Albania, 2013

I am the newly elected Prime

Minister of Albania. This is my first month in office.

It is truly humbling to stand at this rostrum in the

steps and the shadows of some of the great figures of

history who have stood here and shaped our world, in

this forum, which, for all the criticisms of the United

Nations, is a living reminder that good must come from

bad and that the march of progress through time is

powered by debate, ideas, cooperation, argument and

agreement.

Albania is no great Power; it is a small country, but

with great potential. It has outstanding natural beauty

and good and hard-working people. My challenge is to

bring change so that this potential can be fulfilled. It will

take time. It will take a lot of effort and perseverance.

It will take understanding and support from friends and

partners. For my part, I will add leadership. We have a

long way to go, but it can be done.

I was reading a study recently that analysed every

country in the world, measuring the positive and

negative media coverage. Switzerland was at the top;

Albania was 161st. In truth, people around the world

may not know that much about Albania, but what they

think they know is not good. The film industry has not

been kind to us — Wag The Dog, Taken, Taken 2. Even

I was a bit scared to be in Albania after that. I hope one

day Liam Neeson, Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro

can visit and see what a beautiful country it is and feel

the potential that I feel.

But I am not naive. Our problems are not all based

in Hollywood. Some are real and damaging, such as

corruption, which scars countries in the way the swish

of a blade can scar a beautiful face. It deters legitimate

investors from investing. It holds back progress. It

stops people from believing there can ever be fairness.

Corruption can and must be beaten if we are to build the

economic rule of law we need, get the investment we

need and attract the tourism that our scenery, heritage

and warm, welcoming people deserve. It will not be