During the summit proceedings, the prime minister will hold a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and will also take part in the session with the leaders of allied states.

Wednesday’s agenda also includes a bilateral meeting between Rama and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

His participation in this summit comes as another confirmation of Albania’s commitment as an active and reliable ally in NATO, as well as of its role in strengthening Euro-Atlantic security and stability.

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The embassy’s message reads: “Happy 250th anniversary, America! We are celebrating 250 years of history, freedom and the bright future ahead.”

The shared video includes remarks by President Donald Trump, who underlines that the US is marking 250 years of glorious freedom and that the best is still yet to come.

In the embassy’s video, Trump says: “This anniversary is a moment to be proud of our past. We will mark 250 years of glorious American freedom. It is also a time to raise our sights, to expand our ambitions and to increase our expectations for what America can become. The best is yet to come. Happy birthday, America.”

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“GOOD MORNING and happy America’s July 4th, under the majestic shadow of the Statue of Liberty, which is also a special celebration for Albanians, despite the opposing winds that have historically sought to dim the beautiful energy of this country, I wish you a wonderful weekend,” Rama writes.

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During the hearing, the Special Prosecution Office (SPAK) requested that the First Instance ruling, which sentenced Selmani to 28 years in prison, remain in force.

The postponement of the hearing at the GJKKO Appeals Court came after Ilir Selmani’s defense lawyers had not prepared their final conclusions. At the same time, the court also approved his request to change his place of residence, due to unsuitable conditions in the home where he is currently staying under the security measure of “house arrest.”

Currently, Ilir Selmani is under the security measure of “house arrest,” after the legal deadlines for his pretrial detention expired. Earlier, the High Court had decided to overturn the Appeals ruling and return the case for retrial to the Special Court of Appeal.

The First Instance court found Ilir Selmani guilty as a member of the so-called “Duka Clan,” a group which, according to the prosecution, organized and carried out the execution of former police officer Santiago Malko in August 2019 in Tirana. Malko was considered the right-hand man of Ervis Martinaj, who has been reported missing since 2022.

Meanwhile, on Monday evening, near Selmani’s home, which is guarded by large numbers of police forces, Emiljano Nina was arrested with a weapon. He is considered a person with close links to Ervis Martinaj’s group. Following this development, investigators have raised suspicions that there may have been a plan for a revenge attack.

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As on previous days, protesters began gathering in Skanderbeg Square at 19:00 due to the high temperatures. They are then expected to move toward the Prime Minister’s Office building, where they will voice their demands, before continuing with a march through the streets of the capital.

A few days earlier, the organizers published the main points of their demands, which include the resignation of the prime minister and the government, as well as the establishment of a non-partisan transitional technical government with a 12-month mandate.

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The case file shows that the organization used fruit export companies to cover cocaine shipments, while the narcotics were concealed in containers carrying legitimate cargo that arrived at major European ports.

The document shows that members of the Albanian group regularly traveled to Ecuador to negotiate trafficking deals. Meanwhile, criminal cells based in several European Union countries were involved in organizing logistics and distributing cocaine on the European market.

Investigations have revealed that alerts over suspicious containers led to coordinated operations and significant seizures, while authorities were able to identify sustained cooperation between the Ecuadorian cartel and the Albanian criminal network.

According to the report, this alliance was part of a sophisticated international narcotics trafficking scheme, in which export companies were used as a front to conceal criminal activity and penetrate the European market.

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According to him, those two words are worth more than a thousand speeches, because only a Godfather sees power as private property and citizens as an obstacle. In the end, he said that sometimes two words are enough to explain why Edi Rama’s era must come to an end.

THE REACTION

“Fuck you”

Perhaps never before has Edi Rama summed up the philosophy of his power more clearly.

In just two words.

Two words for citizens demanding accountability. Two words for protesters demanding his resignation. Two words for anyone who rejects the state of dirty money, corruption, and the arrogance of his power.

“Fuck you” is not a momentary loss of temper. Nor is it a slip of the tongue. It is the essence of the way Edi Rama exercises power.

Contempt for citizens. Contempt for the opponent. Contempt for accountability.

That is why these two words are worth more than a thousand speeches. Because only a Godfather sees power as private property and citizens as an obstacle.

“Fuck you”

Sometimes two words are enough to explain why Edi Rama’s era must come to an end.

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After several weeks of demonstrations triggered by the project, Rama rejected accusations portraying him as Albania’s “Godfather.” The protests, dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution,” erupted following public anger over Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s $4 billion plan on an island and near a nature reserve known for its flamingos. According to protesters, this is an example of systemic corruption that cleared the way for international investors to build in protected areas, and they have therefore called for Rama’s resignation and prosecution.

“People say that I am the leader of all this. I tell them to go to hell. As simple as that,” he said.

“It is not for me to prove that I am not the Godfather; it is for them to prove that I am the Godfather.”

Rama said that Kushner’s investments have been legitimate and that they are unrelated to the investigation underway into a former landowner.

Meanwhile, Albanian prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for more than a dozen businessmen on suspicion of drug trafficking and money laundering, including one person who had previously owned land in the area where Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s project is expected to be developed. A spokesperson for Kushner and his other partners in Albania did not respond to requests for comment.

Albanian anti-corruption prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for 20 businessmen, whom they said were involved in international drug trafficking and money laundering. Billions of euros are suspected to have been funneled into major construction projects along the Adriatic coastline and in the Albanian capital.

Among the names involved is Artur Shehu, a dual U.S.-Albanian citizen living in Miami. In 2025, Shehu sold land near the nature reserve where flamingos nest to “Albania Land Development,” a company linked to the Kushner project. The deal came under review by anti-corruption prosecutors, who froze €128 million in payments until the investigation is completed. Shehu also did not respond to requests for comment.

From his office overlooking the boulevard where tens of thousands of people have protested every night for more than three weeks, Rama told the FT that it was unacceptable to say that Albania’s economy is built on money laundering.

“To say that the Albanian economy has been based on money laundering, that is terrible,” Rama told the FT in his office overlooking the boulevard where tens of thousands of people have demonstrated every night for more than three weeks.

“Money laundering is part of our economy, but it is not such a big problem,” he added.

“Do you think there is no money laundering in London? There is. But can you say that the British economy is largely money laundering? No.”

According to Rama, his government has given prosecutors the ability to act more forcefully on these issues, which, he said, has also increased the perception that Albania is full of corruption and organized crime.

“In fact, it is the opposite. Albania is fighting like never before and is much less corrupt today than it was.”

The prime minister also repeated the claim that the protests have been fueled by opponents of the American president, including Iran.

“There is a lot of interest in killing this project… because of Trump,” he said.

“If it were not Jared Kushner… nobody would care about the flamingos, about Albania, about anything. It is all the hatred against Trump that creates all this scrutiny.”

Rama said he was confident that the coastal development plans would move forward despite the protests.

“The important part is that the investors are not criminals and are not involved in money laundering,” Rama said.

“They are major investors. It is a historic opportunity for Albania.”

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Through a message on the social network X, President Macron praised the meeting, describing it as a very positive moment in relations between Albania and France in the fields of innovation, education, culture and tourism.

Macron writes that France reaffirms its support for Albania’s European integration and for the pursuit of the reforms needed to advance on its European path.

Full post:

“Welcome, dear Edi Rama. The very positive moment in relations between Albania and France in the fields of innovation, education, culture and tourism demonstrates our closeness. We want to give it fresh momentum, while continuing to strengthen our economic and defense cooperation. France reaffirms its support for Albania’s European integration and for the pursuit of the reforms needed to advance on its European path,” Macron wrote on X.

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