Edi Rama: Serbia is no longer an enemy of Albania 

Dec 15, 2014

TIRANA – Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said at a meeting with ambassadors in Tirana that Albania will “unreservedly” support Serbia during its chairmanship of the OSCE in 2015 and stressed that Serbia is no longer an enemy of Albania. 

PHOTO: TANJUG / SRDJAN ILIC PHOTO: TANJUG / SRDJAN ILIC 

“In 2015 Serbia will become the first country in the region to take over the presidency of the OSCE. Albania will unreservedly support Serbia in this very important task for our region,” said Rama in a speech to accredited ambassadors. He said that Albania hopes it will see the progress of its neighbors and that the progress will be observed through the apparent increase of the standard of freedom and rights of Albanians Presevo Valley. 

“This new era in the Balkans has finally brought peace among Albanians wherever they live, which makes it necessary for our country to not only keep up with European challenges in the region, but to continue the path of peace and dialogue with Serbia,” said Albanian Prime Minister. “Serbia is no longer our enemy, but a neighbor who became a true partner in order to build European future of the Balkans,” he added. “No one can, better than us Albanians, understand the problem of Serbia to accept the large, irreversible turning point in its traditional relations with the Albanians. But, on the other hand, no one can, better than us, understand that it would be inexcusable for us not to go further from that history, by rejecting and leaving behind any nationalist challenge and staying open and decisive, but also patient in this relationship which is hard but has strategic importance for our national interest,” said Albanian Prime Minister. 

Rama said that a stunning example – of believing in possibilities and potential of “this amazing collaboration” – comes from European history of relations between Germany and France. He acknowledged that “it is easier to think about it, but a little harder to pronounce it”, but that he believes that the two countries can succeed “because they are not alone in it” especially emphasizing the support of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He recalled that recently new Kosovo government was formed. 

‘The experience of this year gives me an opportunity to convince (Prime Minister Isa) Mustafa and (Deputy Prime Minister Hashim) Thachi that for us Albanians, who, because of the inability to agree on the leader, were often slowed down in large or small steps in history,” said Rama. “This year would not have been this encouraging without the summit in Berlin who opened the road of the new definition of coexistence among the countries of the region, but also between the region and EU,” said Rama, referring to the conference of the countries of the region in the German capital in August. “One sees, hears and better understands every day that this new era of the Balkans, to which Chancellor Angela Merkel dedicated a new initiative so that the region would be closer to itself and the Union in short time, does not come in good time for Europe,” said Rama. Rama said that the Union still needs the Balkans, as much as the Balkans needs the EU. “If the enlargement fatigue prevails in the EU, there will be no surprise if the patience fatigue prevails in the Western Balkans,” concluded Albanian Prime Minister.

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