Aida Gjeçaj, the owner of the restaurant that burned down: FOR THE TRUTH, MY OWN AND MY POWER

2025-07-11 14:25:00, Aktualitet CNA

Aida Gjeçaj, the owner of the restaurant that burned down: FOR THE TRUTH,

The owner of the burned restaurant in Theth, Aida Gjeçaj, has reacted in a public statement to the attacks by the media, which have linked her to the action of demolishing illegal buildings in Theth.

Gjeçaj has stated that mud is being thrown at her name after she raised her voice about the problems, the lack of electricity, the garbage, or the bad road.

She emphasizes that she has always been for sustainable development, for standard construction, and for preserving the architectural and cultural identity of Theth - for it to become a Trentino of Albania, a model destination in the Balkans.

"The show of March 8, 2024, where my name was mentioned incorrectly, was a podcast dedicated to women in business. Not a single word was mentioned about construction in Theth. It is the professional minimum for an analyst to listen to the show he is talking about before spreading speculation," she emphasized.

PUBLIC STATEMENT – ON MY TRUTH, MY ABILITY AND MY POWER

An evil hand decided to hit me where it hurts the most – by burning down my restaurant in the heart of Theth. Where my family and I have built, with years of sacrifice, a space of hospitality, a place of honor for Albanian tradition, nature, and tourism.

At the same time, some voices in the media, hastily or uninformed, have chosen to cast aspersions on my name, unfairly linking me to the action of demolishing illegal buildings in Theth. I want to be very clear:

I have never sought anyone's downfall.

I know how difficult it is to build in these mountains, I know what it means to raise a roof with the toil and sweat of a family.

I have always lobbied and raised my voice in the media about problems like lack of electricity, garbage, or bad roads.

I have always been for sustainable development, for standard construction, and for preserving the architectural and cultural identity of Theth - for it to become a Trentino of Albania, a model destination in the Balkans.

The show of March 8, 2024, where my name was mentioned incorrectly, was a podcast dedicated to women in business. There was not a single word mentioned about construction in Theth. It is the professional minimum for an analyst to listen to the show he is talking about before spreading speculation.

I have given hundreds of interviews to Albanian media over the years. I have spoken about hospitality, about development, about tourism, about the woman who builds in a mountain village. But I have never asked for the work of others to be destroyed. I have fought so that my own work would not be destroyed.

Heartfelt thanks

In this difficult moment, I want to thank from the bottom of my heart all those who have stood by me – family, friends, neighbors, tourists and co-workers who have written to me, called me, given me courage and words of comfort. You have made the pain easier to bear.

Someone else's fire will not stop me. On the contrary – I will rebuild more beautifully, stronger and with more love, because Thethi does not want people who divide, but hands that build together./ CNA