The Albanian Parliament has been gripped by a heated clash between Redi Muçi, representative of the Together Movement, and Taulant Balla, head of the Socialist parliamentary group, over the lack of a direct response from the prime minister to Snezhana Paunović’s statement on Kosovo.
MP Muçi called on the head of government to publicly state his position, stressing that “ethnic cleansing” constitutes a crime against humanity and questioning the executive’s silence in the face of such claims.
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For his part, Balla clarified that Tirana’s official position had been expressed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and accused his political opponent of exploiting national issues for cheap political games.
Muçi asked how it was possible for Prime Minister Rama not to say a single word when a close associate of Vučić speaks of ethnic cleansing, adding that such statements run counter to the Albanian Constitution. He added that Rama sends Balla to attack journalists and deal with Dua Lipa, but is unable to take a position on the Serbian minister who mentions the ethnic cleansing of Albanians in Kosovo.
Balla responded by stressing that the government’s reaction had been immediate and responsible, carried out through diplomatic channels. He emphasized that these are not matters to be addressed through political theatrics, but issues of national importance that do not allow for mockery. “We do not play the clown like you do. We have taken a position at the political level, and I reacted long before you did. You were asleep,” Balla told MP Muçi.
The head of the Socialist group added that this reprehensible act had also been condemned by the European Commission, and that Albania always responds in coordination with its international partners. He called it shameful for someone to engage in politics over such issues and stressed that Rama remains the only leader to have defended Kosovo’s independence in the heart of Belgrade, as he did in 2014, reiterating Albania’s support for Kosovo’s membership in NATO and the European Union.
