TIRANA, October 28 /ATA/ – Prime Minister Edi Rama reflected today on his experience during student movements and his involvement in political dialogue processes, focusing on the 2018 protests and the agreement on the “Pact for the University.”
In a message addressed to students, Rama emphasized that freedom, dialogue, and respect for the norms of democratic coexistence are principles that—in his view—cannot be replaced by imposition or violence.
“I do not recognize the language of force, imposition, or violence. Furthermore, I will not negotiate with anyone regarding European civilization, the Albanian tradition of taking turns to speak, or the fundamental norms of democratic coexistence. When I was a young lecturer—alongside other faculty members and students at the Academy of Arts—I rebelled against a brutal regime precisely because I wanted freedom, not imposition. I sought open dialogue, not blind violence directed at any dissenting opinion. In the wake of that rebellion—driven by extraordinary courage and determination that spread throughout the entire university—students engaged in dialogue. In fact, the very figurehead of the communist regime sat down for dialogue, and from that moment, political pluralism was born,” he said. “Later, when I was leader of the opposition, I even wrote letters calling for dialogue—explaining my reasons for wanting to engage with my opponent—setting aside any sense of arrogance. And in the quality of prime minister, through dialogue, I established a common starting point with students for the ‘Pact for the University’ following the massive protests in 2018. Even then, it took several weeks for the dialogue to begin, because—facing a segment of your professors, a group of neo-communists blinded by a lack of democratic vision, alongside young people following false idols—the same thing happened then that is happening today: ‘No dialogue; just meet our demands.’ But the problem is, if freedom were to function that way, democratic coexistence would cease to exist and we would be left with nothing but a jungle,” stated Rama.
Rama remarked that he has followed the peaceful protests more closely than anyone else. “In fact, I have listened to them more than anyone else. They were here every night, right beneath my window, while I was in my office working. Still, their demand hadn’t changed since the very first day: no dialogue—just resignation. I knew their speeches by heart, yet I couldn’t find any vision, substance, or real criticism within that cacophony of rage and nationalist folklore—which, Heaven forbid, must have had the prophets of the Albanian nation turning in their graves,” said Rama. /p.s./
