issue of Kosovo’s recognition by Serbia, which can and will take place only diplomatically and through wisdom, patience and ability to win a battle like this, which is diplomatic and not a military one today.
Kosovo has won its freedom. Kosovo is a sovereign and independent state, which cannot even be questioned, let alone be undone by whoever refusing to recognize it. It is up to Kosovo, it is up to us in Albania to live up to the challenge of history side by side with Kosovo, not to abuse freedom and not to abuse the tools of democracy in the respective countries, in the respective states that we share the responsibility to govern today by creating obstacles for the future and building walls that harm only us, harm only the Albanians, both in Kosovo and in Albania, and all together as a nation.
Once again, I would like to express to Prime Minister and the government of Kosovo my respect, support and certainly my readiness to press ahead with this transforming process, always considering our strategic interest as Albanians and considering our strategic interest as two states and always guided by our strategic interest only and not making absurd calculations about what others are entitled to benefit under this process. The theory “gouge one of my eyes out so that the other has both eyes gouged out” doesn’t work, but it wreaks havoc only.
We will explore ways how to move forward together, removing the border completely, turning the border simply into a geographical administrative line and a free corridor for the free movement of people, goods, services and capital.
We have already witnessed the facilities provided by the one-stop system on both sides of the border. The influx is smaller than it used to be, yet it is still there, especially at the peak of the summer season. We should remove them and that’s why a shared database is needed to gain real-time information about the joint perimeter between the two states, just like we need to cooperate with other countries about the region’s perimeter.
Even though Kosovo has meet all the 95 criteria on visa liberalization since in 2028 and the country still waits to be consistently and shamelessly refused by the European Union just because of some reasons and issues that are completely irrelevant to Kosovo, yet they are relevant to the internal electoral dynamics in various EU member states, depending on the case of each country, when they gather in Brussels to make decisions and at a time when everyone of us, including me, are all realizing that the progress of the European integration process equally depends on what we do and with things that are totally irrelevant to us. Therefore, we should act and totally open what we can open and which is the space between us, the space in our region, to definitely integrate in EU, because there is no other alternative to the EU and the EU integration.
On the other hand, waging war via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and through showcases and threatening demonstration, even violent ones against each other on behalf of the national flag and the nation, on behalf of Ismail Qemali and Skanderbeg, are all part of a farce that has to do just with the phantoms of the past, which keep feeding abundantly everyone who faces completely different problems and daily woes and which we should work to address immediately and which we cannot comfort by fostering illusions about the final struggle and tomorrow the international will be the human race.
We agreed on several concrete deals today. I will be visiting Prime Minister in the next few weeks along with a modest delegation in terms of the number of delegation members, but the visit will take place for a very important issue, that is finally signing the agreement that makes Durres customs totally available to Kosovo and turns Durres port into a de-facto port of Kosovo. This means that any Kosovo-bound shipment of good docking at Durres port, when unloaded in Durres it is as if it is unloaded in Kosovo. Kosovo customs authorities will be stationed there and they will handle the entire procedures and allow the goods to be transported then to Kosovo.
You are already informed about the agreements and I am really happy that we finally – just imagine how much time we have wasted – we have also agreed to allow workers from both Albania and Kosovo to travel and work in each country without having to apply for a work permit. It is the same as being where he resides and where he has his passport as a resident. A Gjakova citizen can work in Vlora, or a citizen from Fier can work in Prizren. This is a long-standing old request forwarded by entrepreneurship on both sides of the border. I do not know how justifiable it is that this and other things directly related to people’s lives have been delayed, hindered, or shunned in the name of imaginary wars, while war has been over for many years and the only war Kosovo and Albania have to fight today is the war for development, prosperity and integration.
Thank you once again Prime Minister! The floor is yours.
PM Avdullah Hoti: Thank you very much Prime Minister Rama! It is a pleasure for me to stay in Tirana today and a special honour for me to jointly chair the meeting of our two governments in an already established tradition.
