US Official Delivers Strong Message to Troubled Albania

US Undersecretary of State Thomas Countryman told Albanians in a televised message on Wednesday that they should look to their constitution and institutions to overcome the country's political crisis.

Besar Likmeta

Tirana

“Albania is not the only European democracy that employs protests as a means of political expression and sadly is not the only European democracy that has seen protests end in violence,” Countryman said.

“All of these events, in a constitutional democracy, must be addressed by constitutional means,” he added.

Countryman’s statement came after meeting the country’s main political actors and President Bamir Topi in the wake of the January 21 unrest that left four people dead and dozens wounded.

Albania’s main political parties, the Democrats of Prime Minister Sali Berisha and the Socialists headed by Tirana mayor Edi Rama, have been in conflict since the violent protest three weeks ago, blaming each other for the deaths.

Berisha claims that his government was the victim of a failed coup attempt orchestrated by the Socialists, the president, the secret service, the general prosecutor and four journalists.

Meanwhile, Rama accuses Berisha of turning a peaceful protest into a bloodbath and attacking any institution that does not agree with his version of the facts.

The protest of January 21 turned into a riot when several hundred marchers attacked the police barricade set up to protect the prime minister’s office, using sticks, stones and Molotov cocktails.

Police responded with tear gas, water cannons and later with live ammunition fire, leaving four dead and dozens wounded.

In his speech, Countryman touched on three areas that are considered to be at the root of Albania’s crisis: corruption, disputed elections, and the protests. He stressed that although they remain serious challenges to overcome, the only way to solve them is through institutions.

He sent a clear a message to the opposition not to boycott the May 8 local elections; a move that threatens to further aggravate the current political and institutional crisis.

“The people of Albania deserve the right to choose between parties, which means parties should participate in such elections,” he said.

“Blocking elections is an example of a non-constitutional and anti-constitutional action that is not deserving of a European democracy,” Countryman added.

The US official reteirated his country's support for prosecutor general Ina Rama and her probe to shed light on the January 21 events.

“We support the independence of the prosecutor general who must be able to do her job without political pressure,” Countryman said.

He also expressed his disappointment with Albania’s political parties, and called on the Albanian people to hold on to their aspirations as a NATO member and possible EU candidate.

“Politics might seem like everything, but there is a higher value when you commit to being a member of NATO and when you aspire to be a member of the European Union,” Countryman said.

“Both NATO and the European Union are values based organisations, and those values are greater than the political interests of one party or another,” he added.