The veteran Democratic Party (DP) leader, Sali Berisha, confirmed in a meeting in Mirdita, northern Albania, on Saturday that they will participate in the by-elections on March 6. He invited citizens to take part in the voting for the candidates proposed by the DP which gathers in its ranks adversaries of Lulzim Basha who was dismissed in a referendum by Democrats.
“We have decided to participate in the elections in these 6 municipalities. The citizens will appoint the candidates, not Sali Berisha and others. There will be elections in structures, it will be you who will determine,” he said.
Berisha invited everyone to take part in the voting and turn their backs on Lul Kimik (the chemical). “I invite the deputies to come to you, because you voted for them. Lul Kimiku did not vote for them,” said Berisha.
In a comment on the latest visit of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Tirana, Berisha said that PM Edi Rama is bringing dangerous influences to Albania, and yet the American diplomatic representatives in Tirana are not reacting.
Directly, Berisha responded to Erdogan who spoke about the rules of brotherhood, when he demanded the persecution of the FETO organization in Albania.
“Erdogan told parliament that there are rules in brotherhood. In Islamic doctrine it is the concept of brotherhood and not of nation. But we have not accepted this because the Catholics of Mirdita, the Orthodox of Korça have Albanian blood. I was a kid and we celebrated all the religious holidays. We have brotherhood within ourselves. We have others as friends,” said Berisha.
MP Berisha himself boycotted Erdogan’s speech in the Parliament due to his interference in the electoral process in Albania.
In the meantime Berisha expressed his wonder how the State Department makes reports with very harsh attitudes, but these attitudes are not reflected by the US diplomatic representatives in Tirana.
He said that in the reports of the State Department, Albania was described as an operational center of trafficking and crime, but in Tirana nothing is said about it. “How is it possible that these statements are not translated into statements of diplomatic representatives in Tirana? Remember for a moment – today Albania has climbed to the second place in the world for bribery,” said Berisha.
Dwelling on the initiative Open Balkans Berisha said its aim is to establish Serbian hegemony in the region and without a doubt this is Russian influence in the region. “Brussels and the State Department came out against it. But the US representatives (in Tirana) praise it as if they were the representatives of Edi Rama,” said Berisha.
In addition he said that pressure was made on Lulzim Basha from the US through the file of ‘Nick Muzin’. But he said the affair never closes. “The Nick Muzin case is one of the files with the most criminal history in lobbying. He has made transfers punishable under Albanian and American law. Edi Rama closed the process against him in Albania. When the Albanian prosecution requested the file of Nick Muzin and his testimony, who was a person confused in other stories from the US, the file came and Lulzim Brava (lock) was called and he was said: with this file here you are sentenced to at least 12 years, but even more severely you can be sentenced there. Take it or leave! Either remove Sali Berisha, or surrender yourself. Of course he accepted the first. But did it solve the problem? He did not solve it.”
Further on Berisha said Ambassador Kim reached an agreement with hostage-Basha. “But the United States is a country of freedom and that affair never ends. It will follow his whole life,” said Berisha.
“There is nothing personal in this battle. I stand up for myself and my dignity. But I am fighting with you to restore freedom and sovereignty,” stressed Berisha. / Argumentum.al