“Although the chairman of the meeting, deputy parliament speaker, Toni Gogu, explained that the protest should not be included in the format, Bardhi, while speaking at the meeting, said that it is concerning to him that opposition deputies are being provoked and are being dictated what to say and what not to say in this meeting.”

According to him, since they are suspended from the Assembly without any legal base, they will use the meeting to speak out some truths.

Bardhi said that the opposition will continue to speak out its truths, although these truths do not sit well with some of those present.

“If you want a different perspective, don’t include the opposition in this format; if you want a one-sided view, then you have the parliament. We have shown respect all day for our colleagues in the European Parliament. Our duty dictates that we participate in this format. But we will not allow Edi Rama or anyone else to dictate to opposition deputies what they should say at this table,” Bardhi said.

He went on saying that the arrest of deputy Çyrbja shows how candidates for deputy are qualified for the lists, and that the opposition will publish the files if the prosecution does not act with regard to the ministers and deputies mentioned in a file that SPAK has prohibited from being published.

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In her remarks at the Parliamentary Committee on Stabilization and Association, Xhaçka said that, “a long time has passed from the last meeting of the two parliamentary delegations in Brussels, on October 15, 2018. A lot has happened between the EU and Albania. Both parliaments had elections, a pandemic situation put our exchanges on hold. I would like to thank the European Parliament for decisions on the inclusion of the Western Balkans, not only in the regulatory framework for coping with the pandemic, but also as beneficiaries of financial and in-kind assistance to manage the pandemic and its impact. ”

“Albanian government is proud of close cooperation with parliament, even through a dedicated ministry. I am also grateful for the important role of the National Council of European Integration in the work for the European agenda and cooperation, but also the monitoring by parliament of our negotiating structures,” Xhaçka said.

“This Committee has been a supporter of Albania’s progress on its path to EU integration. The recommendations of the last meeting of this Committee, in 2018, recognized the progress made by Albania and proposed setting a date for the opening of accession negotiations, as a step towards strengthening democratic processes and the rule of law, offering strong support for the approval and implementation of the entire framework of EU integration-related reforms, ” said the Minister.

She added that, “since then, the Council has taken the decision to open accession negotiations in March 2020, and we have received several back-to back assessments from the Commission that Albania has delivered on all the conditions prior to the first Intergovernmental Conference of accession talks. The latest assessment of the Commission submitted a few days ago to the Stabilization and Association Committee, stressed that “Albania continues to deliver on all the conditions before holding the first Intergovernmental Conference on accession negotiations.”
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