Remarks by Prime Minister at press conference following cabinet meeting in Korça: 

We are here in Korça, this month’s next station. You already know that the government has a station outside Tirana to hold meetings and events with local communities, or local state structures. As usually, a press conference for the local reporters follows after the cabinet meeting.

I believe everybody have seen for themselves the projects we have implemented in Korça and the whole region. As many as 406 projects have been implemented in this district during our first term in office, while a new priority investment package is ready for the period 2018-2020, based on three main aspects: tourism, support for agriculture and diversification of the manufacturing and processing industry. Of course, the new package also includes all infrastructure, industry, waste management interventions, water supply and sewerage, irrigation and drainage, cultural heritage and education and health system.

We are seeking to complete by 2021 the works on a major strategic investment in gas sector and construction of a gas-fired thermal power plant in Zemblak, which will be supplied from Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). The project will significantly enhance employment rate in the area and on the other hand it is complementary with the energy project on the Zemblak substation, which will further strengthen the Southern Energy Ring that will reduce the supply from the distant lines and which will be translated into a further reduction of the power grid losses and increase of energy efficiency in the entire area.

As for the road infrastructure, Qafe Thane-Lin-Pogradec road segment is about to complete soon. Work is also underway on construction of Qukes-Qafe Plloçe segment, where, just like is the case of every other unfinished road projects across the country, we have come across serious problems in terms of geological study and other project aspects. We were forced to redesign a large part of the project and raise the due funding and for objective reasons and over the next two years we will focus on advancing construction works on this road axis.

Likewise, we have also developed another important project for the Pogradec lake. A new road will link Drilon and Tushemisht, whereas a series projects on rehabilitation of infrastructure of the road linking Korça and Erseka, Erseka, the Boboshtica-Dardhe road, Voskop-Voskopoja road, let alone other minor, but not less important projects and which are designed to further ease mobility in the district’s residential areas. Always bearing in mind their growing and substantial impact, either in terms of tourism development, or in terms of further development of agriculture and agritourism.

I won’t go over details of projects on cultural heritage and other tourist infrastructure projects, including the restoration of the Church of Ristoz at Voskopoja bridge and a dozen other projects. Korça is also one of the regions substantially benefiting under the 100 Villages Programme for the Integrated Rural Development, which, we believe, will provide a completely model to earn a good living in the countryside through agritourism projects.

Work is underway on several other projects of strategic importance, including the extension of railway that integrates the final Lin-Pogradec train station with Macedonia’s railway network. The projects include other infrastructure developments, like the reassessment of Korça and Maliq thermal power plants, not only for domestic energy use, but also for meeting the industrial energy needs.

This is a general overview of the 2018-2020 investment package for Korça, meanwhile, I would say I was really pleased inspecting the works on construction of the Olympic Park, a project that speaks for itself and which, I am confident, will add to Korça’s tourist attractions.

A question about Xhisiela Maloku case. What your stance is on the case given the allegations against two Socialist Party MPs? Thank you!

PM Edi Rama: My stance is the one that has always been. For me, no one is and will be above the law. For the Socialist Party, no-one is and cannot be above the law. Unlike the others, this is a stance we have affirmed and materialized whenever we face the facts. I do not want to go back to historical facts.

I will stick to your question to quite simply and clearly state that, first, we live in times and, fortunately, in an environment where this evil time of lies and defamation, which has turned into an information terror for the citizen, is embodied in the main opposition party as the main mouthpiece of this time, which means I am not here to respond to hallucinatory and ungrounded accusations levelled either against me or against my colleagues, because, if I were to do that then it will take the whole day doing this.

On the other hand, regarding the case, first of all I can say that the State Police has conducted its duties pursuant to the law and the MP’s son has not received any preferential treatment. A police officer has been immediately suspended and the police have performed their duty and the case has been already forwarded to the Prosecutor’s Office.

Secondly, the violated girl deserves one thing alone, justice. I encourage and I do strongly support the justice bodies to investigate the case to the last.

