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Rama for the German media: Berisha's July 7? You can finally protest like in a democracy

2022-07-18 10:15:42Politikë SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Rama for the German media: Berisha's July 7? You can finally protest like
Edi Rama

Prime Minister Edi Rama gave an interview to the German newspaper "Frankfurter Rundschau".

Asked what is the recipe for success in politics, the prime minister thinks that will and dedication are the most important.

According to him, in 30 years of transition, no country in Europe has changed more than Albania. Regarding the opening of negotiations, the prime minister emphasizes that patience on this issue is inexhaustible because there is no second solution.

He emphasizes that Albania will do whatever it takes to join the EU.

Full interview: 

Mr. Rama, like many other German politicians, Chancellor Scholz is also a lawyer. They are not artists, painters or have played basketball. Do you have a different approach to politics?

Edi Rama: I think we should be careful with these kinds of categorizations. In every field there are good and bad people, there are talented and untalented. I doubt it would be a good idea to have artists everywhere in politics.

But what is your recipe for success in politics? Is it creativity or persistence, maybe even the desire to find a less simple way?

Edi Rama: Of course creativity is required. I would say that commitment and willingness are equally important. Politics also requires a lot of patience. Politicians who are impatient are lost.

Where did you learn patience?

Edi Rama: I was born impatient. Perhaps my impatience made me feel like an outsider for a long time – and that eventually led to the movement of democracy in the Albanian dictatorship in which I grew up. For me, politics was a hard crash course in patience.

Especially the leadership of the party. Leading a party is a Herculean task because there are so many different interests that must be aligned. This is not about art and painting, but about colors, shapes and harmonies. In governance, every brush is a person, that's what makes it so complicated.

You included art in politics when you made sure that the gray buildings of Tirana were painted with bright colors. How did you come up with the idea?

Edi Rama: When I was elected mayor of Tirana, in 2000, the city was in a very bad state. There were only 78 lamps left on the road. The growing city had a budget of only about six million dollars, which was not enough for anything.

Illegal buildings were added everywhere and there was no regulation. With the money from the European Union, I came up with the idea to paint a street with colored buildings during the reconstructions. The idea spread further and further, until finally Tirana became colorful. This not only beautified the city, but generally accelerated change. By the way, this was the first good news that came out of Albania in the world, after a long time.

Even today, there are many clichés about Albania. Unknown place in the middle of Europe, revenge, Kanun in the north, isolation, crime and mafia. What other cliché still characterizes the image of Albania abroad?

Edi Rama: It must be understood that today's Albania is completely different from the isolated Albania under the dictator Enver Hoxha, which was once considered the "North Korea of ​​Europe". We had almost no contact with foreigners, and even when we did, it was with Marxist-Leninist groups from Germany, France or Brazil.

This was incredible. I will give you an example: Albania was a Marxist-Leninist country under a Stalinist regime.

At Tirana Airport there was a hairdresser where all arrivals had their hair cut, because long hair or beards were not allowed. Therefore, even Karl Marx was not allowed to enter the country. If you take that as a basis, then I have no doubt. No country in Europe has changed more in the last 30 years than Albania. I am glad to hear that Albania should be a blank slate.

Most of the time I hear completely different attributions. As a journalist, you know that bad news travels faster than good news. I hope that the image of Albania abroad will change. I see that there are more and more positive reports about our country. This gives hope.

But when does hope run out? Albania has been an official candidate for EU membership since 2014. Eight years later, negotiations have not yet begun. We talked about patience. How patient are you with Brussels?

Edi Rama: Our patience is inexhaustible on this topic, because we have no other choice. We are used to it.

Albania has always been the game of other powers and we have rarely had the opportunity to vote for ourselves. We are a small country, we have suffered a lot and they did not let us make our own decisions.

Now, for the first time, we have a free choice. We are Europeans and we want to join the EU, because we are part of the continent. Whatever it takes, no matter how long it takes, we're sticking to that goal.