I would like to thank Prime Minister Rama and our two delegations for the welcome and all the preparations of the agreements we signed today in various fields, for the care we are now institutionally showing for the Albanians in the Presevo Valley; the agreement on labour mobility brings our two markets together; from the free movement of the citizens for employment purposes; the mutual assistance in the event of various natural disasters; in the area of culture through a joint cultural agenda and joint film production projects as well as in many other areas, including our shared efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, and then in security field, economy, the fight against tax evasion, as well as many other issues.
I do not want to overdo and talk big about historical significance of these agreements, but I am convinced that they create a new momentum in our interstate cooperation, because they are projects that strongly connect our economies and societies. However, above all, in most of these agreements, we have a regional perspective on our approach to infrastructure, such as e.g. the railway project, which will connect the port of Durres with Pristina and then stretch to other parts of the Balkans and Central Europe, but also other projects that have regional implications. With these agreements and the cooperation approach we have forged with Prime Minister Rama, I believe that as two countries already working intensely to contribute to regional stability and development of the entire region, bringing together all the contributors of this stability and development in the region.
With the Washington Agreement, a new momentum has been unquestionably created, not only in Kosovo and Serbia, but throughout the region and we will now closely work with all countries in the region to make best of this agreement, as well as the assistance we expect to materialize with the European Union in the coming weeks in view of overcoming the obstacles we face in terms of the cooperation in the region.
We in Kosovo are committed to remain a source of the stability in the region and a constructive partner in every regional initiative in order to advance the region’s main goal of Euro-Atlantic integration. The more the whole region, and certain countries in the region in particular, detach from the East and adhere to the West, I believe the better is for Albanians in the Balkans.
I am looking forward to welcoming Prime Minister Rama in Pristina, Prizren, in order to press ahead with two important agreements, that of the customs and the Port of Durres, as well as to launch implementation of a series of other agreements, as well as develop the concept idea on transformation of the historic city of Prizren and launch preparations for celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Prizren League.
Thank you once again PM Rama, your collaborators for the hospitality and the work our two teams and ambassadors have done to prepare this joint meeting of our governments.
– Prime Minister Rama, I would like a comment or your opinion on the White House agreement between Kosovo and Serbia regarding the railway project linking Nish, Pristina and Durres. Prime Minister Hoti has faced strong criticism by opposition leader Mr Kurti over this agreement, saying Serbia is the only winner in this case. I would like to specifically know which are the advantages and the benefits this agreement would bring to Kosovo and Albania. Which country benefits from this agreement?
My second question goes to PM Hoti. You have repeatedly stated that the Association of the Serb Municipalities cannot be renegotiated as part of the dialogue with Serbia, saying this topic has now been closed. However, the Head of the EU Delegation to Kosovo said in a statement a day ago that this topic is actually open and should be part of the Kosovo-Serbia discussions. We know that the planned meeting for the next week has been postponed. Is there any signal suggesting that Serbia could condition the dialogue process with the Association of the Serb-dominated communes? Third issue; President Trump has called on both prime ministers, namely the governments of Kosovo and Albania, to open their embassies in Jerusalem. Will you open them? If yes, when?
PM Edi Rama: My opinion on the Washington agreement is already known, but to respect you for taking the trouble to come over here and in respect of your question, I would reiterate it briefly. First of all, the Washington agreement contains nothing new. It is just and only the confirmation of what has been already discussed, already agreed but yet to be implemented under the Berlin Process. However, the Washington Agreement is extremely important in another aspect. It has restored Kosovo’s position right where Kosovo should always be internationally and it is certainly Prime Minister Hoti the one who should be credited for this. I am not a good diplomat and I would have never become an ambassador, but this is the truth, according to me. The lesson we need to draw from the Washington agreement is that there a lot of things we Albanians can, should and would have done ourselves, should we were not that immature we used to be and we still are when it comes to misuse trust of those who elect us and take advantage of their natural problems, discontent, not in a bid to drum more support by addressing these problems, but to wage imaginary wars that degenerate even to the absurdity of waging an imaginary trade war with the United States. To me, this is the Washington Agreement.
