National Security Council meeting, Bardhi reacts: Albanians don’t need institutional spectacle

Following President Bajram Begaj’s decision to convene the National Security Council after the arrest measure against former SHISH director Vlora Hyseni, the head of the Democratic Party’s parliamentary group, Gazment Bardhi, has reacted, saying the country does not need institutional spectacle.

According to Bardhi, the President must give answers regarding the vetting carried out before decreeing Vlora Hyseni at the helm of SHISH, while also raising questions about the security of classified information and the functioning of the institution.

“Albanians do not need a formal meeting, nor an institutional show. They do not need the Gysi Security Council to convene. Citizens need concrete answers.

The first and most important question addressed to Bajram Begaj is a simple one:

On what vetting was the decision to decree Vlora Hyseni at the helm of SHISH based?

What did the President verify, and what did the President’s institution fail to verify before the decreeing?

Equally serious are the questions related to the security of classified information, human sources and the sensitive information administered by SHISH. If there is or has been a risk that this institution’s information, the identities of sources or informants, have been exposed to criminal structures or the services of unfriendly countries, then we are facing an issue with potentially very grave consequences for national security.

Over these two years, serious claims and concerns have been raised publicly about the way SHISH has functioned and about alleged relations between certain individuals and organized crime structures. Bajram Begaj must clarify whether these concerns have ever been verified by the responsible institutions and, if so, what the conclusions of these verifications were.

We do not ask the President to interfere in SPAK’s investigations or in the courts’ decision-making. We ask him to give account for his own institutional responsibilities.

Therefore, the National Security Council cannot be used as a substitute for accountability. The President, just like the Prime Minister, must answer for his decision-making. He must explain what he verified, what he knew, what he did not know, and what measures have been taken to protect national security.

Albanians do not need a President who appears only after the crisis has erupted. Albanians need a President who takes responsibility, gives account, and guarantees that the Republic’s security institutions are not used for political or criminal interests. Therefore, before any formal meeting of the National Security Council, Bajram Begaj must give Albanians the transparency they deserve.

No propaganda. No formalities. No silence. Accountability and transparency,” Bardhi writes, among other things.

The meeting is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Edi Rama, Parliament Speaker Niko Peleshi, and the ministers of Defense, Ermal Nufi, of the Interior, Ervin Demo, of Finance, Petrit Malaj, of Foreign Affairs, Ferit Hoxha, and of Energy and Infrastructure, Enea Karakaçi.

From Parliament, the chair of the Security and Defense Committee, Bledi Çuçi, is also expected to attend.

According to legal provisions, the meeting is also attended by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the General Director of the State Police.