Prime Minister Edi Rama’s remarks at meeting with local residents in Thumane to present and explain the Reconstruction processes:

First of all, thank you for your hospitality and presence!

First and foremost, I would like to extend my appreciation, and this is not for formality, but this is a must, given the fact that what we experienced at those moments was really terrible and dreadful and it would have been impossible to recover in such a dignified way and tremendous solidarity without having, in addition to the solidarity among you all, also some truly extraordinary and dedicated people.

So, I want to thank and invite Englantina, a professor and a girl coming from Kruja, and when I told her she would represent Kruja in the parliamentary elections, she looked at me as if I was telling her she was going to be sent to an internment camp, because Kruje has the reputation of a traditionally male-dominated society.

Deep respect and fortunately Eglantine was here, a lady, an extremely dedicated woman who may not really raise her voice loudly as I actually do, yet she does a lot more than I and many others do in to serve people, standing by people, not just to comfort them, not just to lay her hand on people’s shoulder, but also doing everything alongside the volunteers from the area and Tirana, to stay by all the families in great distress.

The other person I would like to thank is not from Kruja, nor from Tirana, but he is an Italian. This is Andrea, an architect. I want to thank him for a very simple reason. This is an architect and you have seen for yourselves the work he has done to date. He has also done a lot other good things, but beyond the fact that he is a very skilled architect he is also an extraordinary man, because as soon as we asked him to come and help us in the emergency situation we were experiencing, he asked neither “how much will I be paid” nor “when will I be paid” nor “how will I get paid,” but he came to join us and me in one of those visits when the wound was still open and started working.

To put it clear, this doesn’t mean we are not going to pay him, neither will we tell him to leave as soon as we have everything in place, but, above all, I wanted him appear in front of you here, because he is a man who deserves an applause from you and appreciation for the voluntary, passionate and professional work he has done, as you already saw through these images.

I would also like to invite a third person.

You know her all, a lady who has endeared all Albanians with her professionalism and passion to serve people. She is that white-haired lady, the renowned and famous engineer who emerged and waged war on all media tents that were spreading panic, by giving some advice and telling people very useful things and calmed you down in those moments when it seemed that the world was going upside down. She’s not here today, but her daughter is. She is also a professional in the same area as her mother and she is also giving her contribution to projects. She has also been a great help here, along with our friend Ilir Hoxholli, who together with Elvis Naci have carried out the process of verification of all affected families and individuals in need. I would like to thank you both because it is critically important that we carry out and finalize this entire verification and rebuilding process with dignity, making sure that none of the affected and needy family is left unattended.

I would also like to extend my appreciation to Turi for helping and standing by local residents and families in Thumane, which was hit hard by this grave tragedy and was indeed the epicentre of the Nov 26 tragedy. Turi deserves your applause.

I don’t want to keep you for long here, but I would like to express my respect also for the fact that all women have taken a seat while you all are standing up. This is a huge step forward. You need to take a lot more steps, but everything will be done step by step together.

As I have already pledged since day one, I would stand by you all with my heart and mind focusing first and foremost to do the best for all of those who were deeply shocked and felt totally hopeless. We will do whatever it takes to make sure that all these people celebrate the New Year 2021 in their new homes.

Each crisis is an opportunity in disguise. It would be best that no crisis happens, but when it does, in addition to efforts to get through difficulties, people should also try to figure out what are the positive things and opportunities they are offered and make the best of them. There is a saying that the bad things that happen in our lives put us on the path to the better things. A bad thing like the one that happened, may God forbid it from happening again, but the positive aspect of it is that not only you will have new homes built, but these dwellings will also offer optimal conditions, just like the villas of people who can afford buying them. And the new houses will be villas in the true sense of this word. The new houses will provide adequate living spaces, according to the number of family members. Families with one or two members will move into one spacious kitchen and one bedroom homes, and bigger families will move into 2+1 homes. While extended families whose destroyed homes housed more than one family, will benefit bigger 3+1 homes. It is important that all these extended families move into their own houses.

Equally important is your understanding and trust. You need to show understanding that is impossible and we cannot afford making the mistake of simply building these new houses on the site of the old houses in all quake-affected areas like Thumane, when we are given the opportunity to build residential areas with houses being constructed closer to each other, so that you benefit an additional property. I would like all those who will benefit a new house to listen carefully, because you are entitled to benefit like nobody else in Italy for example following an earthquake. When houses are rebuilt, the state will provide a grant and contributes by covering a part of the construction cost, while the rest will be provided in the form of a loan that you should pay.

You will receive the keys to your new homes together with the property ownership certificate of the other land, which will be a state-owned land or a land that will be expropriated for the public’s interest. The largest part of the land where rebuilding will take place here in Thumane is a state-owned land. You will keep the land of the old house and you will use these parcels for agricultural and gardening activities.

There are certain individuals, mostly men, who insist to have their new homes built right where the site of the old house is. But if they are to stay in their previous homes, they should walk and travel long distances just to undergo a medical check-up at the nearest health care centre, while children should walk and traverse long distances in extreme hot or cold temperatures, rainy and snowy conditions just to go to school. Local residents should also travel long distances in order to apply and benefit public services. But, if all these homes are built in a centralized residential neighbourhood, families will all have better access to education, health, public services, parks and sports grounds that are crucially important to children.

