Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama points in an exclusive interview to Belgrade based TV Pink that he strongly advocates a new era in Albanian-Serbian relations and believes that Serbs and Albanians can do for the Balkans what France and Germany did for Europe.
– I always thought and I still believe that Serbs and Albanians can do for the Balkans what France and Germany did for Europe. I strongly believe that we owe it to new generations. We owe them the foundation of lasting peace and the definitive ending of the conflict – said Rama.
He said that he never spoke about the so-called Greater Albania.
– Greater Albania is a term that was created, promoted, commented and used against Albanians by those who stand on the other side of the war trenches during history. There is no Greater Albania in any Albanian Romanticism, not even the Renaissance, neither before nor after. There is a clear idea that we are brothers who now live in two different countries and that we need to unite. I looked at that unification as part of our path to the EU and if there is something big, it is a big EU – said Rama.
Speaking about the tariffs imposed by the Pristina institutions on Serbian products, he said that this was not a trade measure, but a political scream.
– I supported, so that things go further and that’s why, like French President Emanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, I supported the suspension. That’s something that should have been done, precisely because the opportunity was there. Of course, the tariffs will be returned if nothing happens – Rama said, adding that he was aware that it was not easy to understand from the Serbian side.
Speaking of the Berlin Summit of the EU and the countries of the region, Rama said that what he had expected was nothing more than what we received.
– It was very important that both Merkel and Macron together organize this because it shows special attention and a certain willingness to re-deal with the region and to address regional cooperation issues, and to focus on one of the most important and complex issues of today, and this is the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia – Rama said.
– At the same time, I feel that the summit was very fruitful because it created a new momentum and an obligation for a revanche on July 1st in Paris. This is very important – Rama said.
Asked to comment on what he publicly said that Ramush Haradinaj was lying about the pressure to abolish taxes on Serbian products, Rama said he supported the suspension.
– I was tagged that I did something bad – on both sides. That’s how my friends Ramush and others also in Belgrade tagged me. Neither the chancellor or the president of France, nor I did advocate for the abolition of tariffs, but for the suspensions and a new opportunity for the new chapter of the dialogue. Germany and France have promised to participate directly and be more involved than before – said Rama.