It is important that we do things, because now, in addition to having repeatedly saying and stating anytime we have been sitting in the Berlin Process meetings, in addition to what Germany, France, the EU have consistently said, including America now, this is a work we need to deliver and finalize it. So, despite the lack of modesty, I have said this long time ago. However, it is not a problem at all. Whoever doesn’t wish to pay heed to my words, let heed to the words of the U.S. and the EU and follow this path rigorously, because it is not actually the path we need to follow just because this is what U.S. and the EU are asking to do, but because this is the only path we are forced to tread on for the sake of our children and the children of our children. Any other path leads us to a dead end. And Kosovo owes the consequences of this dead end to no politician or revolutionary or any other figure, who tries to take advantage precisely of those wounds that need to heal, and they are doing so not to heal these wounds, but to make use of these painful wounds in view of their political gains.
As to who benefits, I don’t know how Albin makes his calculations and it turns out that when it comes to calculations, including the economic aspect, his views are similar to the Yugoslav “Self-Administration.” The truth is quite simple. How can possibly be disadvantaged the one who owns the seaport and the one conducts all that trade volume of exports and imports, while one of the stakeholders who will make use of the port be the real winner?
This is something that only Albin certainly knows how, while I and nobody else with certain knowledge on economy can explain what Albin says, except describing it a madness of self-administration nature.
As to the second issue, Albania is the only country in Europe with a larger Jewish population at the end of WWII than at the beginning. It is a country where Jews have found shelter, protection and absolute safety and not a single Jew was handled to the Nazis. Not only that, but it were Albanian citizens who surrendered to the Nazis pretending to be the Jews they had provided shelter at their homes. Albania is a country which not only has a long-standing relation with Israel, but also a great respect to Israel, but in its foreign policy, in this aspect Albania is totally aligned with the European Union.
PM Avdullah Hoti: As to the first question about the Association of Serb Municipalities, such a question is always made in every press conference or communication with the reporters. I have probably answered 20 or 30 times to this question and you have always received the same answer. The Association of the Serb-dominated Municipalities is a closed issue under the 2013 agreement and the agreement on principles signed in 2015, which includes constitutional norms stipulating that the status of the Association should be in full compliance with the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo and the Serbian side has agreed on that too. In this regard, I declare that the Association is a closed topic. It is a state obligation to Kosovo that has been ratified by the Assembly in 2013. I would urge you to perhaps consider the context of the statement made by the EU official or Ambassador.
As for the embassy in Jerusalem, we are a new country and we need recognition. With the Washington Agreement, in addition to major economic infrastructure projects that completely alter economic conjuncture in Kosovo, but also in the region, we have also gained a very important recognition. All recognitions are important, but this is of a slightly different importance, because it opens up a completely different perspective in the consolidation of Kosovo statehood in the international arena and I am glad that in foreign policy, we are aligned with the foreign policy of the United States in terms of our principles and interests.
-To further elaborate on the question made by the colleague regarding President Trump’s letter, I would like to ask you about his appeal to o exit the Chinese led 17+1 initiative. Would you undertake such a step considering that we are talking about President Trump, who held his first presidential debate with his rival earlier this week? Lulzim Basha has challenged you for a general election debate. Will you accept such a challenge?
– The question for PM Hoti. Is there a deadline for completion of the Tirana-Pristina railway project?
PM Edi Rama: I am starting by answering to the second question first. Kosovo Prime Minister is not a foreigner here, as he is in his own home, yet he is a guest. I remain loyal to what I have stated at the very beginning. I won’t comment on the internal affairs in presence of our guests. So there is enough time to discuss these issues and we will meet together again.
