Berisha accuses Rama of blocking Begaj’s trip to Ankara for the NATO summit

Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha shared on social media a message that, according to him, was sent to him by the “Digital Diplomat.” The message says that Edi Rama caused a scandal by stopping the trip of President Bajram Begaj, who was due to lead the Albanian delegation at the NATO summit in Ankara.

Berisha described the incident as “a scandal of the highest order,” writing that, in his view, “yesterday a scandal of the highest order took place, unheard of before,” and that Rama blocked Begaj’s travel to the summit in Ankara.

According to two diplomatic sources cited in the message, the letter sent to the host protocol authorities stated that the Albanian delegation was headed by President Bajram Begaj, while Edi Rama was listed as part of it, along with others.

The message also claims that Rama, in an unconstitutional act, put pressure on Begaj and prevented his travel both on the air taxi booked by the Albanian delegation and on commercial flights. According to this claim, he traveled only with his wife on a plane that, as reported in the media, costs tens of thousands of euros per flight hour.

The “Digital Diplomat” says the clash began a week earlier in Albania, when the Turkish ambassador, according to him, requested a meeting and delivered the invitation for the NATO Summit in Ankara to President Bajram Begaj. Begaj, again according to the source, told the ambassador that this was Rama’s matter and that the invitation should be sent to him. The ambassador replied that everything was determined by the summit protocol and that he was only delivering the invitation. Rama then immediately summoned the Turkish ambassador and asked that the invitation be sent to him. It is not known what further interventions he made with the Turkish presidency. However, according to the diplomat, the document for the Albanian delegation at the summit was signed by Begaj as head of delegation, while Edi Rama was listed not as deputy head, but only as a member. According to the message, this would have meant that at the summit table Begaj would have sat in the first seat, where Albania was written, while Rama would have taken a seat behind him; likewise, in the family photo, it would have been Begaj, not Rama, who posed as Albania’s representative.

For these reasons, according to Berisha, Rama as a “gangster” decided not to allow the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces to travel to Turkey.

“I condemn in the strongest possible terms this grave, bandit-like, unconstitutional act by Edi Rama against the head of state, through which he once again demonstrates the concentration of all powers in his hands,” Berisha wrote.