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Rama: EU membership is not in our hands

2025-10-26 09:39:00, Politikë CNA

Edi Rama: EU membership is not in our hands. Kosovo must unilaterally fulfill all the demands of the dialogue and leave the ball in Serbia's court.

DW: Albania has actually been at the bottom of this list and has progressed quickly compared to North Macedonia, Montenegro, etc. Do you think it is possible for Albania to join the EU alone as a country in the region, or should they go in a bloc with other countries? Because there are other challenges in Kosovo, in Serbia as well.

Edi Rama: This is not in our hands or in our desire. We, it is true, have started this race or this race from far behind and now we are so to speak in the vanguard, as they call the countries that are in a more advanced position, vanguard countries, together with Montenegro and the chances are that together with Montenegro we will be in this process. Meanwhile, as for the other countries, they have some problems of a different nature that must be solved. So, none of those countries has themselves in their hands so to speak, because North Macedonia is held by Bulgaria's request to solve a problem between them once and for all. Kosovo and Serbia are held by the fact that Serbia does not recognize Kosovo and then Bosnia is a complicated case of a different nature. So...

DW: Let's stay with the relations between Kosovo and Albania, because in Kosovo, in particular, you have been interpreted in very different ways, from being Vu?i?'s brother to serious accusations of collaboration with Serbia. How can relations between Kosovo and Serbia be resolved?

Edi Rama: To tell you the truth, I understand all the labels that have been placed on me, because they stem from reasons and from internal impulses that are linked to very fresh and very harsh memories of a very, very dramatic, tragic time for the people of Kosovo. So I don't take them for granted. All the more so because I am used to these and I have no concern about any kind of labeling, because my relationship is with the truth and with the people who trust me. It is not with the need for everyone to agree or everyone to like what I do or everyone to trust me. That doesn't happen even if you ask for it. On the other hand, I don't take back any of what I have said, nor do I have any regrets for anything I have done, because I have done everything in the interest of Albania. In my opinion, Kosovo should completely forget Serbia in the sense that it should unilaterally fulfill all the demands of the dialogue and leave, as we say, the ball in Serbia's court, telling Europe, telling all the countries of Europe, telling those countries that do not yet recognize it, that this is who we are. We fulfilled them, we signed them, now go and get the signature from Serbia. But it should completely separate itself from Serbia and should not live with the idea of ??Serbia.

DW: Mr. Prime Minister, from the perspective of a citizen of Kosovo, you do not have close enough relations to cooperate in all areas with the acting Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti. Why this decline in relations between Kosovo and Albania?

Edi Rama: This is untrue, due to the fact that Albin and I have a very friendly relationship in the personal aspect, but we have differences that are inevitable in perspectives and we share these differences in perspectives in a very open and very direct way, whether when we have the opportunity to speak face to face, or when we hold public positions. Meanwhile, in all aspects of cooperation with Kosovo, I am talking about interstate cooperation, we have made considerable progress and are also working together on a major project such as the Durrës-Prishtina railway.

DW: One of Albania's main challenges is the fight against corruption and legal reforms. How do you comment on the recent cases related to Ms. Balluku?

Edi Rama: I have no comment on any case because, as I said, we have our work, justice has its work and until certain issues take their definitive form, all people are innocent and are impunity from the people's court of politics and the media that serve politics.

DW: The last question is of course about Germany. How do you assess relations with Germany? Because Germany is one of the pillars of the European Union, and certainly Germany's support on Albania's path is also important.

Edi Rama: We have a very positive cooperation. Germany is a big country, we are a small country, of course, but Germany is clearly supportive of our path to membership in the European Union and this is the most important thing./ DW