Speech of Prime Minister Edi Rama at the inspection of works for the project “Rehabilitation of the Vlore River”:

 

You know that I don’t cut ribbons, but the project of this road has a very special history. All those who have pushed me to implement this project, would think it was impossible to start these works without a ceremony. I believe that this ceremony is worth it also for another reason, so that I can finally get rid of those guys from Vlore who have given me a hard time on FB. Any time the admins of my FB page posted a picture or news of projects across Albania, comments by residents of Vlore have been: “you haven’t built the road of the Vlore River”, “you have forgotten about the river of Vlore”, “where is the river of Vlore?”. They have asked for the road of tomorrow since the first day.

Here we are today. A difficult process has been finalized because we had to ensure funding for this road of approximately 100 km since the very beginning. The road will bring a major transformation of the whole area. This is not a road just for this area, but it will give a great impetus to tourism, it will give a great impetus to rural development associated with tourism, it is a new segment of economic and social development.

It was absolutely important for us to ensure the funding. Let’s not forget the conditions we found when we started our job, roads were left adrift by the one who is still in the streets, with a mountain of debts because he cut inauguration ribbons across Albania, and then he kissed the people goodbye. In addition to repaying all those debts to the companies in order to continue works with these roads left adrift, we had also tried to ensure this funding.

It was important to have a serious project. Another part of our big problem in these 20 and something years is that, even when we had the money, we have often wasted it due to miserable projects. There was also a whole procedure that had us enter the first contract, and that’s why we are here today.

I’m describing all this to tell the guys form Vlore that I have to deal with a lot of respect with your genetic impatience, but you must also understand that things cannot be done in a heartbeat, because a process is required.

Here we are today, all together, to pave the path for this project that is not just the project of the main segment, because it includes also the connection of the villages with the road of the river of Vlore, and it includes the rehabilitation of the infrastructure systems of the villages. This project will bring a big infrastructure transformation in the span of 2-3 years, in addition to paving the path for an important economic and social transformation across the area.

I’d like to thank on your behalf a friend, who was not an encouragement from Facebook, but by phone, Mezan Malaj. He belongs to that area, and since the first time, every time we met, he has reminded me “the river road”. And important role have played also all the others who helped us to finally put this project on the path of implementation.

I’m very aware of the discontent, the moods, and the understandable impatience of the people in Vlore who have been waiting for a lot of years, which applies also to this project because, as the mayor said, when it was small, people from Tirana promised that they would build the road of the river of Vlore. Let’s not forget though that we cannot do everything in a little more than three years, in order to build and rebuild an area and a territory that has been abandoned and damaged for so many years.

The entire region of Vlore is one of the areas where we are doing investments that haven’t been made in 25 years taken together. This is a fact. Of course there are still many needs to be met and much work to be done, but I assure you that the transformation we are making possible through these projects in Vlora will bring a significant economic and social transformation for all families living in this area. In addition, they will give a further impetus to our national economy, because this area is directly related to tourism and to the development of the whole country.

Many thanks for travelling here. I was surprised when I saw all those vehicles along the road, but this shows how eagerly you have waited for this road, and how important it is for us to begin it and eventually make it an important segment of economic growth, of social and tourist development for the area and for all of Albania.

I want to give my best wishes to the Mayor of Selenice on his birthday. He’s of the DP’s, but he is a hard worker. Here in this area, our party is Vlore, therefore both for socialists and democrats of this area, our party is Vlore.

Many thanks!

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The road of the Vlore River will be removed from the map of problematic roads of Vlore. The construction of the main 24-km segment has begun, following a 2 billion ALL investment. The road, which consists of 4 lots with a total length of about 100 kilometres, begins in the Levan-Tepelenë highway in Selenicë, Kuc, Qeparo, and a number of other villages, thus creating a corridor road that will connect the region of Vlore with the Ionian coast. This corridor will not only shorten the distance, but it is expected to bring new impetus to the economic and tourist development of the Coast. The contractual procedures for the construction of three other lots will start in the coming months.

What is expected at the end of the project is not only a radical transformation of the infrastructure, but also of the urban and tourist area. The project includes also the rehabilitation of the infrastructure systems of the villages, the centres of which will be treated as urban areas with sidewalks, lighting, greenery, as well as with horizontal and vertical signage.