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Prime Minister Edi Rama: Prime Minister Edi Rama: Let me first tell you how grateful I am to all of you for your presence and how particularly humbled I feel to welcome to Tirana our honorable friend, His Excellency, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Republic of Ukraine.

Dear President, very dear friend!

We are deeply honored that you made this trip to Tirana amid the extraordinary responsibilities of leadership, not only to your nation and people, but to our entire democratic world in resisting the war that has been so cruelly imposed on your country, which has simultaneously brutally challenged our democratic world.

This is a war that neither Ukraine nor our community of like-minded nations chose, a catastrophe conceived by the decision of one man, driven by the old dream of an imperial past.

Your presence here is a reminder that he has not succeeded, and that despite its military strength and toxic propaganda, neo-imperialist Russia has not succeeded in overthrowing the democratically elected government of Ukraine; has not succeeded in suppressing the will of the people of Ukraine, to live in a free, independent and democratic homeland.

He has not succeeded in suppressing the truth!

The contrast can’t be any stronger than that!

Vladimir Putin wanted to erase Ukraine from the map within a matter of days, but today Ukraine is more than ever anchored in Europe and I believe more confident about its European destiny.

I look around this table, I see familiar, friendly faces, after a long history of wars, conflicts and strained relationships. All of us here in the Western Balkans have tried for over a decade to come together and meet. To talk about our challenges, to plan our futures. Despite what we still can’t agree on, we aim to look forward instead of turning our heads at the brutal history of bloody divisions that have held us hostage for so many generations. The future that we in Albania see is a common future where we live in peace with our neighbours, where we work in cooperation with our partners and stay in friendship with the world.

Your presence here Mr. President calls us to accept something of extraordinary importance, that the same hope that has brought us together over the years, unites us now with the people of Ukraine. We have just marked the second anniversary of the Russia’s massive offensive against Ukraine and its capital Kiev and we are here to renew solidarity and support for Ukraine and its people and to you, Mr. President. We also want to renew our call for Russia to stop this war. We want to renew our commitment to peace, a just peace based on the Charter of the United Nations, international law and the resolutions of the General Assembly of the United Nations. A peace that respects Ukraine and its rights.

We gather here to reaffirm that we remain united in our response, we remain firmly with Ukraine in the face of the threat, a very real threat to the security of Europe and the global order. But we are also aware of our limitations. We ourselves do not have the capacity to provide the levels of financial and military support that Ukraine needs to properly defend itself and its people. So let me ask everyone here to join me in calling on the biggest and wealthiest members of our democratic community to recognize their role. The survival of Ukraine as a free, independent and democratic state and as a bastion of freedom in Europe as a whole depends on the financial and military support they will provide. This support should not be hostage to short-term domestic policies or democratic delays. Make no mistake! Ukraine is fighting not only for itself, but for everything we believe in, stand for and work for. There are some cynical opportunists out there who believe that helping Ukraine resist the invading army hinders the cause of peace, but I can tell them today that the way to end war is not to disarm the victim, but to stop the aggressor.

Rewarding an aggressor who annexes the territories of a sovereign country by disarming the victim of aggression does not bring peace, but paves the way for more war. Stopping Ukraine instead of stopping Vladimir Putin legitimizes further aggression and turns our world into one ruled by might, not rights.

Colleagues and friends, we know too well that our region and our continent are no strangers to wars and their devastating consequences.

Europe as we know it emerged after two terrible world wars just a century ago. In our region, after more than a quarter of a century, the deep wounds left by the violent disintegration of the former Yugoslavia, the last dictatorship of our Europe, still need to be healed, but we have also seen the construction of peace reflected above all in the vision, unparalleled wisdom and courage that led to the creation and development of the EU.

The vision that led to the creation of the EU guides the Western Balkans today in our journey towards the future, a future that we can only achieve in peace by staying united and resolving our differences in a peaceful, constructive way in the name of future generations. Unfortunately, all of this is now at risk because the rules-based international order is being challenged since power relations have turned into power struggles, because old appetites for dominance are opening up. All this sows fear and a sense of instability. We cannot and must not fall prey. The only choice we have is to collectively resist the forces that seek to undo what we have painstakingly built together. We cannot be naive and careless and leave our future hostage to unbridled desires. We in the Western Balkans must continue to stand together, mobilize all our capacities and resources, strengthen our ties, what unites us, our institutions, our organizations, what strengthens our democracies and do everything we can to not let aggression be rewarded. We cannot and must not let Russia win. Such an outcome would be untenable. The entire European project, including the existence of the EU, would be at risk. Our shared dream of a future of peace and prosperity would be pushed to the brink of a much, much darker future. A future that is too painful to imagine. This is why we must support the fight for freedom and dignity of Ukraine. This war is also for our dignity and we must continue to advocate for peace, a just peace for Ukraine and its people.

