EDI RAMA, Prime Minister of Albania, noting that today more than ever, the world needs tolerance and trust, said:  “Tolerance for us Albanians, is not merely the passive acknowledgment and grudging acceptance of someone's diversity.”  The tolerance that Muslim and Christian Albanians expressed during the Second World War towards the Jews by putting their lives on the line requires respect, bridge-building and reflecting on “the possibility of our own biases and prejudices”, he said.  It is with this trust in humanism that Albania became a safe haven for people who escaped death after the fall of Kabul under the Taliban, he said, noting that his country also gave shelter to several thousand Iranian refugees.  “We paid a dear price for being their host,” he said adding that Tehran's totalitarian regime engaged in a large-scale cyberattack on his country — they were brutal but they failed.

This attitude of solidarity and neighbourly relations is the lynchpin of Albania's policy in the Western Balkans, he said.  The deep wounds left by the violent disintegration of the former Yugoslavia still need to be healed in the region, but its countries are embracing the vision, wisdom and courage that led to the creation of the European Union.  Calling on the peoples of the Balkans to work tirelessly “to make a return to the past not just impossible but unimaginable”, he said “the brotherly Republic of Kosovo” is an irreversible reality as a State with a clear European perspective. Dismissing any artificially drawn parallels between Kosovo and the occupied areas of Ukraine, he underscored that Kosovo is an intrinsic part of the international reality, an aspiring member of the Euro-Atlantic community and must not be held hostage by anyone — including those European Union member States that do not recognize Kosovo's rightful place.

Renewing his call on the Russian Federation to stop its war against Ukraine, he said:  “This is a war that neither Ukraine nor our community of like-minded nations chose.” Rewarding an aggressor who annexed the territories of a sovereign country by disarming the victim of the aggression will not bring peace, he stressed, adding that a peace that defeats Ukraine would bring only further aggression.  Earlier this year Tirana hosted the second summit between Ukraine and South-East Europe, he recalled, adding that Albania will continue to stand by that country for as long as necessary.  “There is a war raging in Europe's South-East too,” he said, adding that “there is no place for Hamas and its likes in the world we want to live in”. Acknowledging the right of the Palestinian people to have their own safe place in this world and their right to give birth and raise their children in their own State, he said that there is no moral compass that can relativize and normalize a terrorist organization such as Hamas.  Violence and destruction cannot be a long-term solution for Israel and Palestine, he said, reaffirming support for a two-State solution.

Underscoring the importance of the rule of law and its role in building inclusive and peaceful societies, he said Albania is living proof of the radical transformation that can be brought about by good governance.  “Our public services are now over 95 per cent paperless, and the digitalization of services has curbed corruption and mistrust in institutions,” he said.  His country has invested tremendously in justice reform, he said, adding that the struggle for good governance and institutions is a perpetual effort.  Citing Mother Teresa, “a dear daughter of the Albanians”, he said:  “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”