This sounds to me as a fairy tale, but my fairy tales mostly turn out to come true. There could be any fairy tale that has yet to come true as it may take a little more time, but mostly they materialize. When I said that Puka was to become a tourist attraction, everyone was sceptical. But you can see the town of Puka for yourself today. I used to say the same thing about Belsh, a town quite similar to Thumane in terms of degradation. But why I am recalling Puka and Belsh?

Both Puka and Belsh are lake towns. Thumane is also a lake town. I don’t know whether you ever visit the lake, but I know that the lake is a reason to believe that Thumane too can transform into an area where not only local residents lead a better life than they used to, but other people can also visit this very town at weekends. But we will be here and this remains to be seen.

But let’s first start with the rebuilding process as housing the affected families is a top priority for now. You would see then for yourselves that many people will be visiting the area, because once rebuilding completes the area will feature totally different parameters. We are designing the infrastructure project, which means that we will soon start work to construct inner roads and streets, the sewerage system, water supply and lighting system and this will be followed by the work to construct the new residential neighbourhood.

I want to make it clear that construction of the private homes is set to complete by the New Year’s Eve, whereas construction of multi-storey apartment buildings will take some more time. However, I want to assure you all that everything will be much better that it used to be.

When entering Thumanë it is as if entering a fake pocket and as if you would never come out again. There is a turn back there and everyone entering the town parks his or her car there, creating total chaos. We will completely change and transform it into a decent access road to the town, which will also feature all care and education services. A library for children and everyone else wishing to spend some time in the library will be built. Sports grounds and a children playground and park for the elder people will also be built and all these projects will offer opportunities for small business activities.

A series of small businesses operate in the town, but their number is very small and they serve the community only. What is happening in Belsh today? Belsh was a terrible town, while you won’t be able to find a place to sit if you happen to visit it on weekends, because many citizens from Tirana and other cities visit the area. And Belsh offers nothing more than Thumane. The town gas same layout, with the lake, the residential area and the lawns around it. The same thing will happen here. Small businesses are being constantly opened in Belsh serving no longer the local community alone, but also an ever growing number of visitors. Many Thumane residents also live and work abroad. I want to assure you that this new rebuilding program will be a reason for them to invest their savings in guesthouses and agro-tourism projects in Thumane. Prior to these meeting, I visited a baker at his home and he said that he baked better and more delicious breads than most bakeries in Tirana. I am sure many others will follow the lead by investing in various businesses in the area.

We have already designed the project. As we speak, teams of engineers are working on the ground and the infrastructure project is about to complete. The international bid will be launched next week. The tender will not include Albanian firms, but international companies that provide guarantees for their product’s quality. The new houses will be seismically-proof structures designed to resist much stronger earthquakes than the one that hit the area in November. They are also ecological homes. According to estimates on the average electricity consumption in this area, the new houses will save around 150,000 lek only because of the walls and thermal insulation, providing for not too cold living spaces in the winter months, and cool and fresh spaces in the summer. They are also wind-proof buildings.

No comparison can be drawn between the new dwellings and the old homes. The new houses will offer much better and higher standards, like the ones in Tirana, Durres and other big cities where such homes are put up for sale not for social reasons, but for commercial purposes. Everyone will be entitled to regain what they have already lost. New homes will be built for those who have lost their houses, and business premises will be built for those who have lost their businesses. The elderly people and children are the ones to benefit most and will get much more than they used to have prior to the earthquake. Actually, they didn’t have much here, but they will now have their own space, plus community centres, just like the community centres in the Italian towns, providing all services and as a place for people to gather and meet.

Thank you very much for your patience. Patience is the most important thing and I know patience is actually a hard to be found commodity in this area. But given that you have successfully coped with the earthquake, I believe you will generate still more energies and cherish more optimism for yourselves. We are not standing and waiting idly, but intense efforts are underway and we haven’t forgotten you at all. We want to build you homes as soon as possible, but we don’t want to do slipshod building work. We don’t want you be housed in caravans, just like many Italian quake-affected families are living in Italy 10 years after the earthquake there. We don’t want to simply build some prefabricated structures that can be flattened and blown away by strong winds blowing in the area.

We are seeking to establish an exemplary model to respect pain of this community, to respect the memory of those who passed away and put an end to whole this forgetfulness and poverty that prevailed prior to the earthquake and provide everyone the opportunity to freely smile again and live in decent homes, as well as enjoy a beautiful town you all deserve.

Thank you very much! I assure you that we will be back soon and this time we will be back to start construction work. We will cooperate also with others in implementing the rebuilding program. We have every opportunity to do it ourselves, but since there has always been a desire and interest from others, primarily from Elvis, Ilir Hoxholli, who have raised funds for Thumane, they will be our companions in this project. Everyone will provide the available funding, namely the government funds, and the donors’ funds, but we will control each other. So not a single penny earmarked for you will not be unaccounted for.