TIRANA, May 24 /ATA/ Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Sunday that on May 26 Albania will officially open the final phase of negotiations for the European Union membership, following the successful completion of the initial phase of the process.
In his weekly notes feature, Prime Minister Rama pointed out that the highlight of these notes pertains to the discussions between the European Commission and the member states in Brussels, focusing on the report assessing Albania’s accomplishment of its taks following the opening of all negotiation chapters.
The Prime Minister further addressed the opposition, which he asserted had launched a ‘negative energy offensive’ against Albania in the international arena. He cited the protests and incidents in Tirana, which, in his view, were orchestrated with the intention of tarnishing the country’s image in the eyes of its European partners.”
Rama remarked that the opposition had alleged Albania’s European course was blocked and that the government stood isolated; yet he stressed that the developments in Brussels clearly showed otherwise.
“That confrontation took its course, while the ‘Molotovs’ of Tirana were unleashed in desperation through an unparalleled offensive of negative energy. They poured into the streets determined to set Albania ablaze in the eyes of the world, rejoicing like children when images of burning bins or Molotov cocktails and flares thrown across Tirana circulated through the international media. Gathering petrol to hurl improvised explosive devices with paid vandals, they likewise flooded Albania’s channels and portals to poison public opinion. Spewing political vitriol, mirror upon mirror, they spread across Europe with proverbial mud and mire — culminating in what transpired during the so‑called three‑day visit to the Foreign Ministry in Berlin.
“In fact, in order to deface Albania in the eyes of our partners wherever possible, they gathered and scattered about seeking punishment, blockade, and isolation for the country, leaving behind a disgrace unparalleled by any other opposition in the history of European integration among states that today are members of the European Union or aspire to join it. They alleged that Albania’s European course was blocked, that the country had at last been punished, and that our government was entirely isolated. They deceived themselves, deceived themselves, for such notions stemmed from their shallow and misguided thinking and, in the end, they were shamefully defeated, while Albania once again prevailed through effort, dignity, and pride,” Rama declared.
Prime Minister Rama affirmed that the Albania–EU Intergovernmental Conference will formally seal the transition to the final phase of negotiations, while emphasising the strategic objective of Albania’s accession to the European Union within the current decade.
“Thus, on 26 May in Brussels, the Albania–European Union Intergovernmental Conference will formally seal the successful completion of the introductory phase and inaugurate the final stage of negotiations for Albania’s accession to the European Union. We have ascended yet another arduous height on the path to the summit, which we are determined to reach within this decade, where we shall symbolically hoist the flags of Skanderbeg and Ismail Qemali in the courtyard of the great house of a united Europe,” Rama declared.
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