Rama lobbies in Kosovo

TIRANA, April 14 – The leader of Albania’s main opposition Socialist Party, Edi Rama, has taken his lobbying efforts to Kosovo.
He made a visit to Prishtina to take part at a conference titled “Albania, Kosovo and the region after June 23.”
The meeting followed an event on the publication of a translated book from Alastair Campbell, “one of the biggest players of the battle for Kosovo’s freedom and independence near Prime Minister Tony Blair,” as Rama said.
Rama has made frequent trips to neighbouring Kosovo and also to other countries in the region — Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia — where there are ethnic Albanian populations.
Rama has also turned down all the recent nationalistic rhetoric from Prime Minister Sali Berisha, saying that the two countries will unite each other as part of the big European family.
But Rama also needs some support from the Kosovo Albanians and the other ones in the neighbouring countries, some of which have gained Albanian citizenship and the right to vote over the years. This group is widely seen as staunch supporters of Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who was born close to the Kosovo border and with whom Kosovars in general have more affinity.
Tirana has always been considered as a main contribution to the regional stability in which the Albanian community plays a very important role.
But Rama’s trip to Prishtina did not go smoothly. It was learned that the Self-Determination (Vetevendosja) party of Albin Kurti declined to meet with him, considering “upatriotic.” (They see Berisha the same way.)
Rama also pledged concrete steps when he comes to power like customs unification, schools and other projects.
“Our partnership with the United States and the European Union is strategic and Albania should be a democratic state and continue the constructive contribution with its foreign policy in the region,” he said.
Rama also pledged further support to Kosovo’s integration efforts into the EU and NATO and urged continuous dialogue with Serbia for Kosovo to resolve its issues.