As to the other question, of course I am pleased that the U.S. President, especially at election time and thousands of challenges to tackle, he has found time to send a letter to me. I am very that he commends my and this government role, because of course it is about my role as the head of this government, not about my role as a painter, either in terms of the role in the region, or in terms of some attitudes that are convictions and not opportunistic attitudes. The United States, the White House, the President of the United States have been, are and will certainly remain a fixed point of reference for us and I hope this will be case with all those who have the responsibility to govern this country, but here is a ” very small but” too, that we listen, respect and decide on the basis of beliefs. The complete harmony between me and the President of the United States on the 5G, something we talked about in person on the sidelines of the NATO summit in London, is a conviction on my part. It is not an imposition on his part, or on the U.S. part. My letter to all heads of government in the region some time ago, was not a demand, let alone imposed on me by the White House, or the State Department, or anyone else. It is conviction. Just as it is my conviction that Abraham’s covenants are something extraordinary for the Middle East and the world and this is something I am saying on behalf of the government and Albania in this case. In the meantime, I agree with the Prime Minister that though the Washington Agreement contains nothing new in terms of its content, in term of the commitments of both parties, except what I said, the Kosovo’s return to its rightful place in the international arena following an absurd period of retreat into a surreal barricade of war with the imagination, it is also a fact that Israel recognized Kosovo. An extraordinary fact. A success for which the government of Kosovo and the Prime Minister deserve, at least, the silence of those who keep talking without being aware of what they are talking about, and the highest assurance of highest consideration, in the best case scenario. Creating the conditions for the Israel to recognize Kosovo, it means that an unimaginable barrier has been broken. Of course, it is certainly the unquestionable merit of the U.S. President, but it is also the ability to be in the right place, at the right time and to take the right step.
I repeat, we clearly have common positions when it comes to strategic directions and I am very glad that these positions, in our case, stem from conviction and not from imposition, or conjuncture.
As for concrete movements, these are an internal issue. And as such, we treat them very carefully and make a decision at the right time, always in view of Albania’s strategic interests and never forgetting that we are strategic allies of the US and strategic allies of the EU and in foreign policy. I repeat, we are aligned with the European Union. It is a fact. Albania, up till today, since it entered the EU integration processes, remains the only non-member country that has not moved in any case from the line agreed with the European Union in the field of foreign affairs. The day might come when we may judge that we could move [from the EU stance], but that day has not yet come.
PM Avdullah Hoti: Thank you Prime Minister! At the start of our term in office, we made a series of tough, non-populist decisions, about which I personally and my government were strongly criticized, but these early June decisions lead to the Washington Agreement about which the Premier commented extensively.
The agreement also includes the Pristina – Durres railway. We will launch the project immediately. The government will largely focus on efforts to deliver on these projects and other projects funded by other international donors, partners and the Kosovo state budget. I am very pleased we signed today an agreement on this issue, so that we can join forces and finalize the due feasibility study as soon as possible, the modalities of construction of this railway which will turn the Durres port into a port of strategic importance to Central Europe and whole Balkan region.
You already know that a technical delegation from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the institution that will finance the majority of the projects under the Agreement, visited Pristina and they are now working with our Minister of Infrastructure to develop an action plan for finalization of all projects, including the railway link between our two countries. The Trump administration has shown great interest to move the projects forward quickly, a sign of U.S. seriousness regarding normalization of economic ties, primarily among the countries in the region in order to move towards a final solution.
–PM Rama spoke about the Balkan Schengen project with a lot of enthusiasm. Since I am an economics journalist and I recall that protectionism between Kosovo and Albania has been quite obvious, I would like to know how will you be moving from one extreme to another, considering plans to fully open the market? Other question has to do with the cooperation between the two countries. You are talking about the 5G project, yet I heard not a single word about roaming that affects interest of all Albanians in both countries. It is a project subject to discussions over the years, but it has never been finalized and the citizens of both countries still pay for roaming charges. I want to make a specific question to PM Hoti. Will the projects under the Washington Agreement be funded under loan agreements, or Trump administration will fund them? Thank you!
PM Edi Rama: I am a staunch and determined anti-protectionist, especially when it comes to protectionism for our countries that vitally need to interact, open and further expand in terms of the range of the economic activity. But people often make mistakes, some of them make mistakes deliberately, they have made and keep making mistakes intentionally, while some others have made and will continue making mistakes just because they refuse to understand and some others do so because they are not interested in going deeper, but they simply like it as a fable, so that we shut down and isolate, grow tomatoes and consume our tomatoes, grow potatoes and consume our own potatoes and impose embargoes on tomatoes and potatoes imported from countries we don’t like. It is a category of people, who are unable to figure out the simple relation between the two, between removal of the barriers between us and the regional Schengen.
