In the joint press conference alongside Prime Minister Edi Rama, after the Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit that took place in Tirana, Rama underlined that we have supported Ukraine through support packages which are not loans and are not even part of any business deal.

“We have never asked Ukraine to return anything from what they took from us, modest of course, these are our possibilities, but without any doubt we have done and will do everything in our capacity,” said Rama.

The Prime Minister emphasized that “we are absolutely aware that vis a vis the war front, this is something insignificant.”

But, he continued, we are doing it for ourselves.

The war that is raging on is not only a threat to the existence of Ukraine, but also to everything we think our future should be, and this is not merely a rhetoric. If we want a future in the EU, we want the European Union, we don’t want to see the EU disintegrate as it enters into a never-ending corrosive internal war about what kind of rules, values or actions are justified or not,” Rama said.

The Prime Minister underlined that there have been many sanctions against Russia, but of course we know that the issue of relying on Russian gas and oil is not that simple.

“The soaring prices, the increase in the cost of living in the richest countries, are part of the plan to make public opinion start to say we are done with supporting Ukraine. The problem is that if you take something from a poor person, it’s not that it will make him change his mind, but if you take something from a rich person, he is likely to go crazy, he can lose his mind. So the account is very clear and for us this is the key”, said Rama.
The Prime Minister emphasized that “we are looking to join the EU, but at the same time we are looking to have full cooperation in peace in this region, which lies in the heart of the EU.
“The Western Balkans is the only reality, unlike Ukraine, that is surrounded by EU borders. The European Union is the only reality in history that has two borders, one external and one internal. We are inside the EU physically, but we are outside the EU politically, so we want to be fully integrated into this body and we don’t want to see this body fall apart , because if that is the case, we will be left without a future”, said Rama.
The Prime Minister emphasized that “the EU is not heaven, on the contrary, but there is no doubt that it is a happy ‘hell’, it is not a bloody hell and this is where we aspire to be.
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