Prime Minister Edi Rama on Friday welcomed the visiting Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel with an official ceremony ahead of their tête-à-tête at the Prime Minister’s office, followed by the bilateral meeting of the respective government delegations.

Prime Minister Rama and his Luxembourg counterpart Xavier Bettel then appeared at a joint press conference:

PM Edi Rama: Hello everyone! Thank you very much! It is a very special pleasure today to welcome together with my colleagues the Prime Minister of Luxembourg and a precious friend, Xavier Bettel. A precious friend, not because of the cordial words and politeness on this occasion, but because Luxembourg and the Prime Minister personally have been among the most outspoken supporters of Albania’s and North Macedonia’s bid to open the accession negotiations with the European Union.

I thanked him and I would like to thank him again publicly for the fact that the Luxembourg Prime Minister has been an advocate of Albania on many occasions and in all instances, even when we were not present.

We certainly discussed the conflict and shared absolutely the same position towards the Russian aggression and the indispensability to fully support Ukraine in its just struggle for liberation.

We discussed the ongoing political alignment process between the European Union and the countries currently negotiating to join the European Union and, of course, we discussed bilateral relations too.

Luxembourg is a small country by area, but it weighs a lot, just like gold that is small, but its weight and value is huge.

We really wish that Luxembourg companies show a greater interest and economic activity in Albania. To this end, during the return visit to Luxembourg, the Prime Minister has also proposed a meeting with the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce.

It is crucially important to realize that – as I already said in my opening remarks – Luxembourg is an important player with a strong voice at the European Union table and its interest in the region, its effort to promote regional cooperation, the effort to promote dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, the effort to promote improvement of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the effort to promote a more stable political process in Montenegro, are part of the agenda of Luxembourg and Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.

Thank you very much Xavier and I am pleased to give you the floor! 

PM of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel: Dear Prime Minister, dear Edi! First of all, thank you very much for the hospitality during my first visit to Albania. I haven’t been far away, because I recall the time when I was a Thessaloniki University student in 1997 and 1998 and I used to travel and therefore I was very close to the region, the tough, tense and unstable situation back then when I used to live in this area.

You have come a long way since then and it is encouraging, incredible, but there is still much potential for our relations.

You already just noted that Luxembourg companies are investing in the region and it is important that Albania becomes part of their investment choices. This is exactly the reason for this invitation.

It is also about economic and cultural cooperation.

Young people are the future decision-makers, they are the ones who will live the future, and that’s why we discussed ways to establish exchanges between universities, whether in Albanian universities or in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. 

The Prime Minister already noted, the EU accession negotiations with Albania are now underway  and I would like to underline that there were all the reasons for me not to say I would become the advocate of both Albania and North Macedonia, but simply state that both countries cannot be held hostage for national policy reasons.  We cannot decide the future of a country for national reasons. The European Union is not only a national political interest for a union with such priorities.

We must not forget that when the Treaty of Rome was approved immediately after the Second World War in 1957, France and Germany were arch enemies, but peace was restored in European territory since then. So it is not an economic project, it is not a political project, but it is a peace project. For me, this is the European Union, with everyone around the same table, with meetings, exchanges, and respect prevailing.

The ideas forwarded by Charles Michel and President Macron with all the EU members pushing for the shared interests and values and not with all members enjoying advantages and favours only and not obligations. Edi acknowledged this too.

As far as the pandemic is concerned, it is very important; it is in everyone’s interest so that the neighbouring countries can find common solutions. It is paramount for us to find common solutions when it comes to the gas purchase, the energy problem and oil.

I am very happy about our unity when imposing sanctions on Russia.

Balkan region has been a powder keg for our continent and we must do everything to avert a similar situation, be it in the framework of the Open Balkan initiative, when we talk to each other. I know that Kosovo and Serbia are having a dialogue today. It is important to move ahead. We cannot afford to put up with additional conflicts and pressures any more.

When it comes to dialogue, I am one of the rare leaders who stay in touch with both sides. I discuss with Putin, I discuss with Zelensky, but after Bucha I couldn’t do that anymore. I went to Ukraine, I saw Bucha first-hand, and Bucha was a scene of terrible carnage. People had been killed with a bullet to the head, it was a real carnage. There were corpses scattered all over and what disgusted me the most was that medals were awarded to the soldiers who had committed the crime. It was no longer possible for me to discuss normally, but I support my colleagues who are trying to find a solution to this problem.

Thank you very much for the invitation, dear Edi. Thank you for your hard work and I am thanking you also in behalf of all Albanians, as Albanians support this European project, this peace project and I know solidarity lies in the very foundations of the European Union and is essential to this peace project, where some are bigger than others when it comes to their body, but we are all equal when it comes to friendship and generosity.

This is the power of the European Union, which not only moves forward faster, but together we go much further away.

Thank you very much!