A brand new residential complex recently built under the post-earthquake reconstruction programme in the town of Laç has become the most beautiful symbol of friendship and solidarity between Albania and Turkey.
Turkey was one of the friendly countries to express their incredible solidarity shortly after the devastating earthquake, committing human and material resources to assist Albania cope with the natural disaster.
Zone No. 1 in the new residential neighbourhood in Laç, a successfully finalized project thanks to the precious contribution provided by the government of Turkey. Totally transformed in the wake of the devastating earthquake, the brand new residential complex includes 522 single-family housing units, 13 multi-family dwellings, and 26 apartment houses. The new neighbourhood also includes 25 service units, 380 parking places, a shopping centre with 12 service units, a play ground and green spaces. The project has been implemented in respect to territory-friendly urban parameters and the design also takes into consideration some traditional elements translated into contemporary architecture solutions.
Meanwhile, the Albanian government-funded Zone No.2 of the new residential complex, where work is underway on construction of 203 apartment homes and 10 multi-family dwellings and the project is slated to totally complete by spring.
Prime Minister Edi Rama and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the key delivery ceremony of the post-earthquake houses built by the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKI) in the town of Laç.
During the ceremony, Erdogan was also given honorary citizenship in the local Kurbin municipality for the solidarity and assistance to Kurbin in the most difficult days and the extraordinary contribution to the post-earthquake reconstruction.
The main square of the new residential neighbourhood in the town of Laç has been named after the Turkish President Erdogan in a sign of respect and gratitude for the assistance and precious contribution the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has provided to the post-earthquake reconstruction programme in Albania.
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Remarks by PM Rama during the ceremony: This is an extremely special day and I will speak very briefly, as everyone wishes to hear Albania’s great friend and, I am very honoured to say it, my precious friend, President Erdogan.
I would like to reveal today an episode I will never forget and it is about my very first meeting with the President, who used to serve as the Prime Minister of Turkey back then. Admittedly, I was somehow nervous since I didn’t know him in person, but only via images on the TV screen and, you know, he doesn’t actually seem rather a smiley person. Frankly speaking, when we met and while sitting in front of each other, he looked at me, but he didn’t smile at all. I had yet to be elected as Prime Minister and he told me: “Look, Albania and Kosovo are in my heart. Albanians are in the hearts of the Turkish people. I want you to be my brother, but I would call you a brother once you earn respect from your people as the Prime Minister of your country.”
I am very proud and honored to consider myself President Erdogan’s friend. A German journalist even asked me at a conference some time ago: “Is it true that you are a friend of President Erdogan and is the President of Turkey, Erdogan really your friend?”
“No, it is not true. He is a very close friend of mine, not just my friend,” I replied.
(I am afraid of the translator, because I don’t know how he is translating my words into turkish. However, I have no other choice but to trust him, because I am too old to learn Turkish).
Today I would also like to tell you this. It’s been years since I have had the privilege of serving in this office and I have met almost all of the great statesmen.
I have met almost all these great men of the states in my capacity as Prime Minister and it is true that they are often curious about “is this close friendship of mine with the president of Turkey,” and they usually tend to see it as a conspiracy, citing and claiming about “the neo-Ottoman Turkey, the mosques, the President’s aspirations, etc., etc.” And my answer is very simple: “President Erdogan says what he does and he does what he says.”
Trust me. In today’s world, even in today’s diplomacy – and Mevlut knows it quite well – it is not easy at all to meet people whose “yes” is really “a yes”, and “no” really means “no”. This is the reason why I recalled these two episodes, because here we are today. This complex is the materialization of all the nice talk and beautiful words.
Everyone can see for themselves what President Erdogan really means by saying: “Albania is in my heart and Albania’s sorrow is my sorrow.”
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk fostered the idea in modern Turkey that “mankind is a single body and each nation a part of that body. He stated: “We must never say “What does it matter to me if some part of the world is ailing. If there is such an illness, we must concern ourselves with it as though we were having that illness.”
President Erdogan has now deeply ingrained this very spirit into the soul of Turkey, in Turkey’s approach and in the way how Turkey sees the world and its friends.
The meaning he gives to the word brotherhood through deeds, and not through words is the embodiment of what Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon Him, has said: “None of you will have faith till he wishes for his brother what he likes for himself.”
I promised I would speak briefly, but when it comes to speaking, as my critics note, I resemble him. However, I will conclude by recalling another episode. As the work was underway together with our friend, the Minister charged with this reconstruction program, Murat, an earthquake hit Turkey. We were all alarmed, because they said: “Earthquake struck his own home and the President will now forget reconstruction here.” I was totally confident this was not going to happen. Not only because Turkey can afford dealing with the two, but even if it was not to afford it, President Erdogan would in no way give up work here and shift attention to work there, because I repeat and this is very important to me, President Erdogan not only says, not only he thinks, not only he believes, but he also makes a reality what a cited a bit earlier as one of the Prophet’s messages; None of you will have faith till he wishes for his brother what he likes for himself.”
