“She’s not the Pope…” – Rama jokes about the “Flamingo Revolution” and the famous Albanian singer: Dua likes the protest

Prime Minister Edi Rama has commented on the support of Albanian-origin singer Dua Lipa for the “Flamingo Revolution” protests, saying he doesn’t see it as a problem and that it’s normal for people to have different views.

Rama, who is in Brussels, said he has no problem with the singer supporting the protest, adding that he himself is proud of her.

Asked whether Dua Lipa’s support for the protest could be considered an element of propaganda, Rama replied: “She is proud of the protest, I am proud of her. It’s very simple, there’s no problem.”

The prime minister said development and environmental conservation should not be seen as two mutually exclusive alternatives.

“It’s ideology when you say either development or conservation. I say development and conservation can work side by side,” Rama said.

Referring to Dua Lipa, the prime minister added humorously: “Dua likes the protest, I like Dua, I love her very much. I don’t know if she loves the protest.”

Rama compared his attitude toward the singer to that toward other public figures, stressing that admiring someone doesn’t necessarily mean agreeing with everything they say.

“She’s a singer, she’s not the Pope. I like the Pope, but I don’t agree with everything he says,” the prime minister declared.

The prime minister also said the fact that protests take place in Albania is a sign of the normalization of social life.

“The fact that we have protests today is very good. We are becoming like everyone else. People protest,” Rama said.

Speaking about the start of the protests against tourism developments in the Narta and Sazan area, Rama said the mass mobilization wasn’t only about the flamingos.

“When the protests were at their beginning and became massive, it was clear they didn’t become massive because all of Albania had the flamingo problem, but Albanians had to send the message,” he said.

Rama said there had also been communication with the protesters during this period, including private conversations.

“We worked, talked and I engaged with the protesters, in private conversations, because they sent me messages, because I saw there people who I was told were our voters,” the prime minister said.