Remarks of Prime Minister Edi Rama after the plenary session of the Assembly:

 

First, today I want to underline once again for all the Albanians that the Parliament hall has been another stubborn evidence of the fact that those who are trapped in the tent are there because they fear justice.

The constant refusal to become part of a historic process that coincides with a quarter-of-a-century aspiration of the people to free justice from the clutches of corrupt judges and prosecutors, and to transform it from a livestock trading in a European justice, is a black stain of the shame that the party which originated from the call “We want Albania to be like Europe”, is putting to itself. Even worse, it is trying, whether deliberately or not, but certainly driven by the fear of justice, to put this black stain on Albania.

One thing is very clear, which our friends and international parents have said repeatedly, not just us, that the failure of the Vetting process affects seriously the process of accession to the European Union, as it delays the sitting at the table of the European family to negotiate membership.

But, unfortunately, the Democratic Party is now ready to separate us once again from Europe where all of us want to be part, with the only purpose to prevent those who must pay their dues in a rule of law from facing justice.

However, today we continued to live up to the aspiration of the Albanians, we continued to advance a process that is irreversible. The Vetting may be delayed, but the clearing of the Palace of Justice cannot be prevented. Restoring a totally different relationship between politics and justice, in the interest of the citizens, cannot be prevented. Putting everybody before justice as equal citizens cannot be prevented.

Have you and Mr Meta reached an agreement?

We haven’t, but we have agreed that we will continue with every effort to encourage a solution, to create a space for dialogue which the great fear, personified in the character of the Democratic Party leader, has become impossible so far.

Have you had any further contact with Mr McAllister? Is he willing to come here?

No. We are encouraged by the fact that our decision to address the Popular Parties, as a political family where the Democratic Party is part, as a family that has always supported the Democratic Party, to facilitate communication with the Democratic Party, has been heard positively. We hope very much that the Popular Parties will be given the opportunity to help the DP for, ultimately, if the DP and its leader behave with the Popular Parties the same way they have behaved so far despite all our efforts for dialogue, then it will really be a mission impossible also for the Popular Parties. But, hearing that even the Foreign Minister of Germany is uninformed, and that the problem is the uninformed European Union and the uniformed United States of America, then it is really regrettable, and what we are going through is not simply a political crisis, but a nervous breakdown of the Democratic Party.