Prime Minister Edi Rama gave a statement to the media on the second day of the European Political Community meeting being organized in Ireland.
The head of the Albanian government said that the European Union made a mistake in closing communication channels with Russia, considering it a decision that does not serve the interests of the Union.
"The question is not who we can trust, but what is in our interest in the EU. It has been a big mistake to delegate diplomacy to others and focus only on military support for Ukraine, which is the right thing to do, without keeping an open channel of communication with Russia. Like it or not, Russia is there and will not disappear. While we support Ukraine, we must also talk," Rama said.
Prime Minister Rama was also asked with interest about the project that Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, plans to carry out on the island of Sazan. Rama emphasized that no agreement has yet been reached between the parties and that negotiations are ongoing.
"I have no agreement with Kushner. He is one of the many investors who have expressed interest in our country. Talks with his working group continue. If I ask you what you know, you will say that it is about an island in Albania, which was given to him. There is no agreement yet and there is no island sold or request to buy it. It is the property of Albania and will remain so ," Rama said.
Through the interview, Rama also spoke about the allusions regarding the organization of the next NATO summit in Albania, which the day before was accompanied by question marks after the publication of an article in Politico claiming that Albania has proposed postponing or holding the summit in virtual format, a claim that was denied by Minister Ermal Nufi. Rama himself called the claims 'nonsense' and explained that the NATO summit will be held in Tirana, but there is still no deadline, perhaps in 2028.
"Albania has been designated as the host country for the next NATO summit. There is still no common position on when the summit will take place. Certainly not in 2027 and, if there is a summit in 2028, it will be held in Tirana. What is being discussed on this issue is nonsense," the prime minister declared.
Rama was asked by journalists in Dublin about the possibility of resigning, during the meeting of the European Political Community.
In his response, Rama said that this is not an issue that can be decided only by Albanian citizens, who, according to him, have given him a strong mandate to lead the country towards the European Union.
"This is not an issue that you can decide, but it belongs to the Albanian citizens. And the Albanian people have given me a very strong mandate to lead the country towards the European Union. This did not happen 10 years ago, it happened last year. So, you have been greatly influenced by the lies and half-truths that have been spread about Albania," Rama said.