And I would ask a consistently asked question. Would you please tell me why it happens for you to hear the border removal issue so often over the past years? This is something you have heard from us, from your leaders saying that the border will be removed and you will enter and exit your country without staying on long queues, but this has yet to happen. This is not happening, just like nothing else is happening, because if this doesn’t take place in a regional context, it cannot take place in a bilateral context. Those who claim this are either intentionally doing so, or they understand nothing at all.
Albania and Kosovo cannot decide bilaterally, or more precisely the two countries cannot decide to remove the border for a simple reason, not just because of Belgrade, but Washington and Brussels would immediately react, and they have actually done so anytime such a statement has been issued, and the first thing they say is “Greater Albania”. So, how we can do that? The only way to do it is that for our own interest and to nobody else’s interest, for our own benefits and to nobody else’s benefit, we enter into this context we have already entered since the Kosovo government and the Kosovo Prime Minister have embarked on this process to implement the 4 EU freedoms and today we talked about removal of the border. I can assure you that nobody in Belgrade would dare ask what is this? It is greater Albania! Nobody either in Washington or Brussels would dare ask what is this. Why? Because we have entered the regional process and the Regional Schengen process contains another element I have already explained constantly that this process implies no conditions of whatsoever.
So, Serbia cannot ask us why we are engaged in this process with Kosovo and tell us that we should do this process with Serbia only or both. No, there is no such condition. We will move forward quickly with Kosovo now and nobody can hamper us in this process. Just like it is the case with other countries. It is weird when some claim that I have granted Serbia access to the sea, as if they had caught Serbs in mainland and prevented them from accessing the sea. How did I do that? Sea belongs to Albanians and it doesn’t belong to Serbians, the seaport belongs to Albanian and it is not of Serbs.
Shall we build a joint port and say no, we won’t accept the goods of other countries, because we consider them as goods infected with anti-patriotic COVID? It is madness, so I very much hope that this madness has come to an end so that the process cannot be overturned and one would recall Father Fishta who once said “Albanians are just like their enemy wants them to be.”
As for roaming, I know that an important step has been made for the whole region thanks to this process. Now, you are looking for Albanian roaming, that is, you are looking for the Albanian language on the phone without roaming. I agree with you, no problem. There has never been a promise to scrap roaming charges for whoever speaks Albanian. This is something we haven’t promised since it is a decision that doesn’t rest with us. There are political parties that can make such promises, but we can’t. We can decide over the policies and a major step has been made about scraping roaming charges in the region. In order for us to do what you are asking for, we need to go through this process first and move forward and take gradual steps towards building a joint space with everyone reaping their own benefits they are entitled to. This is because we can’t build a Balkan region with Albanian benefiting only, whereas the others suffer or lose, since the idea according to which we are the smartest ones and others are fools should be left behind once and for good.
PM Avdullah Hoti: I think it is worth reiterating our position that the Mini Schengen is a temporary project. Our interest and the interest of the entire region is a complete Schengen system together with the European Union, but I believe that with the today’s agreements we have taken a concrete step towards establishing this area of free movement of people, the labour mobility and the mobility of the labour force. As to the projects we will implement in collaboration with DFC, we are currently engaged in a discussion process. I earlier said that a DFC technical delegation is still in Pristina to discuss each project and financing modalities with the government and the relevant ministries. I believe we will soon exactly know how we will move forward.
–I would like to ask PM Hoti whether Kosovo will join the U.S. initiative on the 5G network and whether you will join the PM Rama-launched Balkan Schengen table?
–I also want to ask a question to PM [Rama]. While you were sitting the joint meeting with the government of Kosovo, President Ilir Meta accused you and your government that while country has been gripped by the COVID-pandemic and the last November earthquake, the debt incurred by your initiatives, as well as the lost of cases in the International Court of Arbitration, you are leading the country towards an economic catastrophe. Do you have any comments on that? Thank you!
