“Albania’s democratic system is building its own immunity,” Rama: corruption was once everywhere, now it is fought daily

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama attended the gala evening organized by the Albanian-American Relations Council in New York, where he delivered an extended speech on Albania’s transformation in recent years.

In his address, Rama focused on Albanian-American friendship, describing it as a special and lasting relationship, while also speaking about the internal changes the country has experienced, singling out economic development, the strengthening of institutions and the fight against corruption.

He stressed that Albania has undergone a radical change, giving concrete examples from infrastructure and the economy.

“Look how much Albania has changed over these years. Nobody forgives you success. Yes, this is the fifth or sixth year we have had the largest airport in the region. It is the airport with the biggest growth in Europe, even in absolute figures, with more passengers than Belgrade airport. And this is only the beginning.”

Rama then touched on the international perception of the country, stressing that, “It is not very easy for everyone to swallow that Albania is capable of growing and showing this capacity for change. There are forces that do not like to see us like this. Not that we have no shortcomings or problems.”

An important part of the speech was devoted to corruption and the efforts to fight it.

“Once in Albania, corruption was everywhere and the fight nowhere. Today we see something different. We see it because Albania’s democratic system has begun to build its own immunity. This is about a system of independent powers that function with all their defects and problems, but showing every day that this is not a country where you can walk hand in hand with corruption without consequence.”

Rama also gave examples from the protection of biodiversity, linking it to the changes of the last decade.

“Ten years ago, animals and birds were massacred by thousands of European hunters crossing our border. Today the country protests for biodiversity, because we banned hunting, expanded protected areas and tripled the number of birds and animals. Albania has changed.”

The Prime Minister underlined that today’s Albania is no longer the country where people lived with the idea that “it could get worse”, but a country building a democratic system with immunity to corruption and sustainable development.