Prime Minister Edi Rama has extended his warm New Year greetings to Albanian citizens, wishing that 2024 would bring forth good health, peace and love, as well as new opportunities to make their dreams and hopes come true.

This time, the Premier’s traditional New Year message was accompanied by an AI-generated video created by the Artificial Intelligence Department at the National Agency for Information Society, an evidence to the technological progress which, like everywhere else around the world, is ushering in a  crucial stage in Albania too.

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PM Rama on AI-generated video: “I am Edi Rama, history and the New Year 2030 are behind me! We just have joined the European Union, but you have seen nothing yet! The 20 millionth visitor entered Albania and he was the first tourist coming from the Moon. However, with the Socialist Party in office, the 30 millionth visitor will arrive in 2040 and he will come from Mars.

On this family festive night I would like to share a secret with you! The European Union is preparing to relocate its headquarters from Brussels to Tirana, right where the world’s highest building is being constructed, the first skyscraper with its height at around 1000 meters… certainly thanks to Artificial Intelligence.

“We used your picture from your last New Year greetings and we cooperated with the press office – but I am not disclosing the names of those who helped us – and Enio, the head of the Artificial Intelligence, created the video we just watched,” the Director of the National Agency for Information Society, Linda Karçanaj explained.

 

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Prime Minister Edi Rama’s traditional New Year greetings:

Dear friends,

This outgoing year was just another year of mind-boggling change for humankind, a tremendous change in human history as the technological progress has expanded at a speed unimaginable just a few years ago.

But, one thing is dead sure.

Technology cannot either take away the time we have been given on this earth with our mother, father, children, family, our loved ones, nor can it replace those we love and who love us, as well as the country where we were born and where we speak the mother tongue.

It is up to us to do the best with the time we have been given and, tonight, I wish you grandparents, mothers and fathers, children and your grandchildren, all Albanians wherever they are, a happy evening around the table of this great New Year’s Eve, good health, peace and love, and fresh opportunities to make your dreams and hopes come true.

This was undoubtedly the best year for Albania; confidence in Albania increased significantly, our national flag looked more beautiful than ever on the international stage, while our country was visited more than in any other year before by people who came from all over the world.

On this year Albania made its way to Europe’s tourist map; revenue and security in Albania also increased, together with the domestic and foreign investments that hit all-time high, just like the national currency was appreciated, becoming stronger than ever before; the pay rise continued and it won’t stop next year, when the minimum wage in the public sector will reach 900 euros, whereas the wages in private sector will see a significant record increase …

However, it is neither the day nor the time to go on talking about so many things we delivered this year …

This is a moment to thank you deeply from the bottom of my heart for how much you have encouraged me, supported me, and even tolerated me so many times throughout the year, when I have shown up on your TV screens without your permission, and I would like to assure you that I am very aware both of the things that haven’t gone well and of the many things that need to be done in the future…

What we have accomplished to date would be ineffective and insignificant should it stopped here, but it is of great value to encourage confidence that this country is finally being built; that this country has ultimately emerged from the long and uphill turn of the strenuous transition; that it is us the Albanians of today that are building this country together, step by step increasingly moving forward faster and by learning how to do things steadily better.

Making Albania great is no longer a held up bequest since the time of our Renaissance men, but it is our completely possible mission now; a reality that has commenced to take shape and that is now in sight as the best still lying ahead of us all! 

Cheers!