TIRANA, Oct 17 /ATA/ Prime Minister Edi Rama said today that no one would be allowed to hold Albania back on its path towards European Union membership.
Speaking during a visit to a business damaged by violence during recent protests in Tirana, Rama said those responsible for damaging public and private property would be held accountable under the law. He added that affected businesses would receive government assistance, including financial compensation.
In his remarks, Rama highlighted developments over the past decade, pointing to growth in gross domestic product (GDP), increased foreign investment, the expansion of tourism and rising wages.
“Do not forget that we have achieved extraordinary things in just one decade. We have begun to close the negotiating chapters on our journey towards the summit, where we will lead Albania with the flags of Ismail Qemali and Skanderbeg, into the home of a united Europe. We have tripled the country’s gross domestic product, from less than €10 billion to almost €30 billion,” he noted.
“We have attracted increasing levels of foreign investment. We have expanded our tourism industry to a scale we could not even have imagined a decade ago, and we have given Albania a level of dignity in the eyes of the world that it has never had before,” Rama said.
Turning to wages, he stressed that they could never be high enough, but had continued to rise.
“Meanwhile, public debt has fallen, while wages have reached historic levels. Today, the vast majority of services are available with a single click on a mobile phone or the nearest computer,” Rama said.
Rama highlighted Albania’s progress in European integration, pledging to continue advancing towards EU membership. He said the government would protect students’ right to education, citizens’ right to work and live with dignity, and everyone’s right to travel safely, while rejecting attempts to undermine these freedoms through political violence.
Rama said violence is not a political alternative and stressed that those responsible for the destruction would face the law, while those affected would receive compensation. He added that Albania would not be held hostage by anyone or deterred from its path towards development and European integration.
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