The Minister of Defense, Pirro Vengu, reacted to the protests and calls for a “new Albania”, arguing that the country’s priority should be strengthening the state and not destabilizing it. Through a message on social networks, Vengu emphasizes that Albania has gained in the last decade more economic, diplomatic and strategic weight in the region, while warning that the rhetoric of the revolution does not serve the national interest. According to him, Tirana represents the center of political and diplomatic gravity of the Albanians in the region, so the main challenge remains the construction of a stronger and more reliable Albania, and not the escalation of political tensions.
Full reaction
Along with cheering for a new Albania, I am for a strong Albania.
Like it or not, some like it or some don’t like it, these are the three basic facts of the Albanian factor in Southeast Europe.
First, Albania’s greatest strategic advantage in the 21st century is that it is surrounded by its compatriots. In an era where power is measured less and less by territory and more and more by the ability to organize, adapt and act quickly, the Albanian presence in the region is our greatest historical, human and geopolitical capital.
Second, unlike the first century of state-building, in the last decade Albania’s economic, diplomatic and international strengthening is directly translating into more security, more weight and more opportunities for Albanians throughout the region. It is no longer only Albania that is held by the nation. It is also the nation that is strengthened by a stronger, more reliable Albania and closer to the European Union.
Thirdly, Albania has exercised its role as a mother country without complexes: sometimes on the front line, sometimes in silent diplomacy, but always in defense of the national interest and of Albanians wherever they live.
Therefore, whoever thinks that he serves the nation by chanting “revolution” in Tirana, does not understand the dimensions of the time. Tirana is not just the capital of Albania. It is the political, economic and diplomatic center of gravity of Albanians in Southeast Europe. Destabilizing it is not an act of patriotism. It is a luxury that the Albanian nation cannot afford.
PS A friendly tip for revolutionaries with GPS who only land in Tirana.
Do not confuse love for the nation with tutoring about Albania. We know how to criticize our government ourselves. But we do not let anyone weaken the motherland in the name of patriotism.
Because the Albanians have two states, they are a state-forming nation in North Macedonia and a Europeanizing minority in Montenegro and Serbia. But they have only one strategic center of gravity. And it is a strong Albania.
“New Albania” may sound like a cheer. A strong Albania is a much more difficult task. I choose the task.
