TIRANA, Sept 13 /ATA/ “What truly makes the difference is the dream,” Prime Minister Edi Rama told a group of World Economic Forum professors, linking Albania’s and the region’s transformation to the aspiration of European Union membership.
Answering a question from a Mongolian professor on Albania’s democratic transformation and transition challenges, Prime Minister Edi Rama said the country has undergone a long period of change, while the European “dream” has served as an important guiding factor.
“I believe what truly makes the difference is the dream,” Prime Minister Edi Rama said, citing Afghanistan and Iraq as examples where, according to him, people were offered promises of a better future that ultimately went unfulfilled.
Rama stressed that, unlike those countries, Albania has had the European Union dream, which has served as a shared aspiration for development and progress. According to the prime minister, the region’s countries have endured difficult transition periods, including civil, ethnic and religious conflicts, but today are on a development path oriented towards European integration.
“People in Afghanistan were offered a dream, but they were betrayed. In Iraq, people were told they were being bombed because a dream awaited them afterwards — but it never materialised. As for Mongolia, I do not know its history in the same way, but I know none of these countries ever had the dream of the European Union. Not only Albania, but other states in the region have endured transitions marred by civil, ethnic and religious wars, and now all are on a path of development. Yet without the EU as a dream, things would have been far worse for all of you,” Rama said.
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