Rama said the meeting offered a platform for bringing together diverse perspectives and experiences, underscoring the importance of dialogue and the exchange of ideas.

“It is a real honour and privilege to join you. This platform, created to bring together knowledge from unexpected sources, also demonstrates something very important: that peace is not a diplomatic achievement that comes before economic development, but a political condition that economic development makes possible,” Rama said.

He said the true measure of progress was the prospects that societies create for future generations.

“We should not forget that the true measure of progress is the horizon of opportunities we leave to those who come after us. And for everyone who comes after us, that horizon of opportunity is not only our own country, but our shared world,” he said.

Rama also stressed the need for greater mutual understanding and dialogue, saying Europe had a wealth of experience and ideas that it had yet to fully embrace and put into practice.

“There are so many things we need to understand and discuss together, and there is so much wisdom out there that Europe has not yet managed to embrace and apply,” Rama said.

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“Before coming here, I heard that some members of this community had called for protests over my visit. That is, of course, their right, but I would have liked them to be here, facing me, to voice their objections and hear the answers directly,” Rama said.

Speaking to the Albanian community in Michigan, Rama said disagreement was an essential part of democratic life but should be expressed with respect and without hatred.

“I particularly like the saying that the quality of democratic coexistence is not determined by how often we agree, but by how we disagree,” he said.

Rama said people could strongly defend opposing positions while respecting one another, drawing a distinction between verbal political confrontation and hostility.

“Democracy is disagreement that excludes hatred, confrontation that always implies respect, and a struggle in which the end does not justify every means,” he said.

Rama added that building a society in which democracy works for everyone was a longer process than initially expected.

“Simply being free is not enough to create a society where democracy works for everyone,” he said.

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In an interview with Klan News, Hill described Thaçi as a capable commander who was exceptionally mature for his age and said he had always regarded him highly.

“Hashim Thaçi was a remarkable personality, very mature for his age. He understood that Kosovo needed to be in a better position, and I always appreciated him. I do not believe he was involved in crimes. I never had the sense that Thaçi was involved in illegal acts,” Hill said.

Hill urged Kosovo Albanians not to respond to the verdict with resentment, but to look ahead and await the outcome of the appeals process.

“I would appeal to people not to feel resentment over this decision. We should look ahead and hope that the Appeals Court decision will be in favour of the former KLA leaders,” he said.

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers sentenced Thaçi and three other former KLA leaders to a combined 81 years in prison at first instance.

Thaçi and Jakup Krasniqi were each sentenced to 25 years, Kadri Veseli to 18 years and Rexhep Selimi to 13 years. The verdicts are subject to appeal.

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“Twenty-seven years have passed, and some of those in court have forgotten the fear of Milosevic’s repression of the people of Kosovo,” Clark said in a live interview with “Off the Record” talk show at A2 CNN television.

He recalled the summer of 1998, when he said more than 400,000 people were driven from their villages and Serbian forces carried out operations targeting intellectuals, lawyers and professors, as well as looting homes and committing horrendous crimes against civilians.

“People resisted, of course, but perhaps today, 27 years later, looking at what is happening with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and in the Middle East, people forget. But it is not the same thing. They should not forget what happened from 1997 to 1999,” Clark said, adding that the lessons of Kosovo were important for protecting human rights.

Asked about the Hague verdict, which sentenced four former KLA leaders to a combined 81 years in prison, Clark said he had seen no evidence that justified the convictions.

“I know Thaçi and his colleagues and all those who fought. I testified at the trial and said what I had seen. I knew what was happening in Kosovo and about our cooperation with the KLA, and I saw no evidence to justify this kind of decision,” Clark said.

He acknowledged that the court had issued its ruling but said the appeals process would be difficult.

Clark also questioned the significance of evidence that had been kept secret from him during the proceedings.

“These secret testimonies, where even I was not shown any evidence from the prosecution, would not have changed my mind,” he said.

Clark said he had met Hashim Thaçi three times during the conflict, including at the Rambouillet talks, and later in Kosovo.

“The KLA and what was happening there was a rebellion against an authoritarian regime,” he said, adding that individual crimes had also been committed by Serbs against their Albanian neighbours.

Clark said he had also described in court the strong emotions within communities where people who had lived alongside each other for years felt betrayed by their neighbours.

He said he believed Thaçi had made a significant effort to protect the innocent Serbian population, including those living north of the Iber River.

