Prime Minister Edi Rama is involved in a strong debate with CNN journalist, Eleni Giokos, during the participation in the Future Investment Initiative (FII) World Forum, where he was asked about the project in Zvërnec and the massive protests in Tirana for his resignation.
As the journalist raised concerns about the reactions against the project and the attitude of the European Commission, Rama rejected the claims, stating that the majority of citizens support the development.
“I have news for you. The majority of the Albanian people love the project. The community where it will be developed wants the project and there are no protests”. said Rama, adding that what is reflected in the media, according to him, does not match the reality on the ground.
The debate became tense when the prime minister questioned the objectivity of CNN. “Don’t go there because you remind me you’re from CNN… I’ve learned the hard way that you are not an objective source.” said Rama, adding that according to him, the media network “there is a need for rehabilitation towards Albania, the Albanian people and even towards the birds”.
Further, the head of government also spoke about the impact of disinformation, claiming that some of the reactions have been fueled by fake material and external interference, including cyber attacks from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“The amount of disinformation, fake videos, videos taken from protests in other countries and presented as protests in Albania, the amount of bots that have entered there from our enemy… We have an enemy, the only enemy is the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they have been conducting a merciless cyber attack against Albania for three years and are involved in this issue as well”Rama said.
Excerpts from the debate:
Rama: Look, don’t go there, because now you remind me that you’re from CNN, and I’m sorry to say it, but I’ve learned the hard way that you’re not an objective source. But the fact that you are Greek makes me feel compelled not to go there. Yes, the land was bought by investors. Yes, it is private land. Yes, an environmental impact assessment is underway. Yes, no project has been approved yet. Yes, no building permit has been granted yet. Yes, there is nothing that should concern any right-thinking environmentalist.
And yes, Albania will move forward, and Albania cannot save Europe in only one thing: if social networks continue to function without restriction, Europe will collapse from within. And then even shields against missiles and shells will be useless, because there will be nothing left to protect.”
CNN reporter: Mr. Prime Minister, very briefly, the EU Commission says that you must respect environmental rules and is giving warnings. You also have the issue of protests. How will you change the message so that it resonates with the protesters and ensure that the European Commission is on your side?
Rama: I have news for you. The majority of the Albanian people love the project. The city where the project will take place is, in a very large majority, waiting for it and there are no protests. The community where the project will take place wants the project. So what you see is not exactly what is happening. The anger is there, I understand, but when it dies down and I send a very special invitation to CNN to come to the inauguration, everyone will be happy. And I’m sure it will be a great opportunity for CNN to rehabilitate itself.”
Journalist: To be rehabilitated?
Rama: To be rehabilitated. You need rehabilitation. You need rehabilitation towards Albania, towards the Albanian people and even towards the birds. You know, you need a moment of rehabilitation, because the birds, the waters, the trees and everything else will be much better than they are today. The project aims to create 25% more green space than currently exists. Today, the waters of the lagoon are polluted and we will have a completely new system to clean them again. As you say in the United States: make the waters clean again, not ‘make America great again’.
Journalist: All right!
Rama: It has been provoked mainly because Kushner and Trump, the shadow behind them, are enough to make many people from different countries and continents react immediately. But the amount of disinformation, fake videos, videos taken from protests in other countries and presented as protests in Albania, the amount of bots that have entered there from our enemy… We have an enemy, the only enemy is the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they have been conducting a merciless cyber attack against Albania for three years and are involved in this issue as well.
This amount of insanity is eroding our democracies from within and is taking the European space in directions that, sooner rather than later, will completely destroy the sense of politics, decision-making and compromise in this part of the world. It is therefore time for democracies to stop believing that ‘freedom of information’ is an extension of freedom of expression. The freedom to spread information is what every regime, through propaganda, has used to plant lies in every mind.