Unlike the ministers of the Republic of Turkey, I will not conclude my remarks by mentioning the President of the Republic of Turkey. I will conclude my speech with Servet, who for me is the embodiment of the hard working man, forged by the entire policy of the President of the Republic of Turkey. Moreover, Servet has taken the fraternity one step further; he has even outdone the President as his son was married to an Albanian woman.
Mr. President, thank you very, very, very much.
*Remarks by the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan:
Honourable Prime Minister,
My dear friend,
Honourable Parliament Speaker,
Honourable ministers,
Dear sisters and brothers in the town of Laç,
I want to greet and extend my most cordial feelings with love and respect for all of you!
I bring the most cordial greetings and love from millions of hearts and the people of Turkey!
I also bring the greetings of your brothers and friends in Turkey, whose hearts beat together with you!
From here and through you I would also like to extend the greetings of my honoured nation to all Albania, all Albanian brothers and sisters. I would like to point out the fact that I am very happy to be here with you, on the occasion of this meaningful ceremony and at the same time to be part of these emotions and your enthusiasm.
Albania’s sorrow is our sorrow; Albania’s happiness is our happiness. We do not differentiate between your peace and well-being and ours.
Being the people of a country that has been through similar painful events many times, the earthquakes that hit Albania on September 21 and November 26, 2019, hurt our hearts just like the hearts of the Albanian people. We took action as soon as we heard about the earthquake and we ran to help you with all means, to share pain with the quake-affected residents in the area and make all the effort to heal their wounds as much as we could. As a state, we ran to help you by mobilizing all our means.
As my friend, Mr. Edi Rama highlighted in his remarks, the brother stands by his brother when he is in need and not when he is asked to do so.
Shortly after the earthquake, we mobilized and immediately sent to Albania all the needed materials and the first aid equipment and the technical teams through our embassy here, TIKA, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Environment. Being in constant contact with my friend, the Prime Minister Edi Rama, we were able to closely monitor the construction work that had just begun.
I was personally involved and committed to the process and together we launched initiatives to help Albania cope with the earthquake effects. We immediately activated our contacts with the international community and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. The fact that Turkey was one of the first countries to help Albania is clear evidence of this strong solidarity between us.
To relieve the pain, the burden of the quake-affected families, together with the Prime Minister we made a decision by signing the Memorandum of Understanding to build the quake-damaged houses from scratch.
In July 2020, as soon as the Memorandum was signed, we launched the construction site despite the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Thirteen months ago, we held via a live video conference the groundbreaking ceremony for construction of new homes right here we stand today, and we are handing over all these houses, a total of 522 housing units worth 42 million euros. At this moment, I would like to wish all the benefiting families to enjoy their new homes!
I thank God for delivering on our promise to Albania and the Albanians, even though Turkey experienced during this process several natural disasters, earthquakes, fires.
I would like to point out something now. What I would like to emphasize is the principle that the sign of brotherhood is not demonstrated when you are asked to do so, but stand by your brother whenever he needs you. And we, from now on, will continue to stand by you. I hope that this friendship, with such a strong foundation, will be eternal.
Standing by your brother at good times and bad times is one of the abovementioned values.
All the big and powerful nations were locked inside and closed their eyes when the pandemic gripped the world. But we didn’t act that way. We did quite the opposite. We crossed the borders to see for ourselves the drama our brothers were experiencing and stand by them through any means available. Strongly believing in the blessing and goodness of sharing with others and especially, most importantly, believing in the power of solidarity, we continued to support our friends in the fight against the pandemic and shared with them all the means and opportunities we had.
The product, the fruit of such a strong, friendly and brotherly solidarity is now the Turkey-Albania Friendship Turkey, which is the name of Fier Regional hospital that was built in 68 days. The new hospital facility, the inauguration of which I attended via the video conference, has been named the Turkey-Albania Friendship Hospital precisely to reflect strong ties between our two nations. Combined Albanian and Turkish medical teams are now working together to deliver best care services to citizens and heal as many people as possible. We are further strengthening Turkey-Albania friendship through today’s inauguration ceremony here.
On this occasion, I pray to the Lord of the universe, for all those souls who have passed away because of the earthquake, to have mercy on them and I would like to extend my most sincere condolences to all their families and relatives. We can’t bring back the ones who have perished, but it is up to us to take all the measures to protect all those living among us. Through the post-earthquake houses we built, we ensure that 522 families in this area live the rest of their lives in peace and security.
Again, I wish that the post-earthquake houses, housing units, which we have gathered to hold the delivery ceremony of, may lead to auspicious outcomes for all the Albanian residents of the town of Laç. May you enjoy it! I wish that you may peacefully and healthily live in these houses with your families and loved ones for the rest of your lives!
I congratulate all, from engineers to workers, contractor companies and all our institutions, particularly the Ministry of Environment and TİKA, which contributed to the completion of this project. I thank Albanian officials in the person of my treasured friend Edi Rama for the support they provided during the process.
Once again I would like to congratulate you with my deep and heartfelt feelings; I wish you health and prosperity!
* Simultaneous interpretation
