TIRANA, Nov. 20 – Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama has sent a letter to all government leaders of EU member states asking support for Albania to open accession negotiations with the bloc.
Rama’s letter was sent as the bloc and its member states are scheduled to set a timetable for negotiations with Albania’s government in its bid to join the European Union.
He added the government is making efforts to combat organized crime and drugs.
“My Government has approved ambitious plans to combat organized crime. We have placed gang leaders on notice: Wherever they may be hiding, we will find and arrest them, and we will charge them, trusting our newly reformed justice system to send those convicted to prison. And we will confiscate their illicit assets. The criminal sub-culture Albanians have endured for years is coming to an end,” Rama wrote.
He added: “The cannabis industry is dying. We are aiming at bringing it to a full stop, once and for all, by the end of this year. There is much left to do. Cannabis production gave rise to the development of trade routes, and investments in transport equipment and personnel which have been re-purposed for smuggling and trans-shipment from international sources. We are committed to working with all our international partners to eliminate this too.”
