Prime Minister Edi Rama’s interview with the Sky TG24 Director Giuseppe De Bellis in Bergamo, Italy, on the margins of “Semi – Stories of Excellence, Merit and Innovation”, a three-day event organized by the Cultura Italiae association, now in its fifth edition and dedicated to the theme “Culture will save the world.”
– We are already at the end of these almost two and a half days of proceedings, and I would like to invite the Prime Minister of Albania, Mr. Edi Rama to join me.
Welcome Mr. Prime Minister. We are lucky enough, because, as you all know, the Prime Minister speaks Italian. My first question is not about you as a politician, but as a man of culture and the question whether culture will save the world or not, in your view.
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Of course, culture is there to save souls, to save souls and while thinking of what I could say about this issue within an extremely difficult context of war and lack of security to such an extent with the threat of using nuclear weapons looming large.
Last night I was granted the chance to talk with the mayor about this special case within Europe, where our country was completely isolated from coast to coast. We were isolated not only from the enemies of the West but also those of the Soviet Union.
It was these two issues or two things that fixed or defined our isolation. First of all, it was the assertion that “God was illegal in Albania.” So, God could not enter Albania; He had to stay outside and for this reason about 2550 temples, churches, monasteries, mosques were destroyed. Although mosques or other institutions or other religious communities were attacked, in any case, the Catholic community was the worst-hit because it represented Western culture.
Later on, we witnessed the attack against the 20th century art.
However, our movement started precisely at the Academy of Arts, while browsing the forbidden books, browsing and opening up from the forbidden history. It was there where the first crack was opened on the regime’s wall.
– What does Albania represent now?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Albania is now a sort of Italy in a state of disarray.
– So, it is now difficult for one to hold congresses in Albania and decide who to side with?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: However, Italian politics has its influence on it. Indeed, when we started practicing democracy, it was not really successful, because we were living in an era where the other did not exist. So the other’s idea did not exist. We only existed, while the one in front of us was the enemy.
Anyway we are now experiencing or living in a world, where you see these temples of beauty and extraordinary cultural wealth then we say ‘why should we live in such a place, in such an era and we believe that it is important for our economy and our well-being. But this morning we visited Bergamo and we saw every spot and attraction is extraordinary and then and then why this unusual movement of useless things to a rampant consumerism drive that are really useless and superficial that they are destroying people psychologically, because they are seemingly unable to make peace within themselves and even though they live amid all these cultural treasure troves.
– Let’s go back to two years ago. In the same sentence, you said that rich countries have turned their back on other rich countries. We are not a rich country, but you still sent 30 doctors and nurses to help us during the worst period of the pandemic.
Prime Minister Edi Rama: It was an extremely special situation. We were through, we were experiencing that moment, that period very anxiously, because, as the Ambassador already said a bit earlier while commenting on the pandemic in Europe, we were left aside during the first phase, when the European Union decided to distribute the initial coronavirus vaccine supplies, but Albania and other countries in the Balkans were provided not a single vaccine dose. But the EU, as far as I know, is actually the only geographical reality with inside and outside borders, with the Balkans being situated within this inside border. So, it is a sort of a centre and living within this border, being part of this body, yet integrated part of this body’s and vein’s blood circulation and all other vital elements. For us, Italy, as Gianni Amelio has said, is “America of our ancestors.” So, it has been a country we belonged to, although it was banned for us.
And from that moment, we didn’t think twice, although we were also somehow worried whether we were doing the right thing, because sending 30 doctors and nurses in front of that unknown monster, that is Covid, I decided to do so.
No one knows and I didn’t actually think I would ever say it, but Luigi and I had an extraordinary relationship back then, because I am an Italian Albanian –so to say – he is an Albanian Neapolitan. And together we did a Pfizer vaccine smuggling operation back then, when we had not a single dose of vaccines and when we were facing a tense situation and were under incredible pressure, an unusual pressure because of the fear for the people that they could die like the fish out of water and I asked Luigi: Would you provide a symbolic quantity of vaccine doses, which were actually extremely important for us to start the vaccine roll-out for doctors and nurses. And Luigi kindly declined my request, because (pharmaceutical company) Pfizer had signed a contract with some imperialist and capitalist terms, so to say, stipulating that you can’t provide anyone else with its vaccines. So, only a Christian couldn’t do so. And Luigi told me: “We can’t do it because it is a very serious thing.” But we did it anyway, through an incredible operation involving the secret services, something very unusual that Italy’s Foreign Minister and the Prime Minister of Albania were smuggling goods to save peoples’ lives.
From the Neapolitans we have learned that a friend should be never betrayed when confronting the law enforcement and so I will never betray that friend and that friendship. Having this said, I am sure that the press and journalists will now be hot on your heels and would probably call you a smuggler now that you are already a free man, Luigi.
– What can Albania offer to the European Union?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: It is somehow difficult, complex what Europe can bring to Albania. First of all, it is a matter of peace, a matter of peace and security, a matter of freedom and sovereignty, namely the people’s sovereignty. There could be no force to return us back to the past, because it is a country where democracy, freedom, peace and security are the elements most protected than in any other country. When it comes to Turkey or Russia, we have no special relations with Russia, because it has launched some actions that have somehow affected us.
We have nothing to do with Russia, neither from an economic point of view nor any kind of point of view, and we can survive without them and we don’t mind imposing sanctions on them.
– Last question, a new government will take office in Italy soon. Would you enjoy the same relationship of friendship as it has been the case with all the previous Italian governments?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: It doesn’t depend on the political wing. I am referring to Berlusconi, a right-wing politician in Italy, who actually had very good relations with Fatos Nano, who used to serve as Albania’s Socialist Prime Minister. I am saying this because right-wing governments have been in office in Italy, whereas left-wing governments were in office in Albania. Political affiliation isn’t important at all. However, we have a political atmosphere, historical ties and our ties are very early ones.
No matter whether it is a more rightist government or a more leftist cabinet or an opposition, after all when it comes to governing one should be careful, because you have to do everything not to be annihilated by the right or the left and a middle way, a golden one should be found, because it’s easy to write all those epic poems about what can be done in the future, but when you take over the government, everything becomes more difficult. Anyway, you have to do things, and it is up to the right or the left because there are no recipes for the right or the left, but you have to calculate things well.
