DREAM / The Prime Minister resigns and wakes up under the Parisian bridge!

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

Rama to Corriere della Sera: The protest started for the environment, today it has turned into a political battle against the government

2026-07-09 09:44:40Politikë SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

 

Rama to Corriere della Sera: The protest started for the environment, today it
Edi Rama

 

For more than a month, thousands of Albanians have been protesting every day in Tirana against the construction of a luxury resort in the south of the country (near a protected area), linked to the company of Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump's husband and Donald Trump's son-in-law. The demonstrations quickly turned into protests against the socialist government led by Prime Minister Edi Rama.

"At first it reminded me of the student protest of 2018: different people, different motives, sincere concerns and a message that I took seriously. I listened and continue to listen," Rama responds during an interview with Corriere della Sera.

Rama was asked about his reaction to the protesters, where he apologized to honest people who may have been offended and is willing to dialogue with them. He did not say the same about those who produce mud, hysteria, slander and mud.

As for his resignation, the prime minister will not accept any ultimatum, saying that elections are needed for this. Regarding foreign interference, which he speaks at length, he says that it does not invalidate the protest, but shows how its goals are being used by other interests.

The protest will not harm the tourist season or EU membership, but the ongoing call for protesters is transparency and dialogue.

Focusing a bit on the opposition, Rama does not take all the credit for his strength in the elections as he also gives some 'cake' to his opponent's weakness.

Full interview for Corriere Della Sera

-Now the protest has changed?

Edi Rama: Over the weeks, the protest has changed fundamentally. Today, it is no longer just a civic concern for the environment. It is also a political protest, taken over by a coalition of opposition parties, political actors and networks from abroad, who have a common objective: to attack the government. And there is also a global dimension here.

-In what sense?

Edi Rama: The name Trump is not just the name of an investor in this story: it is the greatest source of digital indignation in the world. Wherever the name Trump appears, political, media and digital armies are automatically activated, for and against him. Albania, because of this project, has suddenly become a small arena where global anti-Trumpists clash with Trump, while the real Albanian debate on the environment, development and law is often drowned out by this imported noise. This does not invalidate any sincere citizen who protests. But I have the obligation to distinguish between the citizen who is concerned about nature and the hysteria factories that try to use Albania as a stage for their battles.

-Protesters demand that the government block the project in Zvërnec, linked to the Trump family.

Edi Rama: The government has nothing to block, because there is still no final project. There is no construction permit. There is no construction site. There is no final decision about which one can say: stop it. Requesting the cancellation of a project that does not yet exist in its final form is a political request, not a government decision. A serious government does not act on fantasy, but on documents, laws, studies and standards.

-What are you doing?

Edi Rama: We are waiting for the final project. And I hope it will be an extraordinary project, with architects, urban planners, environmental engineers, biodiversity experts and the highest European standards. My ambition is not for it to become another resort, but a new development model where tourism and nature do not exclude each other.

-Why do you resist the idea of ​​a blockade? Are you afraid of the American administration?

Edi Rama: No. I am not afraid of the American administration, nor of social networks, nor of the crowd. I have a responsibility to Albania. The criterion will not be the name of the investor nor the global noise for or against Trump. The criterion will be only one: does the project meet the legal, environmental, architectural and strategic standards that European Albania deserves? If yes, the project continues. If not, it does not continue. Period.

-You used offensive terms towards the protesters. It is not a normal reaction...

Edi Rama: If any of my words have hurt sincere people who protest out of concern for nature, I say it without any difficulty: I am sorry. But I refuse to equate sincere citizens with mud factories, political propaganda, anonymous accounts, slanderers, threat makers and hysteria producers. I dialogue with the former. I confront the latter.

-You say people are misinformed. What is the truth?

Edi Rama: The truth is much simpler than the legend. No construction has started. There is no sale of Sazan. There is no concreting of the lagoon. There is nothing from the apocalypse that circulates every day on social networks. There is a possible tourist development process, which will be examined only on the basis of the law, environmental studies and international standards. And yes, our ambition is that any development there not only does not harm the environment, but brings it a measurable benefit.

-I repeat: wouldn't it be more reasonable to block the project, given the popular reaction?

Edi Rama: The popular reaction must be heard. But the state cannot be governed by the remote control of social networks. If every process stops as soon as a digital storm is created, then we no longer have law, we no longer have economy, we no longer have institutions. We only have fear. And fear is not public policy.

-The protesters are demanding your resignation and also want you not to run for re-election.

Edi Rama: In a democracy, resignations are not decided by megaphones, but by institutions and citizens through votes. I have a clear mandate. Whoever thinks I should leave has the right to organize, to compete and to win the elections. This is democracy. Ultimatums are not democracy.

