Prime Minister Edi Rama was received today in the White House by the President of the United States, Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. The excellent relations between the two countries, the reform process and the role and contribution of Albania in the region were discussed in a friendly atmosphere.
“Albania is a tremendous ally. I want to thank you for what you have done. Under your leadership, Albania is now a landmark in the Balkans and one of the most responsible actors in the region. We appreciate your role and fully support you”- President Obama said.
Prime Minister Rama thanked President Obama for the continued support of the United States to Albania and the region, adding that today the Balkan region is a success story of the US foreign policy.
“Albania is a pro-American country, and a committed NATO partner. What we are doing today in the Balkans, by opening a new page in the history of cooperation in the region, is also due to what the US has done for the region. The Balkan region is today a success story of the US foreign policy”- Premier Rama noted.
Prime Minister Rama briefed President Obama and Vice President Biden on the reforms undertaken by the Albanian government, focusing primarily on justice reform. In addition, he acquainted them with the initiative for the launch in Tirana of a Regional Centre to Counter Violent Extremism.
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Interview of Prime Minister Edi Rama for Voice of America, after the meeting at the White House with the President of the United States Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden:
– How did the meeting go and what did you discuss?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: I can say that it exceeded expectations in terms of the friendly atmosphere. We heard excellent words about Albania and our efforts, and of course we shared the conviction that this partnership will get increasingly stronger and that Albania has an important role to play in the region, something on which we were congratulated in addition to being strongly encouraged.
The new dynamics of our foreign policy has brought a very significant increase in our country’s reputation in the eyes of our partners, and today this is a proven fact in the White House.
– One of the topics must have obviously been extremism and radicalism. Could you talk a little bit more extensively about?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: The President was definitely interested, and to be honest, he was very enthusiastic about the idea of introducing in schools the possibility for students to get acquainted with religions, so that the young will be provided with the necessary instruments to not succumb to extremist propaganda of any kind. Whether it is Islamic radicalism speaking on behalf of the Qur’an, which is most serious offense to the Qur’an, or political extremism even in developed democracies.
– How are you going to implement this education in schools, and also your idea for the launch of a regional centre against radicalism?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: The centre will be launched, and we are preparing it with the very strong support of both the United States and the European Union. We have also received significant support from USAID in terms of a program that is not only for schools, but aimed at promoting coexistence among young people, to ensure a big asset that we have, which is religious coexistence in Albania, so that young people will not take it for granted, but rather invest for it.
Another issue of great importance that we discussed was judicial reform, which the White House demands, supports and certainly considers an important test for Albania in the path of European integration. The United States and the President himself are strongly supporting Albania on this path.
– When Secretary Kerry came to visit Albania, you promised that this reform was going to be adopted in the spring. Relations are somewhat strained, and the reform is unlikely to be adopted if no consensus with the opposition is achieved. Will you be able to respect this term?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: It would be very unpleasant for me to deal with the opposition of our country in the White House lawn. I believe that here I represent everybody, and at least within the confines of the White House I do not want to say what I think about the opposition with regard to justice reform.
Actually, the reform should have been accomplished by now because what we have worked on is ready. There have been many simulations – such as people who ask for a fake medical prescription because they don’t want to go to work – to disrupt the process. However, I am confident that the reform will pass, and I am convinced that every party has understood the fact that whoever tries to hinder the reform will get into big trouble with the Albanian people in the first place, but they will certainly get in a very big trouble with our international partners as well. This is a clear message that we receive from all sides.
– At the meeting of the Atlantic Council yesterday, I asked you about the political climate, and in fact it is true what you said about here in Washington being a tough climate, especially in an election year which is out of the ordinary. Taking this idea further, the US rhetoric is fierce, but institutions are strong enough to withstand such a thing. In Albania, the climate has been tough sometimes, and none of the political players can be excluded from it. Would you explain further what you said yesterday? There is some difference between the powerful institutions here, which cannot be disrupted by a campaign, and the fragility that exists in Albania due to transition.
Prime Minister Edi Rama: I agree 100% with this. Certainly I cannot justify the severity, sometimes absurd, of Republicans in America with regard for instance to many reforms of President Obama, and neither can I justify the severity, sometimes beyond absurdity, of politics in Albania. And again, I’m not scratching an open wound, but I’m just saying that beyond the rhetoric, beyond the debate, the point is that we are Albanians and will never become Swiss or Danish or Swedish. And maybe, this is not that bad just as we are not that bad in many respects.
Let us not forget that the country needs reforms, people need reform. Albania cannot come out of the big institutional backwardness, which is the result of more than 20 years, without real reforms, if reforms are not real, are not deep, and we have to do them no matter how painful they are. And definitely we will do our part as a government, as we have done until now, but there are some reforms, like the justice reforms, which it is good that we do them together, and I believe that we will do them together.
