Rama called Albania’s chair of the Security Council a historic moment in international relations.

As a second point, Rama took the “Beleri” case. The prime minister emphasized that Albania is finally coming out of the danger of 100 years of systemic impunity. “Someone is saying that when a very hot potato is in the hands of justice, like that of Mr. Beleri, I should intervene and throw the potato into the sea, but this will never happen,” he wrote.

Thirdly, Rama wrote about the meeting in Brussels of the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia. “Despite our close ties and perhaps the unique relationship in the world with Kosovo, as the other Albanian state on the border with Albania, we have been, are and will be fully aligned in the line of efforts of the United States and the European Union to implement the plan to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia”, wrote Rama.

THREE CONSIDERATIONS IN ONE DAY

1. Next week, Albania will chair the Security Council meeting, right at the time when the representatives of the whole world convene at the United Nations Assembly in New York. This is a historical moment in Albania’s international relations, which speaks a lot about promotion of our state into a new level. There are many reasons to be proud of present-day Albania, but most of them are motifs to understand how much Albania can do and to progress decisively towards the new peak where we should climb as a country as a people, and in no way should be cause for self-satisfaction. But, one of the motifs that should make us proud and inspire us in our thinking and our national and political action today, is the fact that although in the Western Balkans Albanians are located in several countries, in significant numbers it must be said, Albania is a special example of not abusing with its ethnic communities present in other countries. We never incite ethnic unrest either in neighboring states or between neighboring states, touching feelings that can fuel opposition and ignite conflicts in this neighborhood of Europe, where we are all condemned to live forever together and forced to do the utmost to leave our children a space of understanding, tolerance and peace.

For us in Tirana, the ethnic communities scattered throughout the Western Balkans are a bridge of friendship and cooperation, just as the Albanians settled in many countries are the bearers of a future in peace with everyone, not a wick to be lit on behalf of the reasons for ignorance of the past, with which the short-sighted politics is usually fed in these areas.

There is no doubt that some all around, but even some of our international allies and partners, sometimes take it for granted, as something common and therefore for this unimportant reason, our emancipating approach for building and nourishing of friendly relations with everyone. Not because this makes us doubt in our approach, which is an approach that is both pragmatic and fundamentally valuable, for a European community like ours in Albania, but at some point or moment everyone should be reminded that we give trust, respect, friendship, but no one should ever take us for blind, deaf or dumb. We welcome criticism and help to improve from everyone, but no one can give Albania lessons on coexistence and respect for other ethnic groups.

2. The ruling majority that I lead have devised and firmly supported a reform so profound and so profoundly Europeanizing of the justice system that today, for the first time in the history of its state; Albania is coming out of the danger of 100 years of systemic impunity. The independent investigation and prosecution of a number of senior officials linked with the political power, including one of my former deputy prime ministers, are stubborn evidence of an epochal change in the life of our country. Many said that it would never happen in Albania for the powerful to be affected, but this is now clearly happening. Some others said that the government would control the new bodies of justice anyway, but this is already clearly not happening.

Someone says that if a very hot potato is in the hands of justice, like that of Mr. Beleri, I should intervene and throw the potato into the sea, but this will never happen. And I will only repeat to the annoyance of many, that the fight against corruption and organized crime will only deepen, despite the pain and costs, because this fight is right and necessary for the European Albania of all the children of this country. Unfortunately, the shadow of the stereotype that corruption is the way of living in the Balkans and everyone is the same, therefore everyone should be pointed at, no matter what they do to prove the opposite, extends up to the roofs of the offices of Western capitals. The lack of success in investigations, prosecutions and trials of high-level corruption is the same old story that is repeated every year by the four sides of the Western Balkans as a whole and Albania as well. The copy paste reports from the previous year have become fashionable and important institutions or big name organizations reprint them inserting some new thing, but that is as old as the previous ones, based on surveys and perceptions that are gathered under the shadow of that stereotype. But thankfully, we know better than anyone how much has changed, and how much still needs to be changed, and if there is a country in this region that deserves much more respect, even encouraging praise for the facts attached with this war, this country is Albania. However, everyone should know that although some kind and fully deserved words would please us as a sign of respect, the repetition of the same old story does not bother us at all, because we are not fighting this war for Brussels either, not even for Berlin or Washington, but for the actual children of the future Albania.

3. Today, the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia will meet in Brussels and I, as always, pray that it will not be another stroll, for another repetition of the song “the other one is to blame”. Despite our close ties and perhaps the unique relationship in the world with Kosovo, as the other Albanian state on the border with Albania, we have been, are and will be fully aligned in the line of efforts of the United States and the European Union, so that to realize the plan for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Not because our great strategic partners are always right, but because so far they have never been wrong in their request to both countries, and recently Kosovo in particular.

This June, during the peak of tensions in the northern municipalities of Kosovo, we regretfully canceled unilaterally the joint meeting of the two governments with Kosovo, which had been planned for a long time.

If we could go back a hundred times, we would cancel it a hundred times, because firstly, Albania is a responsible member of the Euro-Atlantic community even when it has to be positioned in relation to its own mistakes, let alone when it has to take a stance in relation to the mistakes of Kosovo or of the others.

Secondly, it was the most unsuitable moment to dance in Prizren, at a time when Kosovo should be on the side of the future, side by side with its strategic allies, and not on the side of the past, from which the poisonous theories of the great Albania conspiracy are fed.

Then, being aware that it was an unusual move, I presented to our strategic allies Albania’s contribution to the ongoing discussions on the creation of the Association of Municipalities with a Serbian majority, because I fully agree with them on the need for the rigorous implementation of everything that the state of Kosovo is committed to. Governments come and go, but serious states don’t in regard to their international commitments in the same way like governments do.

But, I have to reiterate that the above-mentioned things do not mean at all that Albania considers Kosovo as the only one responsible for bringing the dialogue to a dead end. Not at all. Kosovo took a significant step in the long-awaited direction, accepting the Franco-German plan without reference to mutual recognition and also accepting the proposal of self-management for the Serbian community. I immediately applauded Albin Kurti for this step publicly, not only personally. Now, it is the time for Serbia to come out of the trench of the absurdity of denying reality and act in good faith, enabling an implementation sequence that meets the needs of both sides within the Franco-German plan.

Albania has extended the hand of friendship to Serbia. Ironically, it has happened that we are the only country in the region that has spoken openly against the sanctions against Serbia and we have clearly explained why we are convinced of this position. However, and this should be emphasized, a successful conclusion of the normalization process between Kosovo and Serbia is also necessary for the stable future of Albania-Serbia relations.

Unfortunately, as I try unsuccessfully to understand the tactics of the Kosovo government, I remain equally unsuccessful in trying to understand Serbia’s dialogue strategy. I suspect that Belgrade’s strategy is to delay the process and benefit as much as possible from Pristina’s self-destructive tactics, which have continuously helped Serbia’s victimization in the international arena.

Unfortunately, some also forget that we are no longer in the 90s of the last century. Albania is for peace, reconciliation, common future and that’s all. But still, if things go wrong, Albania and the Albanians are with Kosovo and that it’s as sure as a gun. Having said that, I sincerely hope that everyone involved in the normalization process is aware of what is being played today between Kosovo and Serbia and understand that any other alternative, except for the immediate, comprehensive implementation of the agreement on the Franco-German plan on the way to the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia is to play with the fire, where whoever plays will burn first, and even worse, in the end the whole region will be scorched, but it will not escape without being burned even Europe itself.

The successful completion of the normalization process of Kosovo and Serbia is essential for regional peace and security, as well as for the security of Europe itself./p.s./