PM Avdullah Hoti: As far as 5G technology is concerned, you know this sector is both politically and geo-strategically important and that’s why it has become part of the Washington Agreement. Today we have signed an agreement for this purpose to ensure that we develop this technology together and together with technology providers, services that are reliable, that is, Western ones, since we work with them and build systems that are compatible with these service providers. As far as the Mini-Schengen project is concerned, I think I clarified on that a bit earlier. We will take part in the future meetings of the Western Balkan leaders to discuss this initiative, because at this moment it remains simply an initiative and we want to make sure we join it as a full-fledged party and, second, we build a temporary project of free movement of people and goods until the region’s entire European integration project completes.
PM Edi Rama: The same goes for your question, as for Elja’s question, as when I decline to comment on someone, I resort to do the same when it comes to someone else in the presence of our guest, who honors us today. I don’t break this principle. But in the name of the facts, and this is not for the author of the accusations, but for you, just imagine, for some time it has been ingrained in the public, the idea that we have lost cases in the arbitration court. There are also some people who think that we have already settled the due payments due to the court verdicts. But, what do you do? What do the media and the journalists do? Why don’t you look into it and discover whether this is true or not? Because such processes complete once they complete, and not when they have still a long way to go and to this day, at least before the today’s meeting, no processes have completed and we have lost no cases in the court of arbitration.
It is as simple as that. There are no such verdicts, but there are joint State Advocate teams and international lawyers, who are working to undo such preliminary rulings. At least you, the media and journalists should make your verifications and help the public so that people don’t drown into the mud of half truths, which, as much wiser people once have put it, are often the biggest lies. We have won cases in the arbitration court, yes, this is true, but we haven’t lost any cases in the arbitration court to date. We have lost none of the cases in question and legal efforts are underway to reverse the preliminary rulings and there is also another golden and legally-binding rule for any country in the arbitration court, stipulating that no comments should be made as long as a final verdict has yet to be made. None of the countries should make comments, because any comments are seen as a violation of the regular court process. Just take the author of these remarks into consideration and imagine how much he cares about Albania, but we better stop here, since I don’t want to go deeper in respect of what I already said.
– Are the today’s agreements really necessary, while the two countries are aspiring to join this regional mini-Schengen initiative?
PM Edi Rama: Don’t you think the two correlate to each other?
– But as long as all Western Balkan countries will enjoy equal rights and the freedom of movement of people and goods will be implemented simultaneously in all these countries? Next question, you were together with President Thaçi in 2018 when painful compromises were highlighted as part of the efforts to reach a final solution with Serbia, but this issue of compromises has emerged again in Kosovo with different ambassadors underlining that compromises should be made in a bid to reach a final agreement. Do you think Kosovo should still make compromises so that a final agreement is achieved? If I may, in June you were quite active in opposing the indictments against two former KLA leaders, President Thaçi and Speaker Veseli, while a few weeks are left for the Special Court’s confirmation or not of these indictments, the latter has started work on the ground where the first arrests have been made? How do you assess this situation and do you think that political circumstances can change, not only in Kosovo?
PM Edi Rama: First of all, I would like to thank you for perhaps inadvertently helping in clarifying a major misunderstanding. You are asking why we are signing these bilateral agreements given that both countries have already agreed to join a much bigger agreement. Well, are in your perception all these norms, rules and agreements of interaction between states something have been written to no purpose? The big agreement stipulates that all the countries in our region can sign any necessary bilateral agreement to guarantee all 4 freedoms of the European Union. In order for me to explain them in full, follow me to understand, that while I speak, you like Fevziu receive questions from those who brought you here and you will not find out. With the bigger agreement, we make sure we move forward unhindered and every participating state can freely choose and decide. Kosovo is free to decide that no such agreement is made with Serbia unless certain issues are not solved beforehand. Serbia cannot complain why our two countries sign such agreements. We can and we will sign such agreements with every country based on the conditions and the opportunities to move forward quickly.
