Prime Minister Edi Rama’s remarks at parliament’s extraordinary session as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a speech to Albanian parliament via a live video call from Kyiv:
Your Excellency President of Ukraine,
Honourable friend,
This parliament convening and having the honour to listen to your speech today doesn’t actually stand out for cross-party consensus.
In 30 years of political pluralism, the cases when the parties in this parliament have unanimously agreed have been very rare ones and serious and wholeheartedly support for the Ukrainian resistance against the Russian aggression represents one of those cases, even rare ones, when each and every one of us here have all definitely agreed upon, without any discussion.
From the first hour of (Russian) aggression against Ukraine, not only us, but whole Albania, every Albanian wherever they live, our entire nation, including the other Albanian state, Kosovo, has lined up beside you with hearts and minds and with everything we could.
Albania is a much smaller country than Ukraine, Mr. President. Our opportunities to help you are quite humble as opposed to the incomprehensible challenge you face.
However, since the very onset we have believed that although our country can’t make the difference in this war in terms of the material assistance, Albania can still be valuable for Ukraine with its voice, either at the NATO table or at the United Nations Security Council, where we had the honour to co-author and initiate some significant resolutions against Russian aggression. The day after tomorrow, on May 5, Albania will attend the Donors’ Conference for Ukraine called by Poland in Warsaw, where we will provide our modest contribution too.
Although the cruelty of this war cannot be properly perceived by anyone other than the Ukrainian people, let me tell you, dear President Zelensky, that our recent history, when half a million Albanians were displaced from their lands in Kosovo through the violence of ethnic cleansing and found refuge in Albania, however, helps us to feel the great pain of Ukraine.
The separation of mothers and children from fathers who stay behind d to fight, the mobilization of girls who take up arms to resist, your unwavering resistance at the helm of the state that refuses to surrender the freedoms gained, all the images and evidence of this unimaginable tragedy since the day when Russian troops entered Ukraine’s sovereign territory, are in addition to the extreme sacrifice of a freedom-loving people also an invaluable service you and your country are doing to the whole dormant democratic democracy until most recently.
Our dear friend, President Zelensky,
Recently, I very frequently recall our talks in Kyiv and your desire for Albania to become the country where Ukrainians can have second homes for their holidays. “We are very close to being so distant!” you pleasurably said like someone who has just discovered a beautiful place near the house.
We all already know that this war could last long, just like every passing day with fresh atrocities prolongs even further the already narrow pathway to peace. But I sincerely believe, Mr. President, that if today Ukrainians are coming to Albania after fleeing their homeland to protect their children from the war, your wish for them to come here to their second homes, to spend a happy holiday, will become a reality in the near future.
I and all of us here would like to tell you many things today, but you certainly have many more important things to do, honourable President. So let me conclude this speech by voicing on behalf of Albania and Albanians, all our support, respect and friendship.
May God be with you and heroic Ukraine!
