Shqipëria Posted on 2026-05-22 18:47:00

Tokyo, Rama at the United Nations University: Albania in the most concrete phase of EU membership

From SCAN TV

Tokyo, Rama at the United Nations University: Albania in the most concrete phase

Prime Minister Edi Rama held a special lecture at the United Nations University, where, before an audience composed of students, academic staff, ambassadors, diplomatic representatives, Japanese officials, civil society and the Albanian community in Japan, he presented Albania's journey from communist isolation towards European integration and strengthening its role as a reliable Euro-Atlantic ally.

In his speech, Prime Minister Rama emphasized that Albania is in the most concrete phase of the European Union membership process, describing European integration not simply as a technical or political process, but as "a civilizational choice" and a transformative project for the Albanian state and society.

***

Prime Minister Edi Rama: Honorable Rector, Professor Marwala,

Honorable, Excellency; Ambassador Paquet,

Dear, Jean Rique,

Ladies and gentlemen and dear students!

It is a real pleasure to be here today at the United Nations University in Tokyo, a city that embodies something that Europe, Asia and indeed the world need more than ever: the ability to combine memory with innovation, tradition with transformation, patience with ambition and, yes, sovereignty with multilateral order.

I come from a country that for decades was known as the "North Korea" of Europe, a country isolated from the life of this planet that claimed there was no East and West but only Albania against the world, a country where the state did its utmost to isolate not only the borders but also the minds. We had no other fronts except one, Mao's China and the hatred of the Cultural Revolution.

The dark spirit of revolution crossed the continent and found refuge in our land. Intellectuals were turned into targets. Free thought became heresy and the past became something to be destroyed while the future became a prison disguised as a refuge.

In fact, it is the story that happens when reason is replaced and when isolation replaces cooperation. That is why when communism fell, Albanians made a choice that was not only political, it was existential. They chose democracy, openness, the Transatlantic connection that is Europe. For us, European integration has never been a bureaucratic process or technical negotiation. Nor has it been access to an ATM. It is a national aspiration, a choice of civilization, a commitment to fully belong to a family of democratic nations that believe in peace, freedom, democracy and the rule of law.

Albania today is closer than ever to the European Union and we have never seen it so concrete, so real at any moment in our modern history. Following the opening of accession negotiations and the rapid progress through the group chapters, we have entered a decisive phase of our European journey and next week, we will have a key intergovernmental conference with the European Union that kicks off a new phase of closing the chapters and concluding the negotiations within a year and a half.

The road ahead remains very demanding, extremely challenging, but we have never been more determined and have never even imagined or thought of a plan B other than the European Union, because we are convinced that there is no plan B against freedom, no plan B against the rule of law and no plan B against democracy. Membership in the European Union is exactly that; it is not about joining an organization, but about transforming society from within, building institutions that we have never had, strengthening the rule of law, modernizing public administration, fighting corruption and organized crime, and creating a state that serves citizens, instead of citizens serving the state and, above all, giving ourselves a place in an area where freedom, security and cooperation are the values and fundamental principles of coexistence.

One of the most profound chapters of our journey towards this ambition has been our justice reform, one of the most profound and difficult reforms Albania has ever undertaken, not because changing laws is difficult, changing laws is easy and in Albania it is easier than in Japan, by the way, to change laws. Changing habits, changing expectations and changing entrenched systems is difficult, but reforms that have weight are never easy. Reforms that are easy never have weight.

Today, the European journey remains the most powerful engine of transformation available to Albania and I always repeat that what makes Albania have a very real chance and not only Albania, but also the Western Balkans, compared to Afghanistan, compared to Iraq, compared to other countries, where the collective West's promise was to bring freedom and democracy, but the result was not, is precisely the difference between having or not having the European Union as a destination and as a fellow traveler on this journey. The European Union is the most extraordinary source of knowledge about state building that humanity has ever created and transferring this knowledge is what they do best.

The Russian aggression against Ukraine reminded Europe of something that, unfortunately, many had begun to take for granted, because for the first time in its history, Europe had a generation that did not see any war.

So complacency became part of the way of life in the European Union, where peace was somehow taken for granted and self-sustaining, where democracy was seen as irreversible and security could not in fact out-contract history. In this context, the full integration of the Western Balkans and Albania in this case into the EU is not simply a demand of ours or a demand of the region. It is a strategic need for Europe itself because the future of Europe cannot be complete while a region completely surrounded by the European Union, whose borders remain outside the political ''architecture'' of the European Union.

Albania has proven that it is not only a stable and reliable partner, but also that it loves the European Union so much that nothing changes its mind. We want to "get married", we insist and "we will get married". We are fully aligned with the foreign and security policy of the European Union.

We are a committed NATO ally. We are deeply committed to the transatlantic relationship that has guaranteed the freedom and stability of Europe for generations, because while the European Union is our destination, the transatlantic relationship is the anchor on which that relationship rests. While our strategic compass points towards Europe, our curiosity and partnership extend far beyond Europe. This brings me here to Asia, because there is so much that everyone can learn from Asia, there is so much that Europe can learn from Asia; extraordinary transformations during this last half century, and there is so much that the Western Balkans can learn too.

ASEAN offers a particularly valuable lesson; its members come from very different political systems, cultures, and histories, but they have understood something profoundly important: Cooperation does not require uniformity, unitary relationships do not require being the same, progress is not achieved by eliminating differences, but by intelligently blending them and using them as balancing forces. For a region like the Western Balkans, with a history that has often been more visible than its future, the wisdom of this region holds special value. ASEAN teaches us that trust can be built gradually, that prosperity can create stability, and that neighbors do not need to agree on everything to move forward together.

This is a lesson worth remembering not only in the Balkans, but increasingly in many parts of the world, and if ASEAN offers lessons in regional cooperation, Japan offers lessons in something even more extraordinary about the power of resilience: Few nations have experienced such devastation and achieved such recovery. Few nations have demonstrated such capacity, the ability to transform tragedy into strength, disadvantage into innovation, and opposition into excellence.

In fact, greatness is not measured by the absence of setbacks, but by the ability to rise up after them. For Albania, Japan has been much more than just a development partner, it has been a trusted friend and I want to remind you here that following the devastating earthquake of 2019, Japan stood by us and we will never forget this.

Many Albanian professionals, public servants, and experts have benefited from Japan's training and development programs, but in a country undergoing profound transformation, human capital is perhaps the most important capital of all, but what makes Japan invaluable to us is the power of its example as an inexhaustible source of inspiration.

In some ways, Japan has become an indirect, but important partner in Albania's European journey, because European integration is not just about negotiating chapters and transferring the European legal corpus from there to our country, but it is about building institutions to raise standards, resilience; it is about developing a culture of excellence, and all of these are areas where Japan, its support, is very valuable. What makes our relationship particularly meaningful is that despite the geographical borders that separate our countries, we share very similar beliefs: A belief in international cooperation, respect for democratic institutions, a commitment to stability, a belief in education, a belief in innovation, and perhaps above all, a belief that long-term success is built with patience and perseverance, rather than short cuts.

In a world increasingly characterized by polarization, fragmentation, and impatience, these values have become strategic assets. That's why institutions like the United Nations University are so important, because ultimately integration is not just institutional, it's intellectual, it's cultural, it's human.

Bridges of knowledge prove more durable than those of steel and conversations between societies often go beyond agreements between governments. So, we are deeply committed to integration into the European Union and Albania today, based on the European barometer, not what I think, is the most pro-European society on the continent and I told you, we are in love. So from the ''North Korea'' of Europe to an EU candidate country and NATO ally, in the span of a lifetime, it is something quite significant and from the shadows of the cultural revolution, to the values of democratic Europe; from a country that once feared the world, to a country determined to contribute to the world, it is truly something and this journey has taught us something simple, very simple, but important. History can shape a nation, but it should not define its destiny and Japan is perhaps the most brilliant example of this.

I was very aware that I had to give this talk on Friday, and Friday is a very "dangerous" day for giving speeches because everyone is eager to leave the building instead of listening to a lecture. I did my best to be serious as a lecturer is expected, but also not to lecture you as you would not expect.

So here I conclude my comments and of course, I will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have and I would be very pleased to invite all of you Japanese people who are here to come and visit our country.

I'm sorry we didn't manage to bring some sunshine to Tokyo, because we have plenty of sunshine at home, so come and enjoy it. While your food is second to none, we still have the best food in the Western Balkans and of course the ambassador understands, he knows this very well even though he won't say it out loud. So, thank you very much. It's a pleasure. Thank you!

Shqipëria 2026-05-22

Center of the future, Durana Tech Park joins the initiative for eco-industrial parks in Albania

Durana Tech Park, owned by the Albanian Investment Corporation (AIC), has joined the network of pilot locations in the Western Balkans under the......

Shqipëria 2026-05-22

Librazhdi towards transformation, Mariglen Disha: Here are 3 mountain tourism development projects

The Mayor of Librazhd, Mariglen Disha, has revealed the main projects that are expected to radically change the city and the surrounding areas. According to......