Albania, 2012

We gather here every year to

share our analysis, our views and comments on the

course of world events. We also take this opportunity to

share our concerns and to meet, interact and try to offer

our best commitment to finding appropriate solutions

to current and future challenges.

A year has passed since the last session, and the

world has continued to change. Development and

economic growth in many countries have raised

hundreds of millions of people above the poverty

line. Societies throughout the world are taking a stand

today, demanding more rights and asking for effective

political participation. Democracy, human rights and

increased participation by women in public and social life have all globally improved. Despite unprecedented

global awareness, climate change remains a major

source of concern. The continuing deterioration of the

global economic climate is also a permanent source

of anxiety everywhere. Threats to peace and security

in various parts of the world show how far we still

are from achieving the global security we want. It is

therefore only fair that we expect the United Nations,

the Organization we have placed at the centre of our

international architecture, to be more responsive,

efficient, effective and transparent.

This year Albania celebrates the one hundredth

anniversary of its independence. As we mark that

important date and survey our history for the past 10

decades, we note with satisfaction that for more than half

of that time the State of Albania has enjoyed successful

cooperation and active participation in the life of the

United Nations. Our commitment has grown over the

years and has embraced almost every aspect of United

Nations activity, including peacekeeping operations. In

recent years we have devoted particular attention to the

ongoing efforts to reform the Organization’s system.

As that system has developed and its activities have

become more complex, the need for greater coherence

and efficiency within the Organization as a whole has

grown pressing. That is particularly evident in the area

of United Nations development assistance.

In June, as one of the pilot countries for the

Delivering as One approach, we hosted the fifth High-

level Intergovernmental Conference on Delivering

as One. The Tirana Conference adopted an outcome

document with concrete and, we hope, valuable

recommendations in the light of the approaching

quadrennial comprehensive policy review. We know

now that what started as a test idea has come a long way

in a relatively short time. A growing number of countries

are looking more clearly and closely at the benefits

of seeing the United Nations operate and implement

its assistance programmes with more coherence and

efficiency. Delivering as One has convincingly shown

in practice how the operational activities of the United

Nations can be delivered with greater efficiency and

how the system can do more and better and more with

less in its efforts to help countries reach nationally and

internationally agreed development goals.

I am proud to represent a country and society

widely known for their broadmindedness, tolerance and

acceptance of others. Albanians are probably unique to

our region in that, despite having endured centuries of difficulties in our history, we have always preserved

and cherished the values of freedom and respect for

the other that are fundamental to the modern concept

of human rights. Albanians’ respect for one another’s

rights and individuality is expressed first and foremost

in an exemplary religious harmony. They have shown

an outstanding acceptance of, and respect for, other

cultures, ethnicities and civilizations, and have devoted

special care and attention to those who have come

seeking safe refuge from the horrors of war. Albanians

have risked their own lives and far outspent their

economic capacity in order to rescue and save those in

need who came knocking at their door.

It is against that backdrop that Albania remains

a strong believer in dialogue among civilizations and

continues to engage actively in bridging the differences

among the wider membership on issues pertaining to

the human rights agenda. That is why Albania, which

currently presides over the Council of Europe, has chosen

“United in diversity” as its theme. The dialogue among

different cultures and civilizations should be seen as

an ongoing process requiring dedication, goodwill and

care. We cannot allow the sporadic reckless actions of

disruptive groups to prevent us from making a genuine

effort to reach a better understanding of one another in

a world that is becoming more globalized every day.

Although we were saddened and embittered by the

worthless video that deliberately targets what Muslims

everywhere consider sacred, Albanians, Muslims and

Christians alike have expressed their indignation by

simply ignoring such nonsense. We regret that the

reaction to it in some parts of the world was different,

used instead to fuel blind violence by angry, hopeless

crowds, with fatal consequences. We must be clear:

any form of terrorism or extremist act on the part of

isolated, malevolent groups should never be confused

with the position or identified with the attitude of an

entire society or Government. No legitimate anger

can excuse illegitimate violent acts that Governments,

societies and political and religious leaders should

firmly oppose. We condemn with indignation the

terrorist act against American Consulate staff and

premises in Libya and demand that the perpetrators

be punished. We also condemn any act of violent

protest against the Western embassies, whose mission

it is to promote understanding and cooperation among

countries and nations.

With a foreign policy based on peace and good

relations with all nations, its modest but important

contribution to international missions aimed at

safeguarding peace and human rights through a policy

of good neighbourliness, as well as its efforts to play a

moderate and constructive role in the region, Albania

has become a direct contributor to stability and security

on the regional and global levels. We are determined to

maintain and further build on that record.

Today, Albania participates in peacekeeping

missions in several international operations within the

framework of the United Nations and other regional

security organizations, including in Afghanistan,

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq and more. My country

acknowledges and supports every effort towards global

peace and security and will continue to support the

efforts of the United Nations, NATO and other actors to

promote peace, stability and security around the world.

Global peace and security continue to be challenged

by tyranny and oppression in various parts of the world.

We reiterate our strong condemnation of the ferocious

repression of the freedom-loving people of Syria, whose

blood is being shed through the primitive attacks on

the part of a regime that has irretrievably forfeited its

legitimate right to lead and represent the Syrian people.

Let me join all those calling on the Security Council to

step up and comply with its duty, as mandated in the

United Nations Charter, to preserve peace and security.