This is the essence of it all. It is not like a cauldron where we all get in and where we all together should boil up at the same time and in the same way. Everyone makes his own choices and nobody can impose conditions on others and this is what I have achieved through diplomacy and not through imaginary wars. As far as the painful compromises thing, the so-called painful compromises are something you have made up. By you, I mean the commentators of all sorts, ranging from the political category commentators to the ones of historical category, because it is very simple. No secret agreements of any kind and every level, let alone border agreements, can be reached between two governments. It is as simple as that! Nowadays, with today’s systems this is a fantasy nurtured by people who for their personal reasons, for their power goals, audience reasons, for their reasons to receive as many “likes” as possible, they tread over the public opinion that can’t afford delving into information and incite divisions, incite discords, incite hatred and divide Albanians into some self-determined people who are defending the nation and some traitors who are selling it. But nobody, unfortunately takes the trouble to figure out where are we selling it, how are we selling it, how such a sale transaction is carried out. Any agreement, no matter how wrong, will be made public and it will be forwarded to the government, go through parliament and through referendum if necessary. How could this be done secretly? This is a big joke, cynicism, and even a vile deed or mischief against the Albanian people.
The last comment is about the indictments against KLA leaders.
I have not challenged any charges or any indictment. I have rejected and I still reject a wall poster. I have not yet seen any indictment. Have you seen any indictment? Has any indictment been issued? No! It was only a wall poster that came out of nowhere exactly on the day when the Kosovo President was about to leave for Washington. I have commented on that wall poster only. A Chinese wall poster like the ones appearing everywhere here during the Sino-Albanian love era to attack individuals preventively, so that he or she didn’t fall prey to the enemy, given that he or she were very weak individuals. I have rejected that wall poster only. Once the court makes the accusation officially, I am nobody to comment, because I am not a lawyer and I am not good at playing the lawyer’s role in court. This is as simple as that, but it is shameful that certain individuals are happy with these wall posters.
– Mr. Prime Minister, few months ago you promoted, or pledged to fund construction of the Skavica hydropower plant through the state budget money, while people in Kosovo are talking about a joint hydropower plant with Albania and specialists have tabled the idea that Kosovo can have its share and take part in funding Skavica HPP. Do you have any comment on that, including the funding for the construction of the railway project under the Washington Agreement, just two weeks after the EU Enlargement Commissioner stated that all Western Balkan countries will benefit funding under the EU projects to construct railways and highways in the region? Do you see any alliance or a duality between the United States and the European Union regarding funding for these projects under the Sept 4 agreement in Washington? Thank you!
PM Edi Rama: First of all, you are somehow forcing us to announce the news you were about to here tomorrow, when we will sign the agreement with the United States of America on construction of the Skavica HPP that will be funded by the U.S. government in a fantastic gesture of the United States to express the highest consideration for what Albania has done, for what we have done in governing the country over the past years and for all the issues included in the President’s letter and not only. In the meantime, the United States – I am giving you the news since you are the guests of honor today, – has decided to provide Albania the lion’s share in the number of ventilators and the assistance the U.S. government will deliver to Europe.
It is with great pleasure that I announce the news that we will be able to a implement long-awaited project, such as Skavica HPP, with the direct U.S. assistance and on the other hand, it is clear that with the States of United we have done and will do a lot of other things in the future, as a result of strengthening more than ever the direct relationship between us and them, between the Albanian state and their state and let me say it to the end, between the current government and their government. Our common challenge is to reform the integration of the power system, including also joint management of the system. The gentleman on my side here is certainly much better than me when it comes to this aspect, because for many years and in many critical cases, such as this critical case, he has had the burden of managing Kosovo’s finances, but one thing I know from experience is that it is easier said than done. However, we have to go in this direction because the diversification of resources in a jointly integrated market provides a very great potential. Our country is rich in abundant water resources, Kosovo is rich in other resources and combination of the two at the peak of energy sales and the prolonged drought periods would be a joint success story, but still it is much easier said than done.
Thank you very much Prime Minister and respect!
