Elez Biberaj and "Albania (still) in Transition"

The well known journalist of VOA, Elez Biberaj, gave his opinion on the last two decades after the fall of the communist regime through the book “Albania in Transition”.

In this book he tells his own experience, which in the first years of democracy peaked with the translation of the speech that the US Secretary of State, James Baker, held in Albania.

In an interview for Top-Channel, Biberaj tells the emotions and memories of that time.

“I was very idealist at the time. I thought that with the collapse of the communism regime, the changes would happen fast and would be positive”, he declares.

However, the journalist admits that what has been achieved is not optimal.

“Albania has experienced big changes, but it is facing with many challenges. However, I am optimistic”, he says.

According to him, the fact that Albania is still in a transition phase, even after 20 years, is a responsibility of the political class, but not only.

“The political class is not the only responsible. The transition is a process where everyone should participate, but the political elite is the most important”, Biberaj underlines.

The journalist denies voices that his books aim to rehabilitate Berisha's image, once President and now Prime Minister of Albania.

“The idea that I am rehabilitating Berisha’s image doesn’t stand, because there are journalists that have made closer interviews with Berisha than me. I have expressed my opinions in this book, my stance towards some events”, Biberaj adds.

Another point of view on the transition was given a few times ago by the poet and writer Daut Gumeni, through the book “Transition or Heritage”.