TIRANA, Sept. 25 – In an interview for Albanian media Panorama last week Italian Ambassador to Tirana Alberto Cutilio spoke about the June 30 local elections, as well as the political developments in the country, including the punishment given to former Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri, convicted of abuse of power.
“The decision recently announced against former Minister Tahiri, which I certainly will not comment, could be a step forward in affirming a justice that does not stop in the face of the ‘untouchables’. This situation, which harms even the unjustly accused persons who fail to obtain recognition of their innocence, confirms the need to move forward swiftly with the profound justice reform launched three years ago and this will only happen if it is supported by all political parties and civil society,” Cutilio said.
With regard to the June 30 elections, Cutilio said they “disregarded the interests of citizens, as the final report of the OSCE/ODHIR underlined, and the political clash led to a climate of legal instability that has not yet been clarified.”
“The June 30 elections did not take citizens’ interests into account, as the final OSCE/ODHIR report noted, the political clash led to a climate of legal uncertainty that has not yet been clarified. A positive European Council decision in October on the opening of negotiations with the EU, which Italy has backed for years, could help turn the page and favor political dialogue, but I hope this opening can happen even before October 18,” he said.
Although he described the opposition’s actions as “radical,” Cutilio also said that it’s the majority’s responsibility to preserve stability in the country.
“I believe that this phase of mutual delegitimization has been going on for a very long time. The opposition’s radical choices are of no use to the stability of the country, which is above all the majority’s responsibility,” Cutilio said.
In the same interview, Cutillo said that he wishes the historical buildings in central Tirana, some of which were designed by Italian architects in the 30s, will be preserved. Under current government plans, they face demolition and replacement with high rises.
Asked specifically about the National Theater, whose architect, Italian Giulio Berté, was commissioned by the Albanian government in 1938, Cutillo answered: “In a democracy, such decisions should be based on a broad consensus; (if demolished) there is no return and the common memory that lives in historical buildings risks being lost”.
“It is not up to me to say which buildings need to be restored and which ones need to be torn down to make way for new buildings. I think that in a democratic country, these decisions need to get as much support as possible, because there is no more going back and the shared memory of living in historic buildings risks disappearing,” he said.