Don’t abandon us to the Russians, pleads Albanian leader, fearing US will walk away
Prime minister says Moscow influence in the Balkans is rising as his nation looks to join EU
‘Russian policies do not correspond with Balkan ambitions to join the EU’
The Balkans is in danger of slipping under Russian influence if the Trump administration ignores the region, Albania’s prime minister has warned in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.
Questions are also being asked over whether the European Union is doing enough to ensure stability and block Moscow’s alleged plots.
Edi Rama said without US support “the Balkans would not be a place where there is peace and co-operation. For the US, this area is very important strategically, and the US is very important for us.”
Given Russia’s apparent role in the plot to assassinate the prime minister in neighbouring Montenegro, disclosed by the Telegraph this week, there are worries Washington’s disinterest will embolden Moscow.
“Russia has been interested in spreading its influence and there’s a lot of it in this region,” Mr Rama, 52, said. His worries are echoed by foreign minister Ditmir Bushati. “There’s a lack of focus from our main partners, the US and EU, on the Balkans,” he said.
After intense conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo, Balkan states were only now “transferring from enemies into neighbours”.
“If there is a retreat by the US and EU, we might go back to basics, and we know what basics means here in the Balkans.”
He added: “Russian influence is stronger than before, a presence in political circles, especially Serbia and Montenegro. It’s not an attractive thing for this society. Russian policies do not correspondent with Balkan ambitions to join the EU.”
For long, Albania has been a neglected corner in Europe, with communist dictator Enver Hoxha isolating it from both West and East during his 40-year rule. Since the fall of communism, Albania has struggled to get back on its feet, but after wideranging reforms Mr Rama is now leading accession talks for EU membership.
But the Socialist Party leader faces a battle transforming a rampantly corrupt judicial system. As a condition of EU membership, each of Albania’s 800 judges and prosecutors has to be vetted to explain any unusual wealth assets or past judgments. Already 22 judges have resigned, but the process faces being scuppered by the opposition Democratic Party, which has close ties to the judiciary.
“They have been in power for many years and have their own reasons to fear a clean and well-performing justice system,” Mr Rama said.
When communism fell, many east European artists and writers entered politics, but few survived for long.
It might be Mr Rama’s imposing presence, standing at 6ft 5in in size 13 shoes, but what seems to wrong-foot opponents is his growing international reputation as a painter. His work is currently exhibited at the prestigious Marian Goodman gallery in New York, in Florence, and will soon come to Shoreditch, east London.
It explains the coloured pens on his desk and constant doodling during ministerial meetings, which, he argues, allows him to concentrate.
Three years into office, Mr Rama’s popularity remains high with a 56 per cent approval rating. That will be useful come elections in June and is testament to his reforms which has seen the police go from the least to most trusted profession in Albania.
The economy is also thriving, with 3.4 per cent growth this year and a similar forecast for next year.
With Albania gradually losing its dour communist reputation, tourists are discovering a delightfully unspoilt country – no fast food chains pervade the capital Tirana. Its Adriatic coastline is dramatic and beautiful. Tourism has increased by 25 per cent in the past year.
“It’s the beautiful Italy of a generation before, not yet messed up by wild developments,” Mr Rama says.
While the country has a legacy of blood feuds and high crime, especially in the drugs trade, it is not the norm, he argues. “People are influenced by this stereotype of Albania, as a gloomy country where all dark things happen, but it’s totally different.”
Potentially, Albania could join the EU just as Britain leaves. Mr Rama accepts the “sovereign decision of the British people”, but gently adds: “This is the first generation in Europe that has not known war and they forget that the EU is first and foremost a project of peace and security and then a free market.”