Prime Minister Edi Rama participated today in the annual meeting of the Diaspora Coordinating Council.
“We have established a process, developed a strategy, and today we operate with a national diaspora strategy. We now have state coordinators for the diaspora who oversee various sectors and fields. We have organized ourselves in a way that takes on its most meaningful form at this table, where the diaspora is represented through a national council,” the Prime Minister stated in his speech.
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Good morning, and first of all, I would like to warmly welcome all the members of the National Diaspora Council, sincerely thanking them for their dedication and seriousness in carrying out a voluntary mission, which is, in fact, a new mission, but I can confidently say that it has already yielded significant results.
Last night, together with the Minister, we returned very late from Brussels, where we had an extremely positive experience, not only because we made progress in another stage of the EU accession negotiations by opening additional negotiation chapters but, most importantly, because our joint strategic plan with the European Commission to complete the EU membership negotiations by 2027 and pave the way for the ratification of Albania’s membership in the parliaments of member states received full and unequivocal support from all EU member countries. This gives us strong confidence that our ambition to elevate Albania to the long-dreamed-of peak by 2030 is not just based on a great desire but is firmly grounded in the objective reality of the new relationship we have built with Europe and the transformation we have achieved in Albania’s international standing.
That being said, I am also very pleased that, in parallel, we have opened a new chapter in the relationship between Albania, as the motherland, and its diaspora—both the long-established and the newer diaspora. Our governing program for this mandate, which is nearing its conclusion, includes a special focus on the Diaspora. A quick overview of what has been achieved based on this program shows that a solid foundation has been laid, on which much still remains to be built. However, it is important to remind all of you here that when we took office, there was a vast void in the relationship between the state and the diaspora, particularly in terms of an institutional framework that would facilitate a structured connection through institutions, enabling support for Albanians abroad, as well as providing the many services they need, for which the state must ensure the necessary quality. Moreover, the starting point from which we began this journey was deeply disheartening, primarily due to the fact that the gap between the state and its citizens abroad—even for the smallest matters—was enormous.
In fact, we have built a process, developed a strategy, and today we are operating with a national diaspora strategy. We now have state coordinators for the diaspora, overseeing various sectors and fields. We have established an organization that takes on its most meaningful form at this table, where the diaspora is represented through a national council. As demonstrated by the council’s composition, it reflects a mosaic that, from a territorial perspective, ensures the representation of different communities, in line with the geographical distribution of the diaspora.
I would like to emphasize once again that the diaspora remains a crucial support, not only in terms of direct financial contributions to the country but also in other areas. This year, the Bank of Albania recorded a significant increase in remittances from emigrants in euros, compared to the previous year, amounting to nearly 100 million euros more. The largest remittances naturally come from Italy, Greece, and the United States. This, adds to the significant contribution of revenues to our economic growth, which is the result of a series of important reforms, but I believe, above all, it reflects the outcome of Albania’s new political positioning.
I am extremely proud of the fact that we have succeeded in enabling all Albanians, starting with those living abroad, to do something that was once impossible: to proudly declare their Albanian identity and respond with confidence, “I am Albanian,” when asked where they are from. It is the simplest and most natural answer in the world, yet for many Albanians, it has not always been easy to express, due to widespread prejudices and the lack of support from the motherland that would offer them the comfort, security, and pride to say, “I am from Albania.” Today, this is a phase we have overcome, and I believe this is the greatest source of pride we can feel and express, as a result of our efforts to completely reposition Albania on the international stage and in global relations.
Of course, it took time, and without a doubt, it required tremendous work and effort. We have also had to experience, at a high level of international relations, the uncomfortable reality, to put it mildly, that for many years, Albanians were often met with condescending or dismissive reactions when they identified themselves as Albanians.
This has given us the opportunity to rise to positions that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago—leading organizations and undertaking high-level international missions, from the OSCE to the United Nations Security Council. It has made us a country that is now seen with admiration when it comes to organizing international events of a scale that, not long ago, would have been unimaginable in Albania.
Just a few weeks ago, a NATO mission came to Albania to inspect the conditions and assess how prepared the country is to host the NATO summit in 2027. The impressions and report from the inspection mission were such that it would have been unthinkable, just a few years ago, to read and realize that they were talking about Albania. At the same time, we now stand with our heads held high before all Albanians abroad, for another reason—one that is now a mission accomplished, at least on our end: the right to vote for the Diaspora.
A mission that, to be honest, was not an easy one. A mission that goes beyond political divisions and requires a vote larger in number than that of a governing majority. This is why it took us a long time to achieve, but finally, and I believe as a result of the work of the National Diaspora Council and the mobilization of voices within the diaspora, it has been realized. Today, we are on the brink of an electoral process where, for the first time in Albania’s democratic history, Albanian citizens abroad will be able to exercise their right to vote without the obligation to travel to Albania, simply by using postal services from where they live. This is a challenge in itself. I don’t see the Chairman of the CEC here, but I’m sure he will be present later to give his technical perspective on the difficulties of this process and the need for everyone’s mobilization to exercise this right, as there is a process that, for the first time, is complex in terms of voter registration in the diaspora, but once individuals are registered, the process becomes much simpler.
