Rama: I Will Stay in Office Until Albania Joins the EU; Otherwise, I Would Have Retired to the Village

Edi Rama has made it clear that he does not intend to step down as prime minister, as his political mission will continue until Albania becomes part of the European Union. He made the remarks at the Palace of Brigades during a meeting with the Socialist Party’s political leaders and the chairs of Parliament’s committees.

Referring to calls for his resignation, Rama said that abandoning the mandate granted by the majority because of demands from a minority could be considered neither leadership nor institutional responsibility.

“I like that song, and it gives me so much energy that I think I could even make another song with it. However, beyond the song, walking away from the duty entrusted to us by the majority simply because a minority is shouting in chorus is neither a quality of a leader, nor institutional responsibility, nor intellectual modesty. It would simply be an abandonment of responsibility,” he said.

According to the prime minister, stepping down at this moment would also constitute an unforgivable disregard for an important national mandate. He stressed that anyone could keep singing, while the mission would be completed only when the Albanian flag and Skanderbeg are taken to the European Union.

Rama said he does not want Albania to miss the decisive moment in its journey toward the EU. He added that, were it not for this European agenda, he would have retired to his village and would also have relinquished the leadership of the Socialist Party.

During the meeting, the prime minister also presented the new annex to the “Besa” document, concerning reflections on the movement along the Boulevard of the “Flamingos.”