He attacked Beleri during the campaign/ Rama: I was harsh, the statements about the Hellenization process were unacceptable

2023-08-27 11:25:00, Aktualitet CNA

He attacked Beleri during the campaign/ Rama: I was harsh, the statements about

Prime Minister Edi Rama said that the offensive language he used towards Beler during the election campaign for mayor was related to some statements made by him which, according to Rama, are unacceptable.

Rama says that he made some very, very unacceptable statements, such as "he would advance the interrupted process of Hellenization of Himara".

The Prime Minister said that such a statement is something that cannot be said in Europe, in this Europe. This comes from a dark and very distant past

Excerpt from the interview:

Journalist: Why did you choose to personally attack a candidate for mayor? You called him illiterate, maska, rude. You are, of course, the Prime Minister and considering your role and position, was your intervention a call to the institutions, to the police and the judiciary, to single him out, to target this candidate?

"Okay, thanks for the question. First of all, like I said, sometimes, in politics, you can say things that you're not proud of, and in this campaign, yes, I've said some things that I really don't feel good about, but I don't feel good, because it was related to what happened, which has nothing to do with it, at all. The reason I was harsh with him was that he made some very, very unacceptable statements, such as "it would further the interrupted process of Hellenization of Himara". This is something that cannot be said in Europe, in this Europe. This comes from a dark and very distant past. Then, of course, there were others that weren't really good at all. He was talking like he was there to free Himara, I don't know from whom, but we can talk about that. However, I am asking you a rhetorical question: "If I had known that there was an investigation initiated by someone's denunciation and engaged by the prosecution, would I expose myself with such harsh language? If I knew he was going to be arrested, would I expose myself with such direct language? I think so, no, because I may not be the wisest man in the world, but I'm also not the dumbest in the world, and that would be a great folly. I found out about his arrest when the police were called into action and I called the police director and said: "What is this?" He told me: "We have an arrest warrant from the prosecutor's office and it is based on convincing evidence for buying votes." I said, “Listen, you'd better be sure of what you're doing, because it can go very wrong and it needs to be backed up by solid evidence. However, I was lucky." This was not something I was involved in, the action was already taking place. Now, ask me the next question.”/ CNA