NEW YORK, Sept. 25 – During his speech at the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Rama asked for the recognition of Kosovo by the members of the UN. “This large assembly is not and will not be complete without one of the states of our region, the Republic of Kosovo. […] It is not an obsession, nor do I mention it to pay lip service to the cause. It is an invitation to acknowledge the new realities in the heart of Europe, through the Balkan region,” declared Rama. Echoing his past speeches at the UN General Assembly, Rama said that the work started by the international community in Kosovo “needs to be finished,” adding that Albania would support the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia as “the only alternative […] which will lead to mutual recognition between two states.”
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabić reacted immediately by saying that Rama’s remarks were not good for the regional security “The best answer was given by the UN Secretary General António Guterres. In the first sentence, he told me that ‘Kosovo is not a state to us.’ This is the best diplomatic response,” said Brnabić, as reported by the Serbian media, adding that “I don’t see why a prime minister should intervene in the internal affairs of another country […] some use the podium to gain political points.”
Albania for the first time in its history will join the Security Council of the UN as a non-permanent member for the term 2022-2023. The importance of this decision was underlined also by Rama, who juxtaposition it to the isolation that Albania has had during the Communism dictatorship. The Council has the power to impose legally binding measures on the countries that are members of the United Nations, and it can provide also the opportunity for each member to advance different issues. It will remain to be seen whether Albania will use its mandate to advance the issue of Kosovo’s recognition.
During the speech at the UN General Assembly, Rama made the remarks on Kosovo immediately after discussing about the EU integration path of Albania and the Western Balkans. While emphasizing the development of the common regional market between the six Western Balkan countries as a further step to bring closer the region with the EU, Rama mentioned also the Open Balkan Initiative as an initiative that would implement the 4 EU freedoms in the region. The Initiative has divided the WB, with the government of Kosovo strongly opposing it, and Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina refusing to take a position on this issue. For Rama, the EU integration remains a national priority goal for the country.
The Prime Minister used the stage of the UN General Assembly to thank Turkey for its support with vaccine doses, which enabled Albania to start the process of massive vaccination against COVID-19, but also the EU Commission, and other EU countries who helped Albania with vaccine donations. Afghanistan, a key topic raised by many of the world leaders that took previously the stage at the 76th Session of UNGA, was also in the focus of Rama, who considered the decision to open the door to Afghan refugees a “moral duty.” The Albanian PM recalled how Albania has responded to similar crises in the past, mentioning how the country became the only European country to have more Jews after than before the Second World War, or remembering how Albania welcomed half a million of people from Kosovo who escaped the war in 1999.
Another issue addressed by Rama was the climate change. On that matter, Rama declared that Albania has become the first in the region to endorse a strategy on climate change, and that a special law on climate change “has been adopted in December 2020.” According to Rama, Albania has set the goal to reduce gas emissions by 45% in the next decade, and to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
