The President of the UAE is honored with the Great Star of Public Appreciation/ Rama: True brotherhood is not proclaimed, it is lived
The President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was received by Prime Minister Edi Rama at the Prime Minister's Office premises where he was decorated with the Grand Order with the Star of Public Gratitude, a high state award for his unwavering commitment to the strategic relationship between the two countries as well as his unparalleled contribution to the global cause of peace.
In his speech on this occasion, Prime Minister Rama stated that this is the second visit of the head of the Emirates to Albania within a short period.
"Your presence feels like that of a beloved relative returning to see if everything is going well in the home of his relatives," Rama said.
Prime Minister Rama also recalled Sheikh Muhammed Bin Zayed's assistance to Albania after the devastating earthquake of 2019.
"I will never forget that when I came to you after the devastating earthquake, which left thousands of families homeless, you took my hand and said: Brother, you and your people are not alone! And today, a beautiful new neighborhood with over a thousand apartments stands as proof that you mean what you say and say exactly what you mean," the Prime Minister said.
The full speech of Prime Minister Edi Rama:
"Your Excellency,
Mr. President,
Dear friends, brothers and guests,
It is a great honor to welcome you back to our country, for the second time in such a short period of time, and although you will not stay as long as we would like, your presence feels like that of a beloved relative returning to see if all is well in the home of his relatives.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
“It is not permissible for a Muslim to avoid his brother for more than three days… and the best of the two is the one who greets him first.”
You, Your Highness, came to us with this spirit, as the one who greets first. As a beloved member of the family, who, although far away, never lets the threads of love break.
And now it's perfectly clear who is the better of the two, if there was ever any doubt.
Let me say this also on behalf of my people, present at this small, but very special gathering for us:
First we heard about the United Arab Emirates. Then we learned about them. Then we went and saw them. And then we learned to know and appreciate the people who care about them.
To count ourselves among the friends of your extraordinary country is for us not only a great honor as a people, but a source of sincere pleasure and special pride for us who represent our country. And this relationship is above all the merit of your personal dedication to this brotherhood.
Your Highness, you teach me every day that true brotherhood is not proclaimed, it is lived. It is built by walking together on the same path, by standing together with the truth, by embracing the wisdom you inherited from your late father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul in eternal peace:
“We are all God’s creatures.”
And I had the privilege of hearing from you, from our first meeting, how your father brought these words to life in that unforgettable moment, when hundreds of thousands of Albanians, fleeing ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, flooded towards Albania.
You were then a young army officer who landed on the runway built by your father in the north of our country, to enable the arrival of planes carrying aid for hundreds of thousands of war refugees.
It was you who told me how he called you every evening to make sure that refugees were fed and treated equally, regardless of religion, as equals before God.
You, Your Highness, did not simply embrace this teaching in your youth, you became its living embodiment. You made it a life mission and transformed your country into a shining standard-bearer of this faith: a country whose moral greatness rests on an unwavering commitment to universal brotherhood and on the fearless conviction that, at any cost, this is the only way to a better world. Not just with fine words, but with courageous deeds.
As another hadith says: "There is no Muslim who visits his sick brother in the morning without seventy thousand angels praying for him until the evening. And if he visits him in the evening, they pray for him until the morning and he will have fruits from Paradise."
This hadith does not simply speak of invisible rewards. It speaks of the comforting presence of solidarity and reminds us that visiting the sick or caring for someone in need means, for a moment, becoming a bearer of divine mercy.
Only God knows the numbers and power of these angels.
But I know this: from Kosovo to Somalia, from India to the Maghreb, from the Holy Land to Albania, and, yes, throughout your region and around the world, your name is heard with respect, pronounced with gratitude, and remembered with hope.
People of every color, language, and creed are grateful to you for your presence near them, in the darkest hours, not as a sovereign seeking to clear his conscience, but as a brother who refuses to abandon his fellow men languishing in darkness; who walks with them through the valleys of war, suffering, despair, extremism, and destruction, bringing them not only help, but something that goes even deeper: the silent power of compassion and also the relief while assuring them that they are not alone.
I will never forget that when I came to you after the devastating earthquake, which left thousands of families homeless, you took my hand and said: Brother, you and your people are not alone!
And today, a beautiful new neighborhood with over a thousand apartments stands as proof that you mean what you say and say exactly what you mean.
As a soldier by training and by calling, you have chosen to be a brother in arms of Peace.
I recall your words:
“In our religion we say: ‘O God, You are peace and from You comes peace.’ The search for peace is an innate principle, but principles only take on meaning when they are transformed into action.”
Where else, and under whose leadership other than yours, could the co-signing of the Document on Human Fraternity have come about, between the successor of Saint Peter and the followers of the Prophet?
And how could the Abrahamic Accords, so vital to the Middle East and inspiring to the entire world, have taken shape without your courage and sincere love for peace?
Few may remember, but the tradition of the Prophet teaches us that when you love your brother for the sake of God, you should tell him. A man said to the Prophet, peace be upon him,
“O Messenger of God, I love that man.”
And the Prophet asked him, “Have you told him?”
“No.”
“Then go and tell him.”
And he went, saying,
“I love you for the sake of God.”
And the other replied,
“May He for whose sake He loves me love you.”
So today, Your Highness, as a brother, I want to express with a public gesture my love and loyalty to you as a bearer of the light of reason in a world that loses it every day and grows darker and darker.
It may be a simple gesture compared to everything you have done for us, but with deep gratitude, on behalf of the Albanian people, I have the honor to present you with the Grand Order with the Star of Public Gratitude.
I know you have received many decorations, I am told over twenty of the most prestigious in the world.
However, I dare to hope, you know, I am stubborn, that this memory of Albanian gratitude can occupy a special place among them.
The red and black of our flag are not only national colors. They symbolize, above all, the surrender of oneself to divine providence in the service of others, and the blood that our brothers gave for this land, which must never have been shed in vain.
These same colors inspired a hymn written a century ago by a great Albanian poet, an Orthodox bishop and one-time Prime Minister:
“A flag that gave birth to Saint Constantine,
Unites the Cross and the Crescent Sign,
Proclaims all faiths as divine brothers,
A noble banner for all humanity.”
The star of this Order, with a sharp shape, is inspired by the seal of our national hero, Skanderbeg, and by the 36 letters of our alphabet.
Its composition also evokes the Seal of Solomon — Suleiman, the king of peace — whose spirit and legacy shine through in your own leadership: as a father, a statesman, a global leader, a man of deep faith and culture.
In a word: as a guide for humanity.
Your Highness, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates:
For your unwavering commitment to the strategic relationship between our countries;
For your brotherly care in times of need for our people;
For your unparalleled contribution to the global cause of peace and multilateral cooperation;
And for your humility that humbles everyone, I would add outside the official text…
On behalf of the Republic of Albania, with deep respect and gratitude,
I present to you the Grand Order with the Star of Public Gratitude.
May God always protect you and may God bless both our peoples.”
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