BERISHA: GREATER ALBANIA, WE LOST TERRITORIES

Albania-Kosovo unification
16/12/2011

The Albanian Prime Minister held a meeting with Prishtina University students, in which he argued why he is against the unification of Albania with Kosovo and why both countries would lose, if borders would be changed.

“The vital interest of the Albanians is to preserve the current borders, and the Albanians should not accept, at any cost, to lose a single square meter of the land they are entitled to. Another redraw of the borders would mark undeserved losses of the Albanian territories. We must be patient, free, and should not undertake any action that threatens territorial losses. Every generation has to make its duty, and this generation made it”, Berisha declared.

The Prime Minister did not mention names of territories, in a time when the situation in Northern Mitrovica continues to be delicate. According to Berisha, the unification project for the Albanians is one.

“The only unification project for the Albanians is the EU integration”, Berisha declared.

When asked about the stance of the opposition leader, Edi Rama, on the Durres-Kukes road, Berisha accused Rama of joining anti-Albanian lobbies that wanted to put obstacles to the construction of the Nation’s Road.

According to Berisha, the corruption accusations are unfounded, because a road in a neighboring country was built with 13 millions EUR per kilometer, while the Nation’s Road cost less than 10 million EUR per kilometer.

“It is a very expensive road, but when you declared absurd corruption amounts of money, without any document to prove it, it only shows that you’re part of the lobbies that fought with all means to block the construction of the road. Rama has the right to review his mistakes, but by pretending that you were not against the road, you actually accuse the Albanians of not having a memory”, Berisha declared.

Asked by the Kosovo Students when Albania could become an EU member, PM Berisha did not give any date, but mentioned once again the opposition’s role for blocking the integration reform, and then declared that the current political reforms in the country make him optimist for progressing with the EU obligations.

The Red and Black Alliance: Unification is up to the people

After the Prime Minister’s declaration against the unification of the two Albanian states, the Red and Black Alliance reacted with a press release, as a movement that strongly supports the unification of both countries.

“The Unification of Kosovo with Albania is not up to the Prime Ministers, but to the people. Self-determination is a universal principle of the people’s right to chosse, despite the political wills”.