On Independence Day, Topi asks parties to compromise

TIRANA, Nov. 29 – President Bamir Topi tried to once again play his mediation role between the two opposing political groupings at a ceremony he held Sunday to celebrate Albanian Independence Day.
Topi had invited all top officials, including Prime Minister Sali Berisha of the governing Democratic Party and Tirana Mayor Edi Rama of the main opposition Socialist Party, at a cocktail party.
Topi said a modern Albania is a still unfinished project that needs a lot to fulfill the goal of the country’s successful integration with the western world.
Topi said the tiny Balkan country had “just successfully concluded an important process – that of the visa liberalization and this victory demonstrates the seriousness and effectiveness of the political and economic reforms undertaken by our country during these last twenty years.”
It is “a great act of the European faith in our efforts,” he said.
The president acknowledged that the country’s transition during these two decades had been difficult.
“But it is also true that during these two decades Albania has shortened the distance which separated us from the Western democratic countries. At the present day our country is a worthy and proven NATO member and is powerfully and rightly knocking on the doors of European Union.”
Topi said this is Albania’s moment and it should not let it escape. “Never before Albania has caught the eyes of Europe like this, and never before the eyes of Europe were more focused on Albania like today,” Topi added.
He also urged Albanians to draw lessons from their history: “Albania and the Albanians have resolved their fundamental issues every time when all the parties involved have set aside their personal, clannish or political interests.”
That was a call directed to the country’s political leaders who find it very hard to accept each other.
“The compromise respecting and in the service of the law demonstrates strength and not weakness. The dialogue is the only way to solve the problems,” he said. “The logic of inclusion and not exclusion is the basis of success and the fundamental principle of pluralism. It is high time for all the actors of the Albanian politics and public life to learn these lessons of history, not only ours, but of all the developed democratic countries.”
Topi directly refereed to the government and the opposition “to find the willingness in the parliamentary life, which is the embodiment of democracy and through the debate and fruitful comparison of arguments and alternatives to pass laws serving the interests of citizens, of the country and integrating processes. They would serve as the engine of our common political action and any slowing down does accept any kind of excuse and does not exclude anyone from the responsibility in front of our citizens.”
Albania became a NATO member last year. It also applied for the European Union’s candidate status, which was turned down earlier this month. It got the visa liberalization from the EU that is expected to come into force in mid-December.
But its road toward EU integration seems very long and so hard for the country’s politicians