Speech by Prime Minister Edi Rama at US Policy in the Western Balkans conference:

Fan Noli recounts that upon his return to Washington from a Mount Vernon meeting he happened to meet President Wilson, who he asked and urged to commit to saving what he described as a heroic yet unprotected race like Albanians ahead of the Peace Conference that was decide over Albania’s fate. According to him too, the US President firmly responded he would be a powerful voice at the Peace Conference and it was exactly that voice to defend Albania back then.

And it happened exactly that and since then, the relationship between Albanians and the United States of America started to shape into a special relation, which lies at the foundations of Albania’s foreign policy, but more than that, it also lies at the foundation of the Albanians’ awareness that they are not only not alone, but instead they enjoy best possible companionship. And if Albanians in our region today find themselves in a better position than ever before if compared to troubled and difficult past of the Albanian nation and people scattered in all countries of the whole region, this is undoubtedly attributed to this special relationship with the United States of America and the US approach to Albanians and the region itself.

Indeed, Monsignor Noli’s remarks, describing the United States as ‘a great country, leading humanity towards a better future and universal peace, justice, freedom and democracy,” fit and best illustrate this relationship and the Albanians’ commitment to this relationship.

I have noticed many of our European friends and partners at any level, both at the level of ordinary people and at the level of those, less ordinary individuals, so to say, see such a relationship as an expression of somehow naïve of our understanding of the world and I have often happened to meet people smiling regretfully at this commitment the Albanian people and nation show to the United States of America. It is actually very difficult for others to figure out and grasp the “Why” of such a relationship, which is deeply connected to what we have gone through as a nation in many eras of the history, but also to what we have experienced as a people, whether in Albania or in Kosovo, in the first period of our life as contemporaries today we still live the Albanian history and space, both in terms of what we in Albania have been through when Albania became Europe’s North Korea, and in terms of what Albanians in Kosovo have gone through the dark era of the life like second-hand citizens in a context that kept deteriorating to culminate in an ethnic cleansing project.

These all have had a profound effect on our consciousness. In the meantime, if the whole Western Balkans is a better region today, this is primarily attributed to the US and I believe the Western Balkans is the reflection of perhaps the most radiant success of the United States foreign policy throughout the post-Cold War historic period. A mirror, where the brief history of the years that we have lived as eyewitnesses began with a major conflict, followed with a bombing campaign, which has now been replaced with talks about intensifying regional cooperation, although we are undoubtedly still far from the final peace settlement, as long as there is no ultimate settlement of the inherited conflict between Serbia and Kosovo.

It is also worth noting that the appointment at this delicate stage of Western Balkan political life of two completely different personalities, but nonetheless with a strong voice and sufficient power to influence the process of normalizing relations between Serbia and Kosovo, on one hand, of an early friend of this region and of the Albanians, Matthew Palmer, and Ambassador Grenell, constitute a meaningful signal of the indispensable interest and focus of the United States over the region and this conflict.

I think I won’t be announcing something new that after the European Council’s decision on October 18, the European Union’s position on this conflict has been significantly weakened and the capacity of the European Union to influence the dialogue process has greatly shrunken, because with its decision or non-decision that emerged following a heated debate over Albania and North Macedonia, the EU primarily dealt a considerable blow to its own credibility. It would be really hard for the two sides in the dialogue to believe in real prospect of incentives that are announced perhaps sincerely, but which are never heeded and kept. And this is not the first time, for the sake of truth, when the European Union fails to keep its work and Kosovo case, I believe, represents one of the flagrant examples of the lack of capacity to keep the word, because, at the end of the day, one should not forget that it is not a single state, but a number of countries within the EU, which functions based on consensus and it would take a single member country to reject a proposal and it would send the entire Union into a difficult position. I am speaking about the absurd condition – which was certainly taken into consideration and practically addressed – to finalize the border agreement with Montenegro in exchange of the visa liberalization for Kosovo.

It is a unique case, because since 2014, the European Union has liberalized its visa regime for over 100 million people from territories that are not negotiating to join the bloc, or aspire no negotiations with the European Union. Taking hostage some 2 million Albanians in Kosovo to the point of transforming a country liberated from the great European powers in alliance with the United States, exceeds the limits of absurdity. It is a hostage taking that reflects lack of cohesion and capacity to act in a unified way, making the entire European family to continuously fall into the trap laid by one country or another, which for various reasons imposes its non-consensus approach within the EU.

However, it is indisputable and undeniable that Albanians in general and Albania in particular have no other alternative, but keep moving forward on the only path our history has designated for us and which we inherit as a legacy in our national awareness, despite the various historic periods, at times gloomy and at times enlightened ones, that is the path towards the West, the European Union and in strategic alliance with the United States and the European Union.

What we should all understand after all is that we are delivering on reforms neither for the sake of the United States, nor for the European Union. We are not asking ourselves to embark on this indispensable changes and we haven’t engaged in such complex processes in collaboration with our partners just because our partners ask us to do so, but because this is what our historic destination requires, that is creation of an Albanian space and a modern Albanian state in line with all democratic standards and with its all functioning institutions.

In this aspect, the failure to grant a most deserved decision on Albania’s bid to start the negotiations – whoever questions this or pretends as if he or she doesn’t understand needs to see a doctor for psychological disorder – because the EU’s “YES” is linked with a source of power to push reforms further forward, but nothing changes in factual and practical terms. Because Albania had and will do the same things once it received a “YES’ and it will of course do the same things although no decision was made to open the accession talks and although a decision may not be taken in the coming months or even years. This doesn’t depend on Albania. This doesn’t depend at all on what we do, as it definitely rests on what they want or do not want to do with their own selves or the Western Balkans perspective vis-à-vis the family of the united Europe.

It is impossible to talk about Albania’s relations with the United States in the current situation and not to touch upon the justice reform, which would have been just an illusion without the United States of America, as it has been and used to be for many years in the past, when a judiciary reform has been launched several times, but it was never finalized. I believe that whoever would seek arguments and examples of the strong ties and the US investment in benefit of the future would find an absolutely meaningful and significant example.

I would like to conclude my remarks by expressing an appreciation to professor Angjeli and the conference organizers, as well as an appreciation to Ambassador Shannon, Mr. Serwer and every foreign guests to the conference, wishing they enjoy a lot their stay in the profoundly transformed Tirana and Albania, just like they acknowledged themselves, still remaining all the same and living up to its name when it comes to the taste of food and delicacies. I can tell you this not merely as a Tirana resident, but also as someone who has been given the opportunity to see how Dutch visitors are amazed when visiting Tirana and hear them saying it is completely different from the Albania we perceive and think about, but once they go back they see Albania just like they think about it, and not just like they have seen it with their own eyes.

Thank you!