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Rama talks about the 60-day protests: They are fantastic, they have made me reflect

2026-07-29 14:12:40Politikë SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Rama talks about the 60-day protests: They are fantastic, they have made me
Edi Rama

As the country has been engulfed by protests for two months, Prime Minister Edi Rama has decided to comment on them during an interview with "Channel 4".

Rama stated that he has reflected on the protest that has been going on for 2 months in front of the Prime Minister's Office and that he understands the protesters.

The Prime Minister also added that the protest is a mirror to see "what we need to reflect on."

Journalist: Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister, for hosting us. The protesters have been protesting for almost 60 days. How do you feel when the protesters are outside your office night after night?

Edi Rama: It's something wonderful for the country, for society, because on the same boulevard, not long ago, about 15 years ago, people were killed with real bullets while peacefully protesting.

I've been reflecting a lot on this protest and I've come to the conclusion that for people it's not about the facts, and rightly so, but about the higher expectations that bring them out on the streets. That's not a bad thing. It's wonderful. That's why I said it's fantastic. So I get it.

Journalist: Have you reconsidered any of your policies as a result of these protests?

Edi Rama: What policies?

Journalist: The policies related to the project in Sazan and Zvërnec, where it all started, due to the endangerment of the flamingo habitat and other habitats there.

Edi Rama: No. No project has been launched.

Journalist: I've seen it.

Edi Rama: No.

Journalist: So what did I see? Shouldn't I trust my eyes?

Edi Rama: I will tell you what you have seen, but no project has been launched. And, as for Sazan, which you included in your question, there is neither a project nor an agreement in Sazan. Including Sazan here is completely unnecessary, because we still have nothing in Sazan.

Journalist: But Mr. Kushner and Mrs. Trump linked the two projects, right? They said the projects are linked.

Edi Rama: Yes, the idea is related.

Journalist: Then explain to me, because I went to Zvërnec and saw the place where the project had started and then stopped.

Edi Rama: No. The project has not started in Zvërnec.

Journalist: So what did I see with the fences and so on?

Edi Rama: I'll explain. It's not the start of the project. It's just preparations for carrying out preliminary works, before the permit is granted, based on the environmental, geological and hydrological assessment.

Journalist: But usually the environmental assessment is done before the bulldozers come in, because they can damage the environment. Usually some scientists are sent in to do the assessment.

Edi Rama: Bulldozers were used to open passage for people, for the community, to create roads through private property, so that people were not prevented from moving.

Journalist: But people were already crossing the sandy road before. They were only blocked after the fence was put up.

Edi Rama: Again, if you want the facts, I'm telling you the facts.

Journalist: Mr. Kushner said you were on the yacht with them when they discovered the island in 2020.

Edi Rama: I was invited to join some people on a yacht that stopped in Albania to refuel, on the way to Montenegro. It was Nat Rothschild's yacht. I accepted the invitation and went. There I met Jared and Ivanka. I don't know if they had heard of Albania before. But I can tell you for sure that they had no direct interest in Albania. They were very interested in the history and the place where they were.

Then, a few months later, I met Jared in Davos. He expressed interest in exploring the investment opportunity. Of course I said yes. How could I say no? To me, this was the most natural thing. This is going to be one of the most extraordinary developments to happen to Europe in a long time. There haven't been many extraordinary things happening in Europe in recent years.

Journalist: Why is it so extraordinary?

Edi Rama: Because it won't be the way people imagine it, wrongly. The way you imagine it, wrongly.

Journalist: I'm not imagining it. I've seen what Jared Kushner posted on Instagram and some of the other plans. I understand that they're not final plans.

Edi Rama: What was published on Instagram was just a preliminary presentation. The project has evolved, the process has evolved. Now world-renowned architects and landscape designers with extensive experience in wetland areas are involved. At the same time, we are independently conducting an environmental impact assessment. The project does not aim to destroy a beautiful place. It aims to regenerate it.

Journalist: The European Commission has expressed concern and, of course, Albania's membership in the European Union is very important to you. The Commission is concerned about environmental laws and also about the changes to the 2024 environmental law, which creates a kind of exemption for strategic investments. Do you think you could reconsider this?

Edi Rama: It is good, even very good, that the Commission is concerned. And it could not be otherwise. We are in negotiations to become members of the European Union. Therefore, the very idea that we can move forward with a project that does not comply with European standards is unacceptable. What I am saying is: calm down, talk about the facts, comment on the facts and look at the facts. Don't rush to say that everything is catastrophic.

Journalist: It seems like these accusations have hurt you personally.

Edi Rama: No, no. I'm not hurt.

Journalist: However, you seem to take it very personally. It's interesting.

Edi Rama: I am not injured.

Journalist: Because you seem to take it very personally.

Edi Rama: Listen, everything is personal. Anyone who does his or her job with passion experiences it personally. But I'm not hurt. This has helped me.

As I told you before, for me the June protest, not this current one, was both a confirmation that the country is on another level and, on the other hand, a very clear picture to see what we need to reflect on.


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