Euronews quizzes Albania’s PM on crime, corruption, Kosova and Russia

TIRANA, May 19 – Euronews television station held an interview with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha basically questioning him over the crime situation and corruption in Albania, Kosova and Russia.
It said that Berisha was a former president who came to power by defeating the Communists. He was elected on a promise to take Albania into NATO and the EU, but Brussels is worried about the lack of progress in the fight against crime and corruption. That is one reason why Albanians have not been granted visa facilitation and liberalization rights, the first issue put to Sali Berisha by Sergio Cantone, EuroNews’ Brussels Correspondent.
To the question if Albania was discriminated from a visa facilitation point of view, compared with other western Balkan countries, Berisha responded referring to Serbia that is safer for visa liberalization than Albania and he considered that “truly, truly unrealistic” adding “That’s why we expect to speed up the process of visa liberalization.” Berisha acknowledged that organized crime almost everywhere in the Balkans was in symbiosis and collusion with those in power, for reasons of politics and profit . Berisha reminded Europe that there were no more Albanian illegal immigrants crossing into Italy. The premier insisted that his government has seriously fought corruption through addressing the conflict of interest situation for the entire administration, introducing some criteria that no one could use public money for private or personal purposes, putting a law in place on whistle-blowers on corruption that rewards with 6 percent of the worth that their denunciations bring.
Berisha also said that Kosova’s independence would be a fundamental factor helpful to fighting organized crime.
On Russia Berisha said it was “not playing the role that a great country should play for stability there. I expect it to be more realistic. The old way of doing things should left behind. Russia would definitely have a greater and better role if it would adapt to the new situation. By taking this stand, is Russia helping Belgrade? It has made the decisions in Belgrade much more difficult by opposing Kosovo’s independence.” (Tirana Times Staff)