Il Riformista has published an interview with Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha, in which he discussed the political situation in Albania, protests against Edi Rama’s government and the removal of his “non grata” designation.
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For more than one hundred days, thousands of Albanian citizens have been protesting in the streets against the government led by Edi Rama. The movement has become one of the most significant political and social mobilizations of recent years.
In the early stages, the Democratic Party, under Sali Berisha’s leadership, remained reserved and closely followed the protest, which had begun outside the opposition structures and had a civic character.
Later, the opposition’s position changed, and the Democratic Party declared its open support for the protesters and their demands.
One of the protesters’ main demands concerns the creation of a technical or caretaker government following a possible resignation by Prime Minister Rama. Asked whether the Democratic Party would support such a solution to guarantee free and fair elections, Berisha said that the demand had the full support of the force he leads.
“The Democratic Party has strongly supported this demand by the protesters. One of the demands is precisely Rama’s resignation and the formation of a technical government to prepare the country for elections. The need for a technical government in Albania has also been sanctioned in international resolutions adopted by more than one hundred parties across the world. We fully support it and consider it a prerequisite for ensuring free and fair elections in Albania. This is our position: with Edi Rama in government, there can be no elections,” he said.
Berisha was also asked about the connection between today’s protests and the civic movements of the 1990s, a period in which he was one of the protagonists of Albania’s democratic transition.
“There are certainly similarities. The protests of the 1990s, for example, were essentially civic in nature: the political parties that would emerge from that movement did not yet exist. The main similarity, therefore, is precisely the civic nature of the protests. The fundamental difference is that the movement of the 1990s led to the birth of political pluralism in Albania, while the current protests, on the other hand, are advancing demands that I consider legitimate and fully justified, but which the government continues to ignore completely,” the DP leader said.
Regarding the “non grata” designation, which was revoked earlier, Berisha declared that the matter was definitively closed. He described the previous decision as a hostile and cowardly act, for which he blamed Edi Rama and George Soros, claiming that it had been carried out through corrupt lobbying with Antony Blinken.
“It is a definitively closed matter. The action against me was hostile and cowardly, orchestrated by Edi Rama and George Soros through their corrupt lobbying with Antony Blinken. Moreover, I strongly believe that the decision to remove my name from the list, taken on the basis of the national interests of the United States, represents the clearest and most deserved response to those who carried out this hostile and shameful act against Sali Berisha: a measure without facts, grounds or any supporting documentation, approved simply to target the Albanian opposition and favor Edi Rama,” he said.
Berisha also commented on Albania’s goal of joining the European Union by 2030, comparing it with the country’s accession to NATO in 2009, when the Democratic Party was in power.
According to him, EU integration is being used by Edi Rama as a propaganda tool. Berisha claimed that Albania is the first and only narco-state in Europe and that this reality is becoming increasingly evident to international institutions and the governments of friendly countries, also thanks to the opposition’s resistance and the recent protests.
“I think EU membership is simply a propaganda ploy by Edi Rama. To date, Albania is the first and only narco-state in Europe. Thanks to the work and resistance of the opposition, this reality is becoming increasingly clear to international institutions and the governments of friendly countries. The recent protests have also made an important contribution in this regard. In my opinion, a narco-state cannot in any way be considered compatible with the criteria required for European integration,” Berisha said.
The opposition leader also discussed the reasons that, according to him, led the Democratic Party to support the protests. He rejected the idea that the DP had initially stayed out of them and stated that its support had been expressed as early as June 3.
“The Democratic Party supported the protests from June 3, from their very first days. This is the truth, and my statement that same day, condemning the violence against the citizens who had been dragged to Zvërnec, proves it. Why did I declare my full support for foreign investment from the outset? Once again, I declare that the Democratic Party fully supports foreign investment, on one condition: that it complies with the law,” he said.
Berisha recalled that, three years ago, when Edi Rama announced his cooperation with Kushner on projects in Sazan and Zvërnec, he had declared that the Democratic Party was open to foreign investment. According to him, at the time Rama had valued the investment at 4 billion euros.
He said his opposition began after landowners came forward and reported that their properties were being seized without their knowledge. They also claimed that they were involved in legal proceedings with people who claimed ownership of the land and were attempting to appropriate it.
“This fact alone was sufficient to prevent the government from granting any kind of permit,” Berisha said, adding that the law prohibits authorizing development or construction on properties that are the subject of pending court proceedings.
According to him, it later became known that Edi Rama had issued construction permits and development authorizations, even though he had stated that there was no project. Berisha described this as proof that the prime minister’s statements were false.
“The facts clearly showed not only that the permits had been issued in violation of regulations, but that the entire process had been carried out in violation of the law. Naturally, we cannot support an investment made in this manner and, for this reason, we supported the June 3 protest,” he said.
Berisha claimed that the permits had also been issued in violation of Albanian environmental legislation and European directives, since the area was protected and classified as a protected natural landscape.
He explained that these areas have the lowest level of protection, but nevertheless remain under legal protection. According to him, Albanian and international law allow investment in such a landscape only if certain conditions are met, specifically four legal requirements.
Regarding the flamingos, Berisha said that their habitat had effectively been damaged by the construction of Vlora airport. He said that, once the airport began operating, the flamingos could no longer find shelter in that area and that it was the airport that caused the destruction of their habitat.
During the period from 2005 to 2013, when the Democratic Party was in government, the Levan-Vlora highway was being built. According to Berisha, the road was significantly rerouted to protect the flamingos and other birds in the area.
He argued that Edi Rama chose to build the airport in the same area, even though a study commissioned by his government had deemed the site unsuitable.
“We too, during the Democratic Party’s time in government, had conducted a similar assessment and, precisely for this reason, had chosen another area between Vlora and Fier, near the Levan junction,” Berisha concluded.