Third, the public abuse of the alleged violated girl and her drama’s transformation into a motive of political rhetoric and battle represents another public violation of this girl by the Democratic Party, the media and commentators, who, without taking care about the girl, have embarked on a political and media battle.

To conclude, I would like to assure everyone that the right to justice is non-negotiable for any of my personal political and party interest, or the political force I lead. I will leave the rest to you and those who have taken over to violate the girl again for political purposes.

I hope you will do your job to the last and independently shed light on everything this “hero” turned scoundrel, instead of being publicly condemned by everyone as a person who has abandoned his duty and has sabotaged the investigation and has taken advantage of the case in order to gain asylum in another country. We will be at this scoundrel’s heels.

When we say there is no preferential treatment for the MP’s son, the expertise results show that the girl has been maltreated and has suffered physical injuries. Why no arrest has been made, just like it is the case when other men use violence against their wives or girlfriends? Should a MP, who defends the violator – despite the fact that the violator is his own son – continue be part of the Socialist Party?

PM Edi Rama: First of all, the government is not the one to make the arrests. It is not the Prime Minister the one who makes the arrest, because If I was to do that, you would have had seen many arrests to date, but fortunately this is not my job and responsibility and it is the Prosecution Office that should carry out the investigation to the last and make all the necessary decision to send the case to the court.

Therefore, not only me, but you as well cannot execute an arrest. Meanwhile, as we discuss this issue, and it is very good that we discuss about it, that girl is being violated again publicly. Not only by the Democratic Party, but by the media too. Not all the media, fortunately.

On the other hand, the MP should be under investigation just like everyone else to find out whether he has been directly implicated in this process, but the fact is that no one has succeeded, even there should have been any attempt to interfere, because the police have respected the procedure entirely and I challenge any of you to prove the opposite. This is the fact and we live in a system where anyone who turns 18 is responsible before the law, whoever he might be and no one else is to be held responsible.

So for me, the case is very clear, as clear as the day. The girl deserves justice and everyone should give their contribution to the case, sparing her a public violation and misuse, abuse for political and media reasons. But it not me, either the media the one to do justice. Definitely it is not the Democratic Party the one that does justice either. Justice is done by justice. So it is the Prosecution Office the one that should conduct the investigation to the last and it is then the court to rule over the case.

We stand unequivocally on the girl’s side and for us no one is above the law, neither a MP nor his son are above the law. We are all equal before the law, just like everyone else and we have clearly demonstrated this anytime it was necessary to match words with the facts. So who wants to understand he does. Of course, in the times we are living in, unfortunately the world has turned upside down, because it is the plaintiff and not the defendant the one who should produce evidence to prove the charges. So it is the plaintiffs who should prove that Socialist Party MPs have been and haven’t been involved in this case and it is not up to me to prove the opposite. I am simply waiting for the entire investigation process to complete, considering the allegations against MP Taulant Balla as pretty heinous acts. As for the father of the suspected young boy, should the investigation produces any evidence proving his involvement, or should any independent investigation produces a single evidence on his alleged involvement, then you should ask me about my stance.

I believe I am clear on that.

Mr Prime Minister, the Macedonians will vote on a referendum tomorrow. Do you have any message for the Albanians of Macedonia?

PM Edi Rama: Tomorrow is the day when every Albanian should vote for the European Macedonia, for the Macedonia of the next generation, Macedonia of the Macedonians and Albanians who have formed that state, as two sides of one medal. Every Albanian must understand that whoever does not vote to back the referendum tomorrow, actually he betrays his own children and the next generation of Macedonians and Albanians. It’s pretty easy.

I want to insist again on the case of Xhisela Maloku. Do you believe MP Rrahja’s version? Which is your stance towards him?

PM Edi Rama: Actually I don’t consider his version. It is a subjective version I am not interested in. I am interested in the Prosecution’s version. I am interested in the version of everyone else, including any journalist who would produce evidence proving the opposition of what it seems so far based on what the State Police has published to date. This is what I am interested in. The version of the boy’s father is that of the father for his own son. It is a completely subjective version and I don’t consider it at all.

Thank you very much!