– Is this a promise that you will also soften your tone a little bit?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Of course, you and others can judge me more objectively than I can judge myself, but however with some exaggeration, for which I have felt bad on this journey, I believe that my speeches meet the standards even of this lawn.
– Since we are in the lawn, and since you’ve often mentioned Mr Trump, even yesterday on CNN International, I would like to ask you, many other world leaders have addressed concerning comments on Mr Trump’s rhetoric, his candidacy, but I think that maybe only the Mexican president has been tougher than you because of the wall rhetoric. What makes you be so tough?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: I don’t think that I am being tough. I think that I am being true in this regard. I’ve been asked and I’ve answered. I’m not launching any campaign. I will answer whenever I am asked, and I’m not concerned about what may this one or that one say. I believe that those in Albania who choose Trump before me, despite the differences between them and me, they are to be pitied. Between Lulzim Basha and Trump I will always choose Lulzim Basha, although I would never vote Lulzim Basha under any circumstances and for any reason, for nothing. However, it is not my problem if Lulzim Basha, or whoever else chooses Trump over me. It is their problem. I don’t care.
– Mr Rama, something about Kosovo, if you discussed it at the meeting. As a NATO member and an important NATO member in the region, Albania has asked for the institutionalization of the relationship of NATO with Kosovo. Was this discussed at the meeting?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: This is part of a process. What is certain is that what we have been loud about, although we were a minority in the beginning, in supporting the completion of the NATO project, by insisting to extend the invitation to Montenegro, became in a reasonable time the opinion of the majority, and it is precisely this that we discussed eventually with Vice President Biden, how important this was and how important it is for the process to continue. There is no question that in this ongoing process, Kosovo cannot be excluded by any means. It is quite the contrary.
With Vice President we talked also about the new President of Kosovo, who will soon be in this law and meet with the Vice President. He told me that he is very happy to meet President Thaçi, whom he considers an old friend and someone who has done a lot for Kosovo.
– Your last meeting today, before you leave, will be with the FBI. What do you expect from this meeting?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: We have started a process of cooperation with the FBI and today we signed an agreement. Of course, we believe strongly in the great potential of assistance we can receive from the FBI in terms of increasing the investigative capacity and the capacity for collection of evidence, for which FBI is unquestionably the most quoted place. And if we talk about the continuation of the fight against crime, corruption, issues that everybody has, but we have them more specifically in the region and as countries that have emerged from the dark communist past, it is no doubt that this is part of this effort.
– Thank you.
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Thank you very much.
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Interview of Prime Minister Edi Rama for the Voice of America before the meeting at the White House with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden:
Prime Minister Edi Rama: The first thing to say is that this is a very important moment in our relations. It is a culmination that does not happen every day, because the visit to the White House and the meeting with President Obama and Vice President Biden constitute a moment when we make a summary of everything that has happened and talk about further cooperation, by emphasizing issues of shared strategic importance. I consider this a moment of particular importance for our country, because it is a very special relationship. The visit to the White House represents a special assessment for this stage in which the country is, and for the role of Albania in the region, also a close and faithful US partner since 25 years.
– Do you think that the security issues you mentioned earlier and the world situation, hence the role of Albania and the Balkans will have an important place?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Since we started preparing for this meeting, it was very clear that on the one hand the important reforms that we have undertaken, and on the other, in particular, our role in the region, our foreign policy in relation to the region, the great transformation that has occurred as a result of a new dynamic in the region, where our foreign policy has played a paramount role, constitute the main grounds of the visit and of the talks with the President. Just as, obviously, what Albania can do further in tackling violent extremism and extremism in general.
– The annual report on human rights of the State Department was published yesterday. The chapter on Albania mentions the same concerns that have been existed before. The main concern is corruption, especially in the justice and healthcare system, as well as impunity. What is your reaction to this report?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: First of all, this is a positive report for Albania. Corruption is a problem that we face every day, and if it disappeared from the report, we would deal with a magic that actually does not belong to real life. We have not undertaken to do any magic. We have undertaken to modernize the state, and the modernization of the state, the modernization of institutions and systems, and the modernization of the internal functionality of the state will bring an ongoing reduction of corruption.
On the other hand, I want to emphasize that the report tells very clearly that the hotspot which we all know, is justice and impunity coming as a result of the lack of a reliable justice system. This is why we are doing everything to pass a radical reform of the justice system, and that is why the United States have supported this reform by all means, and we definitely want this to happen also as a meaningful expression of the seriousness in Albania and of all actors in Albania in this partnership, the foundations of which are undoubtedly the values of democracy.
