“As I have mentioned, on one hand we expect to open clusters, on the other we are realistic in understanding that this will be a tough process, and we need to improve at every stage. It’s not only about sticking to our words, but also about refining our actions,” the Prime Minister added.

“That is why I highly value this process, because, as the Commissioner rightly said, it helps the country grow, mature, transform, and become a state where institutions are far more important than anything else, and when the entire system works as a guarantor of democracy and the rule of law, everything else functions,” said Rama.

“Regarding the cluster we opened today, it’s not very difficult, because Albania has always been in alignment with the EU’s policies in terms of diplomacy and security. Even the Albanian people support these kinds of policies, and we have made a clear choice as a nation that we want to ‘marry’ the EU. Let’s forget all the past divorces. There is no turning back, only a path forward, and we must give the Albanian people what they are waiting for—not something they have been waiting for decades, but something they have been waiting for centuries on end,” said Rama.

Rama also quoted the poet Naim Frashëri:

“I’d like to share an iconic quote from our national poet, the poet of our Renaissance, who once wrote, ‘For Albanians, the sun rises where it sets, in the West.'”

/j.p/sm/