The Albanian PM denies claims, provides no value statements over the proposal despite EU wide condemnation
Feb 16,2025 –
At the Munich Security Conference, Albanian PM Edi Rama denied any claims that Albania will shelter Palestinians from Gaza.
When asked about the controversial proposal of American President Donald Trump to relocate Palestinians while Gaza is being rebuilt, Rama said first that he has received no such request or communication from the US administration and then reiterated that even if such a request were to land on his desk he would not accept.
A few days later, Rama claimed in his own social media that the allegations are being politically manipulated to frighten voters into thinking that a next mandate for the SP would bring scores of Palestinians in the country.
Rama failed to provide any position for his own side on the issue, despite the fact that several European leaders have condemned Trump’s ideas related to Gaza’s future on the harshest terms. He did not make any comment on the content of the deal or its legitimacy, focusing instead on logistical feasibility aspects stating that it did not make sense for Albania, a small country in the middle of Europe, to be a destination for relocating large numbers of displaced people.
“We are […] not a logistics center. This is fake news, and it will not happen—not as long as I am here.”- Rama said.
President Trump called first upon neighboring countries in the Middle East, Jordan and Egypt, to take in Palestinians from Gaza in the time that it would take for the Strip to be cleaned from the rubble and supposedly turned into some sort of coastal resort space. During his visit at the White House, King Abdullah II of Jordan refuted the plan. Egypt has also firmly refused.
Later on President Trump mentioned that there were other options on the table and did not provide any clear answer when pressed on the case of Albania and Indonesia by reporters at a press conference.
Spanish premier Sanchez, who shares the same political family like that of Rama’s SP, slammed this deal saying that “No real estate operation can cover up crimes”. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called the proposed deal an outright violation of international law.
The plan has been categorically refused by regional heavyweights such as Saudi Arabia but welcomed from Israel as constructive “out of the box thinking”.
It would not be the first time that Albania is asked to host different groups from other countries given their precarious political or social situation.
Albania, since 2012, hosts a group of Iranian opposition members, known as MEK in a special secured camp in the outskirts of the capital. This made the country a target of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which launched two serious cyber-attacks over the critical infrastructure of electronic services. The attacks were harmful enough to warrant an immediate NATO response statement and consequent technical security assistance. In addition, there were serious skirmishes between the police and members of the camp a year ago during a raid.
Since 2021 Albania also provides temporary residence to a few hundred Afghan refugees who arrived upon the Taliban takeover of the government. After the US administration recent decision to suspend all asylum procedures and halt respective flights into the US, these refuges, mostly coming from civil society and other organizations that had worked back home with western funding, are now stranded in Shengjin. For the moment the Albanian position is that the refuges can remain in the country.
