TIRANA, November 11 /ATSH/ – Prime Minister Edi Rama stated today that the protests which erupted in early June against a proposed tourist resort in Zvërnec—dubbed the flamingo revolution—were fueled by hatred of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Speaking at the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) in Dublin, Rama remarked that without the shadow of Donald Trump looming over this environmental issue, Albania’s flamingos would have remained largely unknown.
“Consequently, all of Donald Trump’s critics and opponents chose Tirana’s Boulevard as the stage for this battle,” Rama said.
According to him, a great many lies and half-truths were circulated regarding this matter. “That is how things work today; what I have experienced is difficult—especially for a small country—when it comes to putting the truth out into the vast present-day media landscape. There are being spread so many lies and so many half-truths—which are even worse than the lies,” he said.
Rama was also asked whether the protests in the country would make it more difficult to convince the European Commission and the European Council regarding Albania’s progress on Chapters 23 and 24, which are the most fundamental aspects of the accession process.
Rama stated that the Commission is a sophisticated mechanism that evaluates countries based on facts, rather than on perceptions or specific interests. The head of government emphasized that the Commission’s report provides a comprehensive and credible assessment of what is going well, what is not, as well as achievements, shortcomings and areas in need of improvement. /m.q/r.e/a.f/p.s./
