Local young boys and girls in the museum city of Berat attended a meeting with the Prime Minister Edi Rama on Wednesday to engage in open dialogue about education, arts, technology, employment opportunities and perspective to build their future.

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– I am a fond admirer of the technology. Last summer we were provided the opportunity to attend a training programme on digital marketing that is being widely used now. Many leading and big companies are applying web-based marketing. During the training programme we were taught how to design banners and how to conduct online marketing. We were also taught many other useful things that will allow us to access the labour market. Berat youth want to take IT subjects and think about a career in technology and the municipal and government investments in our schools are laudable.

– I am from the municipality of Kuçove. I would like to thank you for the opportunity to attend today’s meeting. I like the public relations field and I attend various courses and training programmes. We are grateful for opening and creating opportunities for young people. We would like more chemistry, biology and natural science labs in our schools!

– Hello. I think this city has developed quickly in the last few years, thanks to the Mayor and local young people here are very active and I hope they will be provided more opportunities in the future.

Prime Minister Edi Rama: Thank you very much. I will speak briefly since you indicated you are feeling cold. First of all, thank you for attending this meeting. We are pretty aware of the difficulties and the problems you encounter in your daily lives amid the current situation, but I don’t know how much you are aware of the extra difficulties and hardship due to the war in Ukraine and the war is causing destruction and carnage in Ukraine. But this has not been devised just to hit Ukraine, but the whole Russia’s Western flank, but by using weapons of a different nature. The world is through a new era, an era of threats when food could become a weapon to cause serious damages in other countries, just like the energy has become such a weapon, with the energy prices skyrocketing, as well as the war-driven inflation that is affecting every country around the world.

But despite all of these, I am convinced we can openly acknowledge that nothing is like before, in the positive aspect too. Berat is not like before. Of course, Berat has yet to become what it should become and for this reason we need to keep working together with all of those who call themselves Albanians and their pride of being Albanians is non-negotiable.

I think that there are all the reasons for us today to believe that we can move forward this transformation we have already launched and we are capable of doing whatever has yet to be done, precisely because we have already demonstrated to deliver, although it takes time, hard work and extreme patience.

Today I would like to briefly talk about a few things related to what is your natural dilemma. Being at your age and living through current times, it is the most natural thing to ask yourself: “Where do I want to live? Should I stay here? Should I move to Tirana or better go somewhere else? At this age, this is the dilemma that you all face and it would be strange if you were not to face it.

I am not here to tell you what choices you should make. It is your choice and I am not the kind of person to preach and claim that whoever decides to move to another country or migrate is wrong or that whoever decides to stay in the country is a patriot. No. I think that he distinguishes among people, who is a true patriot and who is a fake patriot. What matters most in all the cases is that you don’t negotiate the pride of being Albanian, no matter where you live geographically.

On the other hand, the city where you were born and are living has been recognized as a world heritage treasure. It suffices for everyone to wish to succeed and have the right idea to make use of a tiny part of this treasure to increase your welfare by becoming part of this movement already underway to tap on tourism that, as you have seen for yourselves, is growing year by year. The number of tourists visiting Berat this year was the highest ever recorded and the potential for growth is still very high.

As to the school issue, Bora already briefly touched upon those programmes and I am glad that we have now ushered in a new era of going beyond the school time to afterschool activities, with schools becoming not only community centres, but also hosting sports, arts, craftsmanship and technology courses that will become available to everyone after the normal school day.

I am also happy, and this is not because I want to draw some applauses for Mayor Ervin, but I am glad that we have finally addressed the investment project on the Babë Dudë Karbunara school, because it would have been really unfair to neglect such a school with a long tradition and with so many schoolchildren.

I am convinced that a good investment will be made. Ervin made utmost efforts to secure central government funds and it is now your turn to do whatever it takes so that Ervin does things right and properly delivers on this investment project. 

Thank you so much!