Prime Minister Edi Rama was honored today by the President of Israel with the Presidential Medal, Israel's highest civilian order.
During his speech, Rama said that he is not receiving this medal in his own name, but in the name of all Albanians.
" It can't be just for me, but I take it on behalf of all Albanians who put themselves and their lives at risk during the darkest hours of modern history and turned my country into the only country in Europe that ended World War II with more Jews than at its beginning."
Unlike other countries, Albania became a refuge for the Jewish people and the Jews did not leave, but came to find shelter, protection, and to be safe.
I cannot help but recall here one of the many episodes of that glorious page of our history when religious leaders were summoned by the Nazis to give access and hand over Albanian gold and the list of Jews, and they said 'you can take the gold but the Jews are ours and we will protect them'. They did not collaborate with the Nazis ", said Rama, among other things.