Prime Minister Edi Rama: Well, it is a great pleasure to be in this wonderful country, from which we have always to learn, and at the same time to be in this country, which is currently the country that runs the show in Brussels with its presidency that has been very helpful. And in the meantime, it’s great to be with this large community and to see where we are and what’s next. Thank you.

The question is not who we can trust. The question is what is in our best interests as a European community. And I believe that it has been a huge mistake to outsource diplomacy to others and to focus only on the military support to Ukraine, which is the right thing to do, without keeping open a channel of conversation with Russia.

We like it or not, Russia is not going to go anywhere. It’s going to be there, and the future of the continent is a common future that we have to work on by using all means. And while we support Ukraine all the way, we need to have a conversation.

 

I think that this is a democratic country, and it’s run by rules and laws. And what happened is part of being a democratic country and at the same time has to do with the rules and the laws.

-Do you feel welcomed in Ireland?

Prime Minister Edi Rama: I feel very welcome. I had a great conversation yesterday in a very, very prestigious think tank. And yes, there were a dozen Albanian brothers and sisters that felt like welcoming me in a different way. But it’s democracy. What to do, you know?

-Prime Minister, will you host NATO summit?

Prime Minister Edi Rama:  Of course. Albania is designated as the next host of the NATO summit. The issue is that there is not yet a common position on when the summit will happen. For sure not in 2027, and in 2028, if there will be a summit, it will be in Tirana. This is by no doubt, and all that is being discussed around it is just bunkers.

 

Am I frustrated? Why do I have to be frustrated?

I’m very, very pleased, and I’m very honored and privileged to be part of it. And there is nothing to do with frustration. The European Union is for sure the center of gravity of this continent, and it’s the most normal thing.

-Questions about Jared Kushner’s?

Prime Minister Edi Rama: I don’t have any business dealings with him. He is one of many investors who have shown interest in our country, and we are currently in conversation with his group, which is large and very, very well-meaning.

And guess what? If I ask you what you know about it, you will tell me that there is an island in Albania that has been given to him, right?

This is what you have been told by the global media, which is a lie, because, as we speak, there is no deal yet. So there’s not a business deal yet because we have been in negotiations for three years, and there is no island sold. There is no request to buy the island. The island is property of the Republic of Albania. It will remain so. And the Republic of Albania is looking to be a shareholder in this investment.

So, this is the truth. But there is not much space for truth nowadays in the global media, right? Or in the local, whatever it is.

***

Listen, this is not for you to decide. This is for the Albanian people. And the Albanian people have given me a very strong mandate to lead the country towards the European Union. And this didn’t happen 10 years ago. It happened last year.

So again, you are too much into the lies and the half-truths, which are even bigger lies, that have spread so much around about Albania.

***

But I think this is gone, and I think this is not anymore on the table. And there is no other path to join the European Union than to follow the merit-based process, and it will be the same for Ukraine. While I believe that what the European Union should do is to find its new Helmut Kohl moment and to bring everyone around the table by keeping for each one the merit-based process.

 

We are very small, and we know exactly our place. So, it’s not for us to lecture anyone or to represent everyone. I’m the tallest, maybe, but I lead a very small country, and it’s not about my size. It’s about the country’s weight, right?

 

I’m not going to make the mistake of your colleague. It’s not for me to tell the Irish voters anything. It’s the Irish voters that have to decide.

 

I believe it’s not about the voters. It’s about how much the leadership all over Europe is able to stand for a stronger and united Europe.

And I don’t think Ireland is a problem. Ireland is a stunning example of both leading through example and at the same time showing all the will to have a stronger and united Europe. So, I don’t think we are in a country where we should feel there is a problem.

 

 He has expressed an interest, and it’s a very, very appealing project that we are trying to sort out, but it’s still in process. And whatever has been told around, becoming an accepted global truth, is a big lie because there is no Island sold, there is no Island even in concession, there is no Island rented.

 

There is no such a request from him or from anyone to buy the island. The island is the property of the Republic of Albania, and we have been negotiating for three years on what the Republic’s share will be in this joint enterprise.

 

-Since you know his negotiation powers? Will he be able to get a seat at the table of the Ukraine negotiations with Putin today?

 

Prime Minister Edi Rama: And it’s not up to him. That is not and should not be up to him and should not be up to the Americans. It should not be up to the Chinese and should not be up to the Indians to have a seat and have a conversation with the Russians.

 

It’s about Europe, to realise that a huge mistake has been made. And I have said it before. And to make it very clear, I’m not representing a country that has any business with Russia. And, by the way, since 1960, we have never had a visit from Russia. We have never been visited by someone from the Kremlin.

 

So I’m completely free to say that, as a European, I feel very, very disturbed that Europe has relied on just weapons and not on diplomacy. So this is a mistake that has been made. And now all this happening is the cost being paid for that mistake.

 

So it’s not for me to correct the mistakes of the big guys. The big guys are too big to be lectured, and I am tall in size, but I’m not at all representing a country that has the weight, particular weight, around the table.

 

-So do you suggest quickly appointing one person to talk to?

 

Prime Minister Edi Rama: No, I don’t suggest anything. I simply say that we should not talk about the finger while the finger is showing the moon. So the problem is that Europe has outsourced its diplomacy to Donald Trump. And this is the result.

So what Europe has to do is to realise that this mistake has a price. And this price will be higher and higher and higher, as long as Europe does not go back and open the channel with Russia.

While supporting Ukraine fully, because this is a side of the story where Europe has been amazing and has done exactly what it had to do to not let the aggression be able to impose a very brutal will on the Ukrainian people.

 

-Prime Minister, in what way did Europe not do enough in terms of peace talks? They did try to negotiate with Putin before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but they failed. Putin wanted to go in and invade Ukraine.

 

Prime Minister Edi Rama: Listen, we can say whatever we want, but today’s picture shows us exactly what we should not have foreseen when everything started. So it’s never too late to recognise these mistakes.

 

-So what should Europe do now? And do you think Europe bears responsibility for this full-scale invasion?

 

Prime Minister Edi Rama: Again, I have made it very clear. It’s not for me to lecture anyone, and it’s not for me to tell to anyone what Europe should do because they are big guys. I am tall, but they are big. So they know better than me. You are asking me, this is my humble opinion.