Prime Minister Edi Rama’s remarks at parliament’s plenary session:
Today I am going to give a full answer to your allegations and the question about the band of marauders!
Meanwhile, as for the issues you raised in your parentheses, I read that what concerns you most and your main question was – if I am not mistaken – “why you didn’t declare the state of emergency?”
A whole and complete legal framework envisages and stipulates when an emergency situation is declared and the criteria determining when the emergency situation is announced have absolutely nothing to do with the current situation. I didn’t actually want to draw comparisons in this questions and answer session of the parliament, but since you started making comparisons, I will strictly stick to what you so generously shared with the public, because there are facts that speak for themselves and that press statement dates back to a catastrophic moment for Shkodra and entire north-western Albanian caused by the scandalous, criminal corruptive mismanagement of the Drin River cascade and what was true in the past, it is true now too.
However, exactly in order to illustrate that press statement and tell you that “Rama junior” and “Rama senior”, as you already put it, is the very same person and to tell you I stick precisely to what I have stated back then word for word, I am going to cite figures and data published by the Municipality of Shkodra, and not central government data, as it is universally known that Shkoder Municipality is now influenced by our government. Back then, when I issued such a statement, more than 2,5000 hectares of land were flooded in the region of Shkodra alone, with 14,000 hectares in the city of Shkodra itself and you can refer to the then footage. In the meantime, referring again to Shkodra Municipality, the flooded area most recently is estimated at 1458 hectares and the flooding was not caused by the Drin River cascade at all. The 4000-ha flooded area that you mentioned is an accurate figure provided by the Ministry of Defence and it includes not only Shkodra, but the entire region, including Lezha too.
You claimed an alleged critical situation in Durres. As far as the situation in Durrës, a clear outline and reflection of what has been already done, a fact that everyone can see for themselves anytime in the case of torrential rains, namely the hard and persisting work done by the local government authorities, specifically the hard work done by the Durres Mayor. All the affected areas were actually affected much less than previously, precisely thanks to the regular work done by the municipal authorities and crews after having identified the areas prone to floods and these areas are no longer critically problematic ones. There are still some minor problems in certain areas of the former Marshland area that is below the quota and to your answer whether the government is planning to move local residents from there, I would answer to say that this question actually is worth about not only Shkodra, but for many other hotspots all over Albania. However, this can’t be done by asking whether the government plans this or that. We can deliver on this by cooperating all together, because everyone knows what happens if the government makes such an attempt, because you would all lash out at the government promptly by claiming “the government is removing our voters.”
To briefly comment on the affected families and the number of flooded homes, official data provided by Shkodra Municipality show that a total of 68 316 of local residents were affected by the floods at the time when I issued that statement. Referring to Shkodra Municipality data again, the total number of the evacuees this time was only 130 compared to a total of 14, 285 citizens evacuated back then. And my final comment on the flooded homes, since many often ask “how come that we keep being flooded?” Indeed, we have been battered by more widespread floods at a time when floods were a very rare phenomenon around the rest of the world and in our continent. Floods are no longer a rare phenomenon as they happen everywhere now.
However, the level of flooding varies, because in the case of the flood I have commented upon several years ago, that was man-made. I fully stick to that statement and the official data clearly show it and I am not going to provide details and draw comparisons on the water discharges back then and most recently.
The level of flood waters back then went up to the roof of houses and, according to the Shkodra Municipality data, it flooded 6130 houses. Shkodra Municipality data again show that only 30 houses were temporarily flooded this time most recently. The truth and the reality is the one I am telling and, fortunately enough, it is not me, but Shkodra Municipality data that speak for themselves this time and Shkoder is being headed not by a Socialist Party mayor, but by one of the most firebrand militants of what once used to be called the Democratic Party!
* * *
Strangely enough you keep persisting and refuse to give up. You show the video footage and ask me to confront it. I am reiterating that I stick to every word I have said back then and figures clearly show this. You can of course show up here to make allegations, recite everything you wish to recite and quote one, two, three or five local residents who appear on a camera and one can do whatever he or she wants by using a camera. One can wage a full-fledged war by using cameras, if you will.
What matters most are the facts and I repeat these are facts and data published by the municipality of Shkodra and not by the central Socialist government. Do you realize that you are calling on me again to declare a state of emergency?
What should we declare the state of emergency for? Can you tell me for what reason should we make such a decision? Should we make the decision just because 30 houses were flooded temporarily?
I am telling you that the official data from the local document show that only 30 homes were flooded temporarily in Shkoder municipality and the flood waters are receding. It would take a long time to tell you what we have actually done, although Shkodra is actually the weakest point. These are the results, as we have actually cleared thousands of kilometres of the drainage systems, because a structure is now in place that operates promptly. It is a National Agency of Civil Emergencies. Thanks to this very Agency, Albania is now included in the European Mechanism of Civil Emergencies, which means that should an emergency situation happen in Albania, this European Mechanism is set in motion immediately to help.
