During its EU Presidency, Croatia wants to take a stimulating, motivating and supportive role for its neighboring countries, as it believes that the European perspective has no alternative,” Croatian Ambassador Zlatko Kramaric has pledged
By Genc Mlloja
Senior Diplomatic Editor
TIRANA – Croatia, as the country that will hold the EU presidency in the first 6 months of this year, will do everything in its power to open serious negotiation processes for Northern Macedonia and Albania with the Union as soon as possible, even before the Zagreb summit in May this year, has said the Croatian Ambassador to Tirana, Zlatko Kramaric.
Ambassador Kramaric, who presented his credentials to President Ilir Meta on October 7, 2019, made that comment in a speech as guest speaker at the 16th Conference of the European Integration Parliamentary Committees of States participating in the SEE Stabilization and Association process held in Tirana on Friday (January, 17, 2020) whose topic was the role and responsibility of the Parliament in the Berlin Process with focus on youth mobility and recognition of diplomas.
Zagreb’s top envoy to Tirana told the participants in the Conference that the Croatian Prime Minister Plenkovic and French President Macron met in Paris on 7th January this year to discuss the EU enlargement process and to jointly find the solutions to open accession negotiations for Northern Macedonia and Albania. “During its EU Presidency, Croatia wants to take a stimulating, motivating and supportive role for its neighboring countries, as it believes that the European perspective has no alternative,” the Ambassador pledged.
During his vivid speech Mr. Kramaric spoke even on his career revealing that in a normal life he is a professor of literature at a Croatian University for 41 years. “All my life I have lived with my students. And that truly is perhaps the one of the most beautiful jobs in the world, because you are constantly in touch with a young unencumbered world,” he said, noting that those daily contacts had allowed him to follow from the vicinity their moods, political affiliations, what they like and what they don’t. “And they know how to be your best corrective, they are the litmus paper of moods in the society, they send you a clear message of what is good, what is acceptable and what is not… One only has to know how to read the signs of the street, of the time we live in – and all of it breaks through the optics of that youth… They are unmistakably sending the signals about changes in sensibility of society.”
The Croatian Ambassador recalled that it was precisely in Albania that the students clearly articulated the dissatisfaction of Albanian citizens, some thirty years ago. “They represented the political vanguard that led to dramatic changes in this country, which brought the country not only out of isolation, but pressured the party elites of that time to leave power, to organize free, multi-party, democratic elections,” he said.
Further on Ambassador Kramaric viewed the international context in Albania as complex because some EU member states, in their particular interests, have opposed the opening of the EU-Albania negotiations, and in such situation, it indeed may seem to the young people in Albania that the perspective is not promising. “But I can assure you that there is no place for pessimism… A hope need to be returned to a young people, and faith that things can change, not necessarily at the street protests, not necessarily in a revolutionary way. The best solution is open and free political dialog in Parliament,” said Zagreb’s top envoy to Tirana.
The Ambassador praised the work of the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO), with headquarters in Tirana and local branches in all the capitals of the region (Podgorica, Sarajevo, Skopje, Pristina, Belgrade). In his view it has shown that connecting young people in the Western Balkans is possible. “RYCO very successfully promotes the spirit of reconciliation and cooperation of young people in the region through the youth exchange programs.” Albanian Daily News was made available with a copy of the speech of the Croatian Ambassador, Zlatko Kramaric, which follows below:
Let me express my appreciation to the Parliament of the Republic of Albania for having invited me and for giving me an opportunity to participate at the Conference. I will begin this unpretentious presentation with one detail that belongs to the other part of my profession, not related to the politics and diplomacy. Namely, in a normal life I am, in fact, a professor of literature at a Croatian University. And that already – believe it or not, for 41 years. All my life I have lived with my students. And that truly is perhaps the one of the most beautiful jobs in the world, because you are constantly in touch with a young unencumbered world. And this is a true grace of God. And just these daily contacts – much more then, than now – allow you to follow from the vicinity to their moods, political affiliations, what they like and what they don’t… And they know how to be your best corrective, they are the litmus paper of moods in the society, they send you a clear messages of what is good, what is acceptable and what is not… One only has to know how to read the signs of the street, of the time we live in – and all of it breaks through the optics of that youth… They are unmistakably sending the signals about changes in sensibility of society.
They do not consent to boredom and they, as a rule, seek the change, demand that the wise government quickly intervene if things in society are going in the faulty, wrong direction. In their demands, they are often impatient and, at times, unrealistic in their expectations. But all this is a result of their youth and sincerity. Admittedly, we are no longer living in the 68th year of the last century, and nothing bad should be seen in this fact, because today is simply no longer possible to repeat their engagement and political activism. Times have simply changed and there are completely different modes of action today, through the social networks, non-governmental organizations… All of this did not exist fifty years ago, so even then the forms of their engagement had to be more visible, more aggressive… they went out to the streets, physically occupied the Universities. Today, no one is rebelling in this way, but it does not mean that the state institutions, centers of power (banks, police, army, secret services…) still do not colonize our daily lives.
But let’s be honest, and let’s admit that it was precisely in Albania, in this country, that the students clearly articulated the dissatisfaction of Albanian citizens, some thirty years ago. They represented the political vanguard that led to dramatic changes in this country, which brought the country not only out of isolation, but pressured the party elites of that time to leave power, to organize free, multi-party, democratic elections. It was the students who, by disobeying the old rules of the political game, sublimated the dissatisfaction of all other Albanian citizens, who wanted only one thing: to live like the other normal world, to work, to be paid correctly for that work, to think freely and speak without any fear of being punished or put in jail for that reason. Fortunately, that has happened. One used and exhausted political model had to be replaced by a new model, which would properly respond to all old and new societal challenges…
We need to be aware that they are not simple transitions from one social system to another, they are always painful, traumatic, even when successful. Furthermore, they often last a very long time, and sometimes, unfortunately, they do not end up the way they were intended at the very beginning…
I am telling all this from my own, Croatian experience. We dreamt of one thing, but the reality was often disappointing, depressing. Finally, the success of every revolution, of every social change, is judged solely in relation to the general increase in human happiness. If the desired changes do not provide that, then the big question is how successfully these changes were implemented and whether those who needed to implement them did so in the best way. Furthermore, it should be borne in mind that it’s young people who are always the first to be hit by all those – often forced, political and economic decisions. The existing circumstances do not often go on hand to the young people.
In addition, the international context in Albania is complex because some EU member states, in their particular interests, have opposed the opening of the EU-Albania negotiations. In such situation, it indeed may seem to the young people in Albania that the perspective is not promising.
Resignation and disappointment are known to be the first symptoms of social illness of young people, and lack of perspective kills faster than some real illnesses. Therefore, it is very dangerous for a society when its most powerful segment wonders if it makes any sense to act.
But I can assure you that there is no place for pessimism. Here, I am not just referring to better conditions for study or general education. A better standard is not an unimportant category in our lives, but it is not the only and decisive category. Things are much more complex and should not be trivialized.
Today is a good opportunity to announce here, from this place, the fight against the dispiritedness, not only verbally, but also by concrete measures.
A hope need to be returned to a young people, and faith that things can changed, not necessarily at the street protests, not necessarily in a revolutionary way. The best solution is open and free political dialog in Parliament, because if you are elected for Parliament then you must fight for your ideas, believes and visions in the Parliament. But that doesn’t mean that I personally am against the citizen’s disobedience.
In any case, leaving to the Western Europe, America, irreversibly emigrating is certainly not a good solution. Young people must feel that in Albanian society, first of all among those who govern the country, both position and opposition, there is a critical awareness of the necessity of radical social reforms. Young people should be attracted to engage in society and to participate in politics, at local and European level, in order that they contribute to democratic development, social and economic prosperity and European integration. Everything must be done to realize a “better life” in Albania, a life worthy of a man, where is equally possible to realize all the own projects, own visions and ideas … and that (must be): “now and here”.
The first prerequisite is the freedom of movement. Today is very easy to exchange the knowledge, experience and skills. In all these activities, the young people are those who dictate the pace, who determine the rules of the game. But, in addition to promoting a youth mobility by providing opportunities for intercultural exchange, studying abroad – facilitated by Erasmus + or employment in the region or EU, their competencies for self-employment should be strengthened as well, in order for youth to participate in promoting their own country’s development, and thus the development of the region.
The establishment of the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO), with headquarters in Tirana and local branches in all the capitals of the region (Podgorica, Sarajevo, Skopje, Pristina, Belgrade) – has shown that connecting young people in the Western Balkans is possible. RYCO very successfully promotes the spirit of reconciliation and cooperation of young people in the region through the youth exchange programs.
I think the EU also has enough interesting projects for young people. They can also be used in Albania, even without the EU membership.
Croatia, as the country that will hold the EU presidency in the first 6 months of this year, will do everything in its power to open serious negotiation processes as soon as possible, even before the Zagreb summit in May this year.
At the end, I would like to mention that the Croatian Prime Minister Plenkovic and French President Macron met in Paris on 7th January to discuss the EU enlargement process and to jointly find the solutions to open accession negotiations for Northern Macedonia and Albania. During its EU Presidency, Croatia wants to take a stimulating, motivating and supportive role for its neighboring countries, as it believes that the European perspective has no alternative.
I am deeply convinced that Albanian society will fulfill its tasks and respond to European complexity with concrete steps in its own complexity. So, at the end of accession negotiation path to EU, the young people of Albania will also be able to enjoy the freedom of movement within the EU. Last but not least: there is an old saying in Croatian tradition that goes: “The world remains on Youth.” It is up to us to show by our own deeds that this is indeed so.
© Argumentum
