Speaking at an event dedicated to the national “Double Your Entrepreneurship” programme, Rama highlighted the steady increase in tourist arrivals and the growing contribution of the tourism sector to the country’s economy.

“If you walk through Tirana today, there are almost as many tourists as there are residents of the city. But for the first time in five years, I have seen a graph that has levelled off, rather than declined, for the month of June,” Rama said.

According to him, tourism grew by 26% through the end of May compared with the previous year, while June recorded a 1% increase along with many cancelled bookings.

“They say this country has become a major hub for money laundering. But if that were really the case, who would allow us to continue moving ahead with the opening and closing of EU accession chapters? Even the suggestion that this could be true would have brought the entire process to a halt, and we would have become the target of international scrutiny by international institutions,” Rama said.

On the fight against corruption, Rama said the important development was not the emergence of an outside force to tackle the issue, but the introduction of new mechanisms within the state system.

According to Rama, SPAK is one of those mechanisms and an integral part of the institutional structure.

“This is the major change brought about by the transformation: the system is now fighting these issues, whereas in the past it did not. Until recently, the system lacked the internal checks and balances needed to guarantee accountability. Today, corruption, organised crime, trafficking, and criminal networks are being targeted through a process that is playing out in full public view,” Rama said.

Rama attributed the appreciation of the Albanian lek to increased economic activity and foreign currency inflows, including from tourism and investment, saying it reflects a transformed economy compared with previous years.

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