“I had concerns about what could happen later, but I could not say that Thaçi was someone who should be convicted of war crimes,” Clark said.

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In a statement posted on social media, Gërvalla said she had asked the Office of the State Chief Prosecutor to launch an investigation and, if warranted, proceed with an indictment and seek a court-imposed sentence.

“Public statements that seek to justify ethnic cleansing and the expulsion of an entire people cannot be treated as ordinary political rhetoric. They carry profound historical, legal and human consequences,” Gërvalla said.

She added that Kosovo “will never bow to hate speech or narratives aimed at undermining peace, security and interethnic coexistence.”

According to Gërvalla, Paunović said in an interview with Serbian media outlet Kurir on July 12: “If I had been Slobodan Milošević, I would have carried out the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo in 1998.”

Following the remarks, Kosovo’s acting Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla declared Paunović persona non grata, permanently banning her from entering or transiting through Kosovo.

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In a social media post, Rama said it was unreasonable to expect every public figure, institution and authority to respond to every controversial statement made in Serbia, including by figures he described as previously unknown.

“The idea that every person with a public voice, every institution and authority must respond to every absurd statement made in Serbian – even by figures whose existence was known only to their families until they uttered such nonsense – shows how little those who raise the alarm and demand explanations for why this or that person did not react actually respect themselves and their country,” Rama wrote.

He said the government had responded through Foreign Minister Ferit Hoxha, who has officially condemned the Serbian minister’s remarks.

“We have reacted through the Foreign Minister, as any state that respects itself does. Those who expect us to become a hysterical chorus every time someone in Belgrade makes a reckless statement are looking in the wrong place,” Rama said.

The Prime Minister also criticised opposition figures for what he called attempts to exploit such issues for political gain, saying they were seeking opportunities to “pose as fighters on the front line.”

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At the opening ceremony, Rama said the initiative had initially been met with scepticism and ridicule, but added that it had now become a reality with the school officially opening its doors.

The government head thanked Israel-based defence company Elbit Systems, describing it as a global leader in military technology, for its involvement in the project.

“They believed in this project and joined us, providing their outstanding expertise, which makes Elbit Systems one of the most advanced capabilities in today’s defence technology sector,” Rama said.

The Prime Minister said that only a decade ago the Albanian Armed Forces had been left in a difficult state, while personnel faced significant challenges. He referred to past corruption allegations linked to participation in peacekeeping missions abroad as “painful anecdotes.”

Rama said the armed forces are now among the best paid in the region, adding that the government’s goal is to bring salaries closer to the NATO average under the “Albania 2030” vision and the EU accession process.

He also highlighted growing interest among young people in joining the armed forces, saying recruitment had shifted from scarcity to competition.

The National Flight School, he said, will train and certify not only Albanian pilots but also young pilots from NATO countries in the region, including Kosovo.

Rama said Defence Minister had been tasked with exploring interest from Kosovo and other neighbouring NATO member states in sending pilots for training and certification in Albania.

He added that the school benefits from international expertise provided by Elbit Systems, as well as experience from Albanian Air Force personnel.

Rama also said the country now has a fully operational air fleet and is better prepared to respond to seasonal challenges such as wildfires.

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Mr. Metani made the following remarks:

“Thank you for the invitation and the opportunity you gave me to express some thoughts regarding the completion of the transitional re-evaluation process of judges and prosecutors.

Although an unusual and shocking process for the system, the vetting of judges and prosecutors came as an imperative of the time, to address the deep and widespread public distrust of the justice system, high perception of corruption in the judiciary and corporatism in the system. In this regard, the members of the vetting bodies and IMO have done an extraordinary job, verifying and removing from the system the unhealthy part of it, based on concrete standards for assessing the integrity of judges and prosecutors. Today, the justice system, also because of this work, is significantly better than that of the period before 2016.

Now, the completion of the vetting process requires a careful assessment and a reflection on the future, as it marks the transition from the phase of the functioning of the extraordinary and sui generis vetting mechanism, of the checking of the integrity and professionalism of magistrates, towards a new stage, where the responsibility for guaranteeing the integrity and professionalism of magistrates belongs entirely to the new justice institutions.

This is why the completion of this process should not be seen as the finalization, or the achievement of the appropriate and successful results of the justice reform journey. This moment marks the beginning of the most important phase of the justice reform, which is related to the institutionalization of integrity and accountability standards. The challenge now is no longer to cleanse the justice system of unprofessional or irresponsible magistrates, but to guarantee the functioning of the justice system on the basis of stable standards of professionalism, ethics, and accountability.

