TIRANA, December 9 – The walls of Europe would not have stood without the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has said Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama.
Rama made that comment in his address to the International Forum of TRT on Friday while he had noted earlier that former chancellor Angela Merkel opened the door to immigrants in Germany.
“It is always a special feeling to return to Istanbul. And I honestly can’t find a more vibrant place where someone can talk about the return of geopolitical conflicts. This is partly related to the fact that Turkey has a multifunctional policy in geopolitics. It has a deep knowledge of the Middle East and the Mediterranean and is very connected to the Black Sea and Central Asia,” said Rama.
Further he dwelt on Turkey’s role in the war between Ukraine and Russia, considering it a model example of moderate activism.
“Ankara has lowered the veil of being a member of NATO and has worn the cloak of a mediator in the war in Ukraine. I am sharing with you my conviction that the war in Ukraine is not only related to Ukraine, but is an aggression against the entire Euro-Atlantic community. The energy crisis, inflation are the weapons with which Russian aggression is attacking democratic countries,” he said. According to Rama, unlike the rest of Europe, there are countries in the Western Balkans where over 70% of the population think that Russia is not an aggressor and that Putin is not guilty, but a leader who can be trusted for the security of the European continent.
“Without Merkel, the honor of Europe would not be safe. She was the one who opened the door for immigrants to Germany during the great Syrian crisis. But, without Erdogan, the walls of Europe would not have stood,” said Rama. /Argumentum al