Prime Minister Edi Rama has given his full response to the international news agency Reuters, following protests that have been accompanied by clashes and damage in Tirana.
Rama has ruled out the possibility of resignation, emphasizing that governments are changed through democratic elections and not through violence, while expressing his readiness for dialogue with students and addressing their legitimate demands.
“We respect the students of Albania and their fundamental right to protest, to challenge their government and to demand better education, more opportunities and accountability. Their voice has been heard in the past and will always be heard. We are ready to engage and we have made this very clear.
Corruption must be fought and, as the European Union itself recently reaffirmed, Albania is fighting it like never before. For the first time in its history, and thanks to the profound Justice Reform that I led and promoted, Albania is seeing powerful people accountable to an independent judiciary.
But there is a clear distinction between peaceful protest and violence, between students and thugs. And we have two very clear facts before us. First, the vast majority of students are not on the streets. Second, the violence is not organized by students. Attacks on institutions, destruction of public property, and endangerment of public safety have nothing to do with the legitimate demands of students.
Perhaps someone, or some forces inside and outside the country, do not want Albania to shine as one of the pioneer countries towards the European Union, but I will not allow violence to derail Albania’s European future. Likewise, I will not allow the legitimate voices of our students to be drowned out by those who choose destruction.
“As for the calls for my resignation, governments are changed through democratic elections, and we held them last year, not through violence. My responsibility is to listen, address legitimate concerns and move Albania forward. The opposite would be a betrayal of all Albanians who gave me a very strong mandate to conclude EU membership negotiations ,” Rama said.