Speech of Prime Minister Edi Rama at the 10th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM):
Thank you Mr Speaker of the Assembly!
Mr President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean!
Dear participants!
Ladies and gentlemen!
I want to begin this address by expressing the special satisfaction that this Parliamentary Assembly with such an impressive presence in such a key moment for the Mediterranean is being held today in Tirana, the capital city of Albania.
The year that we left behind was a year of enormous challenges ahead of us, all of us, together like a big family sailing on a shared boat on the tempestuous sea that unites us rather than taking us apart from each other, our sea, Mare Nostrum, the Mediterranean.
I believe that in pursuing its shared vocation, this Parliamentary Assembly gathered in Tirana may put another stone in the wall of a much more intense, concrete and fruitful cooperation for the year ahead and for the years to come.
The year that we left behind is over, and unfortunately this year also started with the painful images coming from the Greek islands, from the waters near Italy and Libya, or from the passageways of Turkey, where hundreds of refugees lost their lives at our shared sea.
Unfortunately, not even the inappropriate conditions of winter could stop the exodus of hundreds of thousands of people. Official data of the International Organization for Migration talk about 409 lives lost in the Mediterranean in the first 6 weeks of this year only. Compared with the same period a year ago, the number of refugees attempting to cross the sea has increased 10 times.
Therefore, today more than ever, we need coordination and a common platform to combat the causes that make this ocean of hopeless people billow increasingly month after month.
The same reasons that lead to the flourishing of violent extremism and, through it, to the triumph of poverty and ignorance. Causes that can be addressed, of course, only by means of a greater cooperation among all of us, but also by means of a strategic Europe which is ready to face the challenges that can never be left on the shoulders of Greece, Italy or even Turkey.
Ours is a small country, but we are very aware of the burden of the great challenges of these times, as we are very willing to give our contribution to increase cooperation among our countries in order to face together this drama that is turning every day into a tragedy of human lives right in front of our eyes.
We are not affected by the flow of refugees because we are not part of the corridor through which they aim to reach the heart of Europe, but we have been and remain willing to give our contribution, and we do everything we can or will be required to do, at a time when no one can pretend they do not understand, and moreover when it is impossible to leave this situation on the shoulders of those countries that have to face it because of their geographical position.
We are very surprised by the behaviour of some European Union countries, as we very much believe that the refusal to share the burden of responsibility does not exempt anyone from the consequences of not taking this responsibility together.
We will always support strongly this body, and through this Assembly Parliamentary we are convinced that new ways can be found to increase further the level of cooperation in all fields of common interest for the Mediterranean, not only in order to cope with this major historical crisis for this area and this common space, but also in terms of energy, water and environment, in order to improve the business climate, open more channels of communication, transportation, economic and social development, for higher education, teaching, and the religious factor as an element that must be seen as necessarily associated with our obligation since the early stages of child education.
By welcoming this year the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, beyond the fulfilment of an obligation that is probably formally statutory, the Albanian Parliament has proved once again the awareness, will and international commitment of an institution that has the attractive force of law, democracy and popular sovereignty in protecting every policy, and in advancing every endeavour for a long-term social vision.
Finally, wishing that this assembly here in Tirana will generate a new spirit in terms of an ongoing and strengthened cooperation, I wish also that you will be more satisfied when you leave the Albanian border, after you spend some pleasant hours and days here in Tirana, where there is no doubt that we are proud of our hospitality, the quality of our food and the quality of our humour. One thing is certain, Albania has many problems but it can never be a boring place, perhaps because it is not yet a member of the European Union.
Many thanks!