It is hard to believe that one can remain indifferent

to events such as the terrible ones that have been

unfolding every day in Syria for a year and a half, with

tens of thousands of human losses and the widespread,

deliberate destruction and suffering that have already

set the country back by decades.

Have we not already learned the hard lessons of

similar mistakes in the past tragedies in Rwanda and

Bosnia?

Albania fully supports the peace process between

Palestine and Israel. Albania reiterates its position

in support of the two-State solution: a secure State

of Israel and a viable State of Palestine, living side

by side with each other in accordance with United

Nations resolutions and the road map. The peoples of

both Palestine and Israel are exhausted by that never-

ending conflict, and their leaders should shoulder

the responsibility of undertaking a legitimate quest

for freedom and peace, with long-term vision and

goodwill, and against extremists. The world longs to

see the peace process in the Middle East shift from a pattern of stagnation and become an inspiring example

of difficult yet indispensable compromises.

Albania remains deeply worried by the Iranian

nuclear programme, which continues to raise serious

questions as to its nature instead of providing answers

and guarantees, as requested over the years. We must

prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear threat.

In November this year, my country will celebrate the

centenary of its independence. We will commemorate a

century that saw a diversity of events, which were not

always among the happiest ones.

Many have described the Albanian people as

survivors of harsh chapters of history. They are not

wrong: the Albanian people have suffered unwanted

wars, forced movement from their lands, assaults and

attempts to annihilate them, unjust partitions and,

during the second half of the twentieth century, bravely

resisted five decades of communism. All this has come

at a stiff price. Today we look to the future with hope,

in a spirit of deliverance, and with strong confidence

that the coming century will be marked by continuous

peace, economic progress, and cultural and intellectual

revitalization.

Our region, which was once a troubled hotspot

and a sick area of Europe, has been profoundly and

positively transformed. Six new States have been born

out of the former Yugoslavia in the course of the past

two decades.

We all know that it has not been easy, and we all

know why. But what matters most is that everywhere

in the region societies have evolved, the ghosts of the

past have ceded their place to new realities, and people,

in particular the young generation, are more than ever

turned towards the future.

Let me point out here that the establishment of the

independent State of Kosovo five years ago has become

an important factor of peace and stability in the South-

east European region. It has become stronger and

overcome all kinds of obstacles created by those who

still cannot accept reality and face the truth. As time

passes, independent Kosovo is being recognized and

accepted by an increasing number of States — close to

half of the States Members of the United Nations.

The advisory opinion of the International Court

of Justice on Kosovo (see A/64/881), rendered in 2010

upon specific request from Serbia, clearly ruled that

the independence of Kosovo was in conformity with the international law. Just a few days ago, the Republic

of Kosovo reached another level of State consolidation

with the end of the phase of independence supervised

by the international community.

I take this opportunity to congratulate the

authorities of Kosovo on their continued progress in

building and strengthening a democratic State and a

multi-ethnic society, and I call on all those countries

that have not yet recognized Kosovo to consider a

review and assessment of that irreversible reality in

the South-eastern European region. The recognition of

Kosovo is an act of justice for a people that has suffered

for too long, and represents a net contribution to peace

and stability in the Balkans.

We have already heard, and we are prepared to

listen once again to the same old redundant arguments

from Serbia regarding Kosovo. What war failed to do,

propaganda will not achieve either. While Serbia’s

leaders speak of partition and the redrawing of borders,

and while they make troubling statements denying

genocide in Srebrenica, one is right to ask whether the

past continues to loom over the present there, obscuring

reality and distorting their vision of the future.

Albania has maintained strong positive economic

growth despite the impact of the global financial

and economic crisis. The pursuit of macroprudential

policies and well-anchored structural reforms focusing

on privatization, fiscal probity, trade liberalization, the

business climate and the energy and financial sectors

have enabled Albania’s economy to become the most

resilient of the economies of South-east Europe. During

the period from 2007 to 2012, average economic growth

has been 5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP),

peaking in 2008 at 8 per cent of GDP.

Since 2008, Albania has had a f lat tax of 10 per

cent; corporate tax has decreased from 25 per cent to

10 per cent; personal income tax has dropped from

23 per cent to 10 per cent; and dozens of fees have

simply been eliminated.

The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012,

published by the World Economic Forum, ranks

Albania seventy-eighth out of 142 countries/economies.

The World Bank report Doing Business 2012: Doing

Business in a More Transparent World ranks Albania

eighty-second out of 183 economies in terms of ease

of doing business. In the areas of getting credit and

of protecting investors, Albania ranks twenty-fourth and sixteenth, respectively, putting it among the top

reformer countries.

On our road towards sustained development,

progress and prosperity, we remain fully engaged and

committed to carrying out all reforms and taking all

of the measures required to continue successfully on

the path to European Union integration. This is not an

alternative but a long-term choice carefully pursued

over the years, and we are determined to make it happen.

In the weeks ahead, we expect a favourable

decision by the Council of Ministers of the European

Union on our bid for the status of candidate country

to the European Union. That merit-based decision will

constitute another milestone in Albania’s journey to

European integration and will place our commitments

and our responsibilities at a higher stage of the process.

In conclusion, let me assure the Assembly that

Albania remains committed to international cooperation

and is determined to continue to offer its contribution to

advancing peace, freedom and security, and respect for

human rights, fighting poverty, promoting sustainable

development and prosperity, and, last but not least,

protecting the environment.