TIRANA, May 3/ATA/ Prime Minister Edi Rama stated during the special Parliamentary session where the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Albanian Parliament directly from Kiev, that Albania will support Ukraine in NATO and the Security Council.
Rama said the following:
“Your Excellency, President of Ukraine, dear friend!
This parliament, which today has the honor to get together to listen to you, is not distinguished for the spirit of agreement between the political parties.
There are very rare in thirty years of pluralism the cases when in this Parliament the parties have agreed and the support for the Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invaders is one of these rare cases, when all of us here agreed without making the slightest discussion.
From the start of the aggression on Ukraine, not only us, but all of Albania, all Albanians everywhere, our entire nation, including the other Albanian state, Kosovo, have lined up side by side with you, with heart, mind, and with everything we can.
Albania is a much smaller country than Ukraine, Mr. President. Our opportunities to help you are quite modest, compared to the dizzying size of your challenge.
But, we have believed from the beginning that if in terms of material support, our country cannot make any difference in this war, Albania can be valuable to Ukraine with its voice, even at the NATO table, whether at the table of the United Nations Security Council, where we had the honor to be co-penholders of some significant stances against Russian aggression. The day after tomorrow, on May 5, Albania will be present at the Donors’ Conference for Ukraine convened by Poland in Warsaw, where we will also make our modest contribution.
Although the cruelty of this war cannot be properly perceived by anyone other than the Ukrainian people, let me tell you, dear President Zelensky, that our recent history, when half a million Albanians were displaced by the violence of ethnic cleansing, from their lands in Kosovo and found refuge in Albania, however, helps us to feel from afar the great pain of Ukraine.
The separation of mothers and children from fathers who stand to fight, the mobilization of girls who take up arms to resist, your unwavering resistance at the head of the state that refuses to surrender the freedoms gained, all the images and evidence of this unimaginable tragedy until the day of the entry of Russian troops into the sovereign territory of Ukraine, are in addition to the extreme sacrifice of a freedom-loving people also an invaluable service, which you and your country are doing to the whole world until yesterday dormant democracy.
Dear our friend President Zelensky,
I often remember our conversation in Kiev and your desire for Albania to become a place where Ukrainians have second homes for their holidays. We are very close to being so far away!” you said with the pleasure of someone who has discovered a beautiful place near the house.
We all already know that this war may not be short, just as every passing day, with new horrors, prolongs even more the very narrow path to peace. But, I sincerely believe, Mr. President, that if today Ukrainians are coming to Albania fleeing to protect their children from the war, tomorrow your wish is for them to come here to their second homes, to spend a happy holiday with family and it will become a reality.
I and all of us here would like to say many things to you today, but you certainly have many more important things to do Honorable President, so let me close this speech by expressing on behalf of Albania and Albanians, all our support, respect and friendship.
God be with you and the heroic Ukraine!