The preservation of linguistic and cultural identity is undeniably a core part of our mission as a nation, as citizens aware of our responsibilities, and certainly as an institutional system. I am pleased to see that progress has been made in this regard.
Of course, more needs to be done. I am also glad that we have made significant strides in cooperation with the government of the Republic of Kosovo, starting with the unification of the Albanian alphabet, continuing with unified textbooks for the Diaspora, and working towards the digitalization and free access to advanced technological programs for all children and teachers in the Diaspora, alongside the distribution of textbooks.
The distribution of 55,000 textbooks this year is a notable achievement when considering where we started, but it is still far from extraordinary when we think about the number of children in the Diaspora.
The “Teachers for Greece” program marks a new chapter in addressing the need for educators in Albanian communities abroad. Officially registered and verified, we currently have 20,000 children enrolled in Albanian language courses that we oversee. However, there are many other unregistered courses, or courses of which we are not yet aware. I take this opportunity to encourage everyone to inform the relevant institutions about these programs. We have also established a register for teachers in the Diaspora, which is growing steadily, along with a database for students, though I believe there is still much room for improvement.
Another often overlooked component of the work and mission of the Government of the Republic of Albania has been the Arbëresh community within the Albanian Diaspora. A significant pillar of Albanian identity, and here too, considerable work has been done. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Chairman of the Academy of Sciences, Professor Skënder Gjinushi, for the valuable contribution the Academy has made in support of this effort to awaken the long-dormant relationship with the Arbëresh community.
Similarly, the Academy of Sciences has opened its doors to the Diaspora, setting a very positive example for all institutions to follow in terms of engaging the contributions of Diaspora scholars, and creating a new system for involving distinguished individuals in science from developed countries into the forums and structures of the Academy of Sciences.
Today, we offer digitalized services, and the e-Albania platform is accessible to all Albanians. Soon, next year, we will introduce a new model of Artificial Intelligence on this platform. The current text-based digital assistant will evolve into a live assistant, with two assistants available, allowing users to choose which one they wish to communicate with. This assistant will guide users through the entire service process.
In other words, it will no longer be an advanced interaction as we have today, where the assistant provides written instructions on what steps to take to access services. Instead, it will be a direct communication via videocall, where the assistant will perform the service on your behalf. This is the power of technology, and this will be, if not the first of its kind in Europe, certainly one of the first.
I am very pleased that we can proudly say to Albanians abroad that their lives have been made easier in terms of consular services, document issuance, and certificates—services that, until a few years ago, were equally challenging for all Albanians, even here in Albania. However, it was even harder for them, as they didn’t have a place to turn to when they received no response from the homeland. Back home, even though they had to stand in long lines to pay utility bills under tents in the rain, at least they had a place to go. But abroad, they didn’t even have that.
In this context, I want to highlight an important change that has taken place in the Federal Republic of Germany, which has removed the requirement for a single citizenship and now allows for dual nationality. Until recently, this policy forced Albanians in Germany to renounce their Albanian citizenship in order to acquire German citizenship. With this change, a significant number of Albanians are now seeking to regain their Albanian citizenship. To facilitate this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior must ensure a fast and efficient service. It’s easier said than done, and I am fully aware of this. While we speak of our achievements, I don’t want anyone to think I am unaware of the areas where we still fall short. One of the areas where we have not yet succeeded is the insufficient speed of services, to put it simply.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior are, so to speak, at the tail end of the institutional chain. I’m referring to consular services, which are much quicker on the ground than in this building. Honestly, despite all the renovations, every time I come here, it still feels like I’m walking down a corridor where I expect to see a representative of the Soviet Embassy, as a reminder of the outdated bureaucracy and the much slower pace of the past.
To conclude, something that is now commonplace, but was truly unimaginable when we first took office, is the support we have provided to the Diaspora in terms of pensions and the recognition of work history in the countries where they live. When we took office, Albania only had one pension agreement—if I recall correctly, with a country that had a very small number of Albanian workers. Today, however, we have a significant number of such agreements, and we are currently negotiating eight more.
We have finalized the agreement with Italy, which was the most challenging due to the large number of people whose work history needed to be recognized, and the financial burden it placed on the Italian state. This burden was legitimate, as it concerned all the contributions Albanian workers had made to Italy’s social security system. We have also concluded the agreement with Greece, which is equally challenging, if not even more difficult than the one with Italy. At the same time, we are working on finalizing and negotiating agreements with all the countries where Albanians are employed, ensuring their work history is properly recognized.
These are more or less the points I can summarize, though certainly not too briefly, because where else could they be discussed except here today with the National Council of Diaspora? When talking about Albanian passports and Albanian citizenship officially recognized in the passport, I believe the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will “cleanse many sins” inherited from the era of that shadow that haunts me whenever I enter this place. If all the members of the National Council of Diaspora, some of whom may already have it—I don’t know how many have an Albanian passport—but I’m sure some members of the National Council of Diaspora do not have one. By offering them a coffee with the expenses of the Soviet-style services, you would kindly ask if they need the Albanian passport. It would be ideal if everyone could return to their respective countries with the promise of receiving their passports next year, and before leaving, they should leave their fingerprints here, because without the fingerprints, we can’t complete this task.
