Prime Minister Edi Rama’s remarks at the EBRD Western Balkans Investment Summit 2020:

First of all, let me express heartfelt gratitude to Suma for having undertaken this initiative and path during all these years. And, as he said, I am here to witness from the first moment that this has been so helpful and so refreshing every year and as a matter of fact I must say, on one side Berlin Process started by the Chancellor of Germany in the same year that the EBRD started this initiative, have been somehow our consolation, because while in the EU integration process we had to face a lot of struggles and not few disappointments, in this parallel path, political and economical, we have found a lot of relief, a lot of support and of course we have been able to do concrete stuff.

Secondly, I want to thank very much Andrej for making way to come here. It is really very, very important for us and I think that everyone here in the panel is really grateful for that, Andrej, because Croatia is somehow our agent in Brussels and, at the same time, is Brussels’ translator in the region. So, of course, it is easier to translate Brussels to us rather than translating us to Brussels. I know this. But it is now part of your job. You are a navigated diplomat, so good luck with that.

Before going very briefly to what you asked, I want to thank really wholeheartedly again everyone that has participated in the Donors’ Conference, but I want to say that the most touching part of it was by no doubt the participation of our friends from the region. Everyone, every country that is sitting here and represented by us, of course, plus Croatia – you see Andrej is not sitting with us, but still is part of our world – has given an incredible example of solidarity and of what is the spirit in the region since some years, also thanks to this forum and to many other gatherings that have changed, and I hope forever, this spirit.  So, do not forget that until 2014 we never ever had a meeting all together with the representatives of these countries to sit down without guns, without hatred, without blood and to talk about the future. So, this is amazing.

Now we have to move forward and of course moving forward and building upon this and making peace a tool of development and prosperity is not easy, because the past is not yet back in history.

Of course we have issues, of course we have disagreements, of course there are still big problems to be solved, but we are working together and we are moving together. We want to build together a future for our children that is totally different from what we inherit generation after generation and in endless disputes, wars and conflicts. So this is I think very important.

And of course this has not to do simply with peace as such, but also with development, economy, the future for our people, for our youngsters, and for our kids. That’s why I strongly believe that what now I have to disagree with Ana and with everyone and first and foremost with the person that invented this Mini-Schengen – I do not know where he or she, though I am sure it was a he – invented this word Mini-Schengen”. It is not “mini” at all and we are average tallest people in Europe as region. So it is regional, it is a regional common space, which has been named Schengen just to have an understanding of what it is about. It is about the four freedoms of Europe; freedom of the movement of people, of goods, capital and services in our own region, where, as we speak, on the borders, goods and people wait more than thousand years per year, which is not feasible, I think. And no EBRD would fund a project to wait one thousand years per year.

And as for Albania, we are moving forward. We have to overcome this big, big damage created by the earthquake, but we have several ongoing big projects, including new international airport in Vlora, photovoltaic parks and then more hydro investments, and we are among the five countries in Europe that are already in compliance with Ursula von der Leyen’s vision, not because we have been working for that necessarily, but because we have inherited a system where everything, mostly everything, is based on renewable and green energy. So, we are in a good place.

We have to continue to work. I am not bothering you now with names of roads and where they start and where they go, because there is only one highway we have to build all together, the Western Balkans-European Union highway. This is what we need.

And to conclude with the most important note; Yes, if you want this to continue next year, Oleg should not be removed from the position of the new President of the EBRD. We have been vetoed many times in the European Council, but I think in this we can veto. So, if you touch Oleg, forget about Albania participating. And I am sure Milo will not allow Duško come again. The others, I don’t know.

Thank you!