Albania has done what it can, and will continue to do so. The joint statement that we signed today in support of the Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine will further strengthen our relations and determination to continue standing by Ukraine.

Finally, for many of those small nations like us who do not want to become fodder for Russia’s imperialist appetite, we need absolute clarity about Ukraine, we need unwavering solidarity with Ukraine and we need a common strategy to support Ukraine.

Slava Ukraina! The floor is for you, Mr. President

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Thank you dear Prime Minister Rama!

Dear colleagues, dear friends!

First of all, I would like to thank Prime Minister Rama for all your personal and Albania’s support for Ukraine – both military and humanitarian, as well as political one. Thank you for organizing and hosting this Summit. This is the second time we meet in such a format – previously we met in Athens, and now in welcoming Tirana.

I highly appreciate your hospitality and this opportunity to discuss all together how we can strengthen our countries, regions, and the entire Europe. Everyone understands that now is the time when the path of Europe is being determined for at least several next generations. We all want Europe to be a space where every nation determines its own destiny. We have seen in the past how someone else tried to determine the fate of other nations. This happened in the Balkans, in Eastern Europe, and in all other parts of Europe. Now Putin wants to do exactly the same. All his hostility, everything he does, and everything he wants to force other nations to do, is an attempt to make the old dictates of how nations should exist and what they should agree or disagree with – to make it the new normal. So, that’s why it is important for all free nations, all of us, that Putin and his regime lose – because all his failures are our common security.

Dear colleagues!

Our vision of Europe and life in all its regions is based on the principle of dignity – equal dignity of each country. There must be no Europe of “different dignities” – when someone deserves security and peace while someone’s struggle for peace is ignored, when someone deserves integration into unions and alliances, and someone is supposed to stay behind and wait.

We believe that respect for every nation, the equal right of nations to security and independent choice of their destiny should be universal principles. And through our cooperation we can ensure this.

Firstly, we believe that every nation in Europe which keeps the principles of the European and Euro-Atlantic communities and wants to be a member of these communities deserves full integration.

Ukraine supports your countries on their integration path and is grateful for your support of our integration. The European Union and NATO have provided Europe with the longest and most reliable era of security and economic development. And we are all equally worthy of being a part of the European and Euro-Atlantic communities.

Secondly, I am grateful to all the leaders and nations who have already supported our Peace Formula and joined the global efforts to implement it. The obvious advantage of the Peace Formula is that it is comprehensive – meaning that every aspect of the Russian war can be resolved through the points of the Formula, and also that its nature is inclusive. Every leader and every state can prove themselves in the peace process – not only the so-called “great powers”, not only those who are traditionally active in diplomacy in Europe or elsewhere. We want international law and global stability to be based on truly multilateral and transparent processes – on the equality of nations. Just as everyone deserves peace, everyone can contribute to the restoration of peace. I invite you all to take part in the first Global Peace Summit – at the level of leaders, to be held in Switzerland.

Thirdly – defense. During the full-scale war, we proved that it is possible to withstand and overcome even an enemy that seemed to be one of the strongest in the world. Every nation can succeed in defense when different nations cooperate and people are motivated enough to be resilient. We propose to combine and strengthen such our experience. We are proud that there are about 500 defense companies operating in Ukraine in different areas, and each of them adds strength. But it is not enough to win over Putin. We see the problems with supply of ammunition – which are affecting the situation on the battlefield. And we are interested in co-production with you and all our partners. Our governmental team will present the details. We propose to hold a special Ukraine-Balkans Defense Industry Forum in Kyiv or in one of your capitals.

And I am grateful for the joint work between our countries on roads and ports, railways and at sea. Together with defense packages, macro-financial and political support, the interaction between us, between neighbors, between neighboring regions, between all partners – has become a factor that, along with the resilience of our people in Ukraine, does not allow Putin to prevail. I would also like to emphasize our joint work in the Black Sea and the Danube region for the sake of food security. It helps the whole world.

We must continue to develop our good neighborly relations – in logistics and infrastructure, in trade and energy relations, in politics, in countering Russian disinformation and Russian attempts to destabilize our political systems.

Everything that makes us good partners also makes Putin weaker. That is why he invests so much in divisions and crises – he knows exactly what serves his interests. We must see exactly what works for our interests – and that’s the way we will all be protected. I am sure of it.

Thank you for your attention!

Thank you for the invitation, Prime Minister!

Slava Ukraini!

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