As a victim of Russian aggression, Ukraine has a special status and can rely on quick negotiations. Isn't that disappointing?

Edi Rama: No, this is an extraordinary situation and the EU acted correctly. However, I told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that it may take a long time. North Macedonia has been a candidate for membership for 17 years!

North Macedonia and Albania are closely tied when it comes to membership. Bulgaria has been blocking accession talks with North Macedonia for some time and this has affected you as well. What is expected next?

Edi Rama: The way Bulgaria treated him was a shame. Sofia has divided us more than it has united us. I hope that changes now.

Do you think you have enough support from the German government?

Edi Rama: I had good relations with Angela Merkel. She knew very well the potential, but also the dangers in the Balkans. She had a vision and I am very happy that Olaf Scholz is carrying this vision forward.

Are you talking about the so-called Berlin Process for better regional cooperation between the countries of the Western Balkans?

Edi Rama: Yes, Merkel was very committed to this. We want to increase trade and improve relations with each other. It went well for a while, but then it faltered. Also because the EU did not do all it could have done.

For this reason, you are cooperating more closely with Serbia? Belgrade has recently turned again towards Russia. Does this bother you?

Edi Rama: History makes the difference. We suffered a lot from the Soviet Union and China. This is why we are pro-American. Serbia has a different story, but Belgrade does not support Putin's war in any way. But Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has a problem, as Serbia's economy is highly dependent on Russian gas and oil.

Do you have a good relationship with him?

Edi Rama: We have a good personal relationship even though we sometimes disagree. For example, he says "the so-called Kosovo". I say "the independent state of Kosovo". We now settle our disputes in a civilized manner.

Millions of Albanians live in several countries, including Kosovo. Does the fact that Serbia still does not recognize Kosovo affect the integration of Albania in the EU?

Edi Rama: We are one nation, the same blood and speak the same language. But we live in two countries. Reconciliation between the citizens of Kosovo and Serbia will take time. Who would have thought that the Germans and French would be close partners again so few years after World War II? Political vision and leadership are needed to move this process forward. But this process will happen, I'm sure. There is no going back.

Citizens of Kosovo still need a visa to enter the EU. What does this have to do with better integration of the Western Balkans?

Edi Rama: This is a shame for the EU! Citizens of Kosovo are the only ones on our continent who are not allowed to travel freely. They previously lived in the former Yugoslavia and Serbia and were free to travel.

And now? Are they independent and free from dictatorship or are the liberators keeping them in some kind of prison?

Recently there were protests in Tirana. Aren't you worried that more people will end up on the streets if inflation continues to rise and food becomes more expensive?

Edi Rama: Protests in Albania were not possible for a long time.

They are absolutely necessary for a democracy.

If even Germany cannot protect its population from inflation, what should Albania do? We have the lowest inflation in the region, albeit at the expense of a recession.

Despite economic progress, Albanians continue to leave the country. This should be alarming to you.

Edi Rama: Yes. Unfortunately, history is our main export, and that's not a good thing. Let me answer. The Balkans have never been a boring place.

But we, the Balkans, want to become more ordinary and more normal. As mundane as the European Union.

A country is ordinary when everything works as efficiently as in Germany. As a joke, someone once told me that I could become mayor of Frankfurt. No, I'd rather not, I replied.

Of course there are things that could be improved here, but Frankfurt is a settled and rich city. What should you govern in a perfect country?

What about the mayor of Berlin?

Edi Rama: I have many connections in the art field of Berlin. Many of my friends there are a bit disappointed, they say the city has become a bit provincial. I can't judge. Maybe it got boring.

What would you like to do after your political career?

Edi Rama: Maybe design my own clothes as a designer.

In Albania or abroad?

Edi Rama: In Albania. Albania may seem boring. But not enough to leave it.

With Thomas Kaspar & Martin Benninghoff


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