TIRANA, July 14 /ATA/ -Main opposition Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha told the General Assembly of the International Democrat Union–Centrist Democrat International (IDC-CDI) in Brussels that Albania had become a “narco-state” and no longer held genuine elections, calling for the creation of a dedicated working group to tackle links between organised crime and political power.
Speaking in his capacity as an IDC-CDI vice president, Berisha alleged that criminal organisations wield extensive influence in Albania.
“Albania is one of the world’s strongest narco-states. It is governed by criminal organisations. Albania is Europe’s largest exporter of cannabis, while Albanian drug cartels are the biggest transporters of cocaine from Latin America to Europe,” he said.
He also claimed that drug cartels controlled the country’s ports, construction permits and coastal areas, arguing that countries affected by organised crime posed a threat beyond their own borders.
“I believe our organisations should establish a special working group on drug cartels, narco-states and trafficking. Such countries are dangerous not only to themselves, but also to the region and beyond,” Berisha said.
The Democratic Party leader also alleged that Albania no longer holds free elections.
“In my country there are no elections anymore; there are only electoral farces,” he said.
Berisha also referred to the book The Albanian Files, which he said documents 523 large-scale development projects in some of Albania’s most scenic coastal and mountainous areas. He alleged that many involve land previously designated as protected areas and accused Prime Minister Edi Rama of making unilateral decisions over the country’s territory.
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