-You won the elections, but dissatisfaction exists.

Edi Rama: Victory is not a vaccine against discontent. A mandate is not a license for complacency. There is a well-known phenomenon in politics: when a country improves, citizens become less tolerant of what still doesn't work. Better roads make potholes less annoying. Faster services make every delay more unbearable. The fight against corruption makes every scandal even more unacceptable. This is the revolution of rising expectations. And it is a sign that society has not given up. Our task is to listen better, explain more clearly and correct faster.

-But are these protests more against the project or against the government?

Edi Rama: They were born as a concern for the project. Today they are also a political protest against the government. This is not a problem. The opposition has the right to protest. The problem arises when the environment is used as a costume for a power struggle that has nothing to do with flamingos, the lagoon or the law.

-You have spoken about foreign interference. Do you have proof?

Edi Rama: I'm talking about digital interference, not about citizens taking to the boulevard. They are two different things. We have seen artificial amplification from abroad, massive use of VPNs, anonymous accounts, platforms connected to propaganda ecosystems and actors with malicious intentions. The institutions will make their report. But I want to be clear: foreign interference does not invalidate the protest of sincere citizens. It only shows that their concerns are being used by others for other purposes.

-Are you too focused on Albania's image abroad, neglecting internal problems?

Edi Rama: Albania's image abroad is not cosmetics. It is economy, investment, tourism, diplomacy, security and respect for Albanians. But yes, internal problems are not solved with flags at international summits. Pensions, healthcare, property, daily justice and public services: there is still a lot of work to be done here. I do not deny it.

-What is your response to the accusations of corruption, low pensions, poor healthcare, and lack of prospects for young people?

Edi Rama: I don't call all accusations. Some are real problems. Pensions are still low. Healthcare still has open wounds. Legal uncertainty does not disappear with a law. Young people demand more and they have a right. But today's Albania is not what it was yesterday. Wages have increased. Employment has increased. The economy is stronger. Justice is reaching the untouchables. The country is closer to the European Union than ever before. This is not enough. But it is not little.

-Transparency International ranks Albania among the most corrupt countries in Europe. Who is responsible?

Edi Rama: I am not influenced by reports that are based on perceptions. The report that I take most seriously is the European Commission's Progress Report. And there is a fact that says more than perceptions: in Albania, for the first time, justice is investigating ministers, mayors, MPs, entrepreneurs and powerful people. This is not the end of corruption, but it is the beginning of the end of impunity. And this is a historic change.

-You still maintain an electoral strength. Is it the merit of the government or the weakness of the opposition?

Edi Rama: Both. It would be arrogance to say only the first and hypocrisy to deny the second. But no one wins for so long just thanks to the weakness of the opponent. People can be dissatisfied with many things, but they know how to distinguish between a force that works, makes mistakes, corrects itself and moves forward, and an opposition that often lives more from hatred towards me than from a project for Albania.

-By the way, who is the leader of the opposition?

Edi Rama: This should be said by the opposition, not me. I do not name its leaders. The problem is that the opposition has more contenders for the throne of anger than bearers of a governing project. But this is its problem.

-Are you afraid that the protests will damage the tourist season?

Edi Rama: Not because of the protest. A country where people protest freely is a democratic country, not a dangerous country. My concern is the false image that digital hysteria produces: as if Albania were in chaos, as if it were on fire, as if it had no institutions. This is not true. Albania is open, safe and this season will prove this once again.

-Can the process of accession to the European Union be slowed down?

Edi Rama: No. Peaceful protest does not harm the process. On the contrary, it proves that we have a free society. What would harm the European process would be replacing the rule of law with street pressure, or the return of disinformation as public policy.

-What solution do you propose to the protesters?

Edi Rama: Transparency, dialogue and facts. The solution cannot be: stop everything because I say so. The solution is: verify everything, correct what needs to be corrected, ban what contradicts the law and public interest, and allow what serves the country.

-Some say that there is no longer a difference between the Socialist Party and the state.

Edi Rama: This is a political thesis, not a fact. Albania has institutions. There is a judiciary that makes decisions against government officials and against the government itself. There is media where the vast majority of the content is critical of the government. There is an opposition that protests in front of my office. There are elections that are certified by Albanians. The party is the state formula is easy propaganda for a much more complex reality.

-Is there anything you think you should have managed better during this month of protests?

Edi Rama: Of course there are things that could have been done better. There always are. But I do not regret not doing what the digital crowd demanded: to declare a process guilty before there was evidence and to stop a project before a project existed. My job is not to be liked at all times. My job is to protect the law, the public interest and the future of Albania.


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×