Serbian Minister Beriša: Edi Rama’s Victory Is Key to Serbia–Albania Relations

The Serbian Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, Demo Berisha, expressed confidence in the victory of Albania’s current Prime Minister, Edi Rama, in the parliamentary elections taking place today.

He stated that Rama has shown charisma and the courage to face extremely difficult challenges in the past and emphasized that it is important for Serbia that Rama wins re-election, Euronews Serbia reports.

Berisha said Rama has proven capable of leading Albania toward reforms, noting in particular his determination to confront corruption.

“He is the kind of man who, when he decides to carry out a reform, doesn’t concern himself with what the opposing side thinks—he makes decisions. That is the mark of a courageous leader who wants to move his country forward,” Berisha said, adding that Rama had once transformed Tirana into a European capital during his tenure as mayor.

On the other hand, regarding Sali Berisha, he stated that although Sali has already held extremely important positions in Albania, Serbia faced serious issues during his time in office.

“Specifically, I’m referring to the time when the so-called pyramid saving schemes collapsed, followed by the opening of arms and ammunition warehouses—this directly preceded the preparation of Kosovo Albanians for the war that awaited us in 1998. At that time, Sali Berisha was Prime Minister and was the key figure who ceded part of Albania’s territory for the preparation of Kosovo Albanians. In contrast, Rama is entirely different—he was the first Albanian Prime Minister to visit Belgrade in over 60 years and established a new kind of relationship with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić,” Berisha said.

Berisha considers Rama’s re-election a crucial matter for Serbia–Albania relations.

“I expect that the policies led by Rama toward Serbia, and Serbia’s policies toward Albania, will be taken to a higher level in the future. Not necessarily a conference, but at least a summit that would focus on reconciliation between Serbs and Albanians—because neither Serbs nor Albanians have time for war anymore,” he stated.

He added that if, contrary to expectations, Sali Berisha were to win, he would approach these relations differently. Interestingly, Demo Berisha noted, Sali Berisha has certain ties with the Serbian community.

“His family has connections to the Serbian community, and while that should be seen as an advantage, he appears to view it as a liability. In fact, it should serve as an asset and a reason to strengthen cooperation with Serbia,” he concluded.