Prime Minister Edi Rama was honored with the Solidarity Award by the Organization “Vital Voices Global Partnership” in the US for the hospitality that Albania has given to Afghan refugees, offering them housing, education, medical services and psychosocial support.
The award was presented to Prime Minister Rama by the former US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, at the same time one of the founders of the organization, an award, which is given “for outstanding people who have shown courage and compassion in protecting women and girls around the world.”
In her speech, the former Secretary of State said that there were a small number of leaders who expressed their readiness at a time of great need for Afghan refugees in recent months. “At the top of this list is Prime Minister Edi Rama,” Clinton said. She assessed that Prime Minister Rama understood almost instinctively how important it was to extend his hand, to say “yes”.
“Thus, together with ‘Vital Voices’, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, Women for Women and Nina’s List and many others, Prime Minister Rama opened the doors of Albania to people from Afghanistan, mainly women in need, and “thanks to his leadership and the efforts of the Albanian government, more than 1,000 evacuated Afghans are safe in Albania,” said Clinton.
On the other hand, she said after his re-election, in September Prime Minister Rama set a historical record, naming the largest number of women ever in the government of Albania. “Over 70 percent of the ministers in his cabinet are women, and some of them are here tonight – equal partners in the effort to shape the country they serve,” Clinton said.
In his speech at the ceremony organized in New York, Prime Minister Rama said that, “it is no heroism to turn your back on people who risk dying.” The Prime Minister added that “it seems to me a very alarming sign for the world in which we live, this great desire to assess a reasonable basic judgment.”
Rama brought the heroic example of the Albanians during the Second World War with the rescue of 3750 Jews. I always say, he continued, “that being the Prime Minister of Albania in NATO is a pretty easy job, because it is not up to you to make the decisions.” Rama stressed that Albania welcomed the refugees because as a NATO member country, it was up to Albanians to do it.
On the other hand, the Prime Minister recalled that, “we were the Afghans 30 years ago, when we had to escape a cruel regime, which was not an Islamic fundamentalist, but an atheist fundamentalist.” Rama stressed that “no Albanian political party said “no” to the reception of these people and the public opinion was very supportive of their hospitality.”
In another event in the US, the chairman of the Socialist Party parliamentary group, Taulant Balla declared in Washington that the US strongly backs the European path of Albania.
He attended the parliamentary forum of intelligence and security which he considered as a good opportunity to share experience with others and the US are a model. /Argumentum.al
