At the event organized in the US in appreciation of Albania’s role in housing and protection of Jews, Rama said that “Albania today holds its head high on the world arena after moving from a dark dictatorial past to a long transitional journey, during which we have suffered many prejudices from the outside world and the stigma of poor criminals”.

The Prime Minister emphasized that “the transformation of our country through a fundamentally tough but necessary reform of justice and the boom in tourism with the level of safety at an all- time high, along with our roles in the Security Council, at the helm of the OSCE and the United Nations Human Rights Council, speaks for itself.”

The Prime Minister also stated, “We have found our voice in the region, a voice that the great powers hear and believe, but my concern is to ensure that this new position of Albania becomes irreversible.”

“We want stronger friendships with all our natural friends. Our strategic allies are the USA and the EU, which is the blessing of our region, which, otherwise, could forget democratic state-building and prosperity. We have forged strategic partnerships with Italy, Turkey, and Greece. These are our neighbours; you can imagine, it’s not easy, but they are our friends,” he added.

The Prime Minister also emphasized that “we want stronger ties with Israel.”

“We want to build stronger partnerships with the Arab world and have greatly strengthened our partnership with the United Arab Emirates, which is a quite inspiring country with a progressive, visionary, peace-loving leader who comes along only once in a lifetime, and also with Saudi Arabia, whose push for reform and pursuit of progress under the stewardship of another visionary leader has brought us much closer than ever before,” said Rama.

The Prime Minister emphasized that “we do not want conflicts or nationalist animosity in the region.”

“We aim to promote not only with words but through our example, peace, regional cooperation, and always dialogue instead of flexing muscles. I have a lesson from my grandmother whose quotes always ring true: ‘A happy neighbour makes a happy home.’ I believe that if we think God is on our side but also on the other side, we have the opportunity to understand that in God’s eyes we are all on the same side: the side of humanity. The fact that it was written that the greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to impact those around him positively and we are all born good at heart did not save Anne Frank. But, as Simon Wiesenthal points out, ‘for evil to flourish, it is enough for good people to do nothing.’ Rosh Hashanah—the Jewish New Year—a time for reflection, renewal, and new beginnings is fast approaching,” he added.

Rama said, “This is a reminder that even in the face of difficulties and turmoil, there is always an opportunity to start anew.”

“Rosh Hashanah teaches us that the past does not define our future; on the contrary, it asks us to embrace the promise of what lies ahead with hope and determination. Just as the sound of the Shofar awakens the spirit within us, let this moment awaken our resolve to build a world where peace, tolerance, and understanding are not just aspirations, but the reality we actively shape, and part of that reality is our unwavering stance against anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and all the forms of evil that seek to throw the world into turmoil,” said Rama.

/sm/