TIRANA, September 12 /ATA/ MP of the Democratic Party in opposition Gazment Bardhi told the Parliament today that, “According to the information made public, two ships with 100 containers with about 816 tons of waste inside are returning to the Port of Durrës”.
During the interpellation requested by him with Prime Minister Edi Rama regarding the issue of toxic waste, Bardhi said that, “Basel Action Network (BAN) has said to prestigious media organs, including ‘Voice of America’, that the port of Durrës, not only in this case, but also in other cases before, has been used to illegally transport dangerous toxic waste from Albania, the region and probably from other European countries to some Asian countries”.
“On August 8, 2024, three international environmental organizations denounced the fact that two ships setting sail from the port of Durrës were transporting dangerous substances to Asia. The ships had left in July without confirmation that the host country, which in this case was Thailand, would accept them. When the government of Thailand learned about the type of cargo carried by the ships departing from the port of Durrës, it refused to accept them in its territory,” Bardhi said.
Bardhi said that, “In regard to the recent export, reasonable suspicions show that the ash exported from the port of Durrës belongs to the company “Sokolaj” sh.p.k., licensed by this government, the production and waste belong to the factory of Kurum International sh. a in Elbasan that produces steel and iron. The Basel Action Network has stated that in April several tons of hazardous waste were sent to China from the port of Durres, which are kept blocked and are expected to return to the port of Durres.
Bardhi said that the relevant institutions gave some confusing reports after the news came out.
“There are serious doubts that Albania has violated the Basel Convention, the United Nations treaty that regulates the trade of hazardous waste, signatory countries including Albania are not allowed to send toxic waste to another country unless they have received prior approval from the host country “, said Bardhi.
Bardhi concluded by saying that, “This shows that we are no longer dealing with an isolated incident, but with a genuine criminal activity”. /k.s/p.s./