Today, we must take a step forward towards a justice system that functions under normal conditions. A state governed by the rule of law cannot rely indefinitely on extraordinary measures. When extraordinary measures are of a continuing or permanent nature, they risk running counter to the very principles they are intended to protect. For this reason, the dilemma we must answer today is not whether or not vetting standards should continue, but whether these standards have become part of the functioning of the new institutions of the justice system to guarantee the integrity and accountability of magistrates in the future.

The challenge for all of us today is to build a new justice system that is sustainable, organized and operates on the basis of a “regular accountability” system. If we are to judge the success of the justice reform one day, the most significant indicator will not be simply the number of cases processed by the vetting bodies, or the individual decisions issued by them, but the ability of the new and permanent institutions to maintain and develop the very standards of integrity, professionalism and accountability that the vetting process aimed to establish. Only then can we say that the exceptional standards of a transitional nature have fulfilled their mission for which they were created, not by replacing the current institutions, but by creating the conditions for these institutions to function in accordance with the principles of the rule of law. For this reason, the focus of the new institutions of the justice system must remain on professionalism, impartiality, transparency and independence in the exercise of their constitutional powers. In this regard, the construction of stable and predictable institutional administrative practice is equally important. Reasoned decisions, clear procedures and consolidated legal standards not only strengthen the legal certainty of institutional activity but also contribute to the creation of a culture of professional accountability.

In this process, High Inspector of Justice is not the only institution that should play an important role. High Judicial Council and High Prosecutorial Council play an equally important role in guaranteeing meritocracy, career development and the effective functioning of accountability mechanisms. Meanwhile, the School of Magistrates remains the key institution where not only professional knowledge is shaped, but also the ethical culture of future generations of magistrates, since their integrity cannot be ensured only through the application of checking and accountability mechanisms. The integrity and professionalization of magistrates must be transformed into an institutional culture and must function based on an effective accountability system. This culture must be built continuously day by day through a combination of professional education, ethical awareness of magistrates, a career system and effective accountability systems.

At the same time, increased care and prudence must be shown in maintaining a delicate balance between the independence and accountability of magistrates. The independence of magistrates is not their personal privilege, but it is a constitutional guarantee for the citizen. At the same time, the truth is that independence cannot exist without an accountable system. The challenge of the new institutions is precisely to maintain this balance, so that accountability does not violate independence and independence does not turn into a lack of responsibility or accountability.

Renowned archaeologist and academic Neritan Ceka visited the exhibition on Wednesday, describing ATA’s archive as a valuable documentary resource for Albania’s history.

He highlighted the agency’s historical role in documenting Albania’s political, cultural and social developments, placing it among the country’s most important institutions.

“It is an elite history of Albania’s most distinguished institutions, such as the National Museum, the Opera and the National Theatre. ATA also belongs to this elite,” Ceka said.

He noted that the exhibition revealed a “pre-history” of official narratives, challenging the perception that institutional history began only after 1944, and pointing instead to earlier roots.

Ceka particularly emphasised the importance of ATA’s photographic archive, calling it a “valuable documentary asset” spanning from the 1930s to the present.

“This is a complete and usable history from its beginnings in the 1930s to today,” he said, urging the preservation and continued use of the archive.

He added that even ordinary citizens are part of this visual historical record, noting that rare photographs of everyday life hold significant value for national memory.

The ATA exhibition showcases archival photographs documenting key political, social and cultural moments in Albania’s modern history.

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Speaking at the opening session of the World Law Congress, Cremades said democracies worldwide were facing growing pressure from political polarisation, disinformation and declining public trust in institutions.

“In today’s digital world, access to truth has become one of the greatest challenges, and without truth there can be no real freedom or rule of law,” he said, adding that judges in many democratic countries were increasingly being treated as political actors.

Cremades praised Albania’s religious harmony and its commitment to EU integration, saying the country’s justice reform efforts made it an important example for others.

“The European Union is fundamentally a community built on the rule of law, and the transformation your country is undergoing through justice reform is the reason we are coming to Albania,” he said.

He said Tirana had the potential to become a “capital of the rule of law” and announced plans to propose a symbolic monument dedicated to the rule of law in Albania.

Cremades added that the World Law Congress would bring leading international legal figures to Tirana, comparing the event to the “Olympic Games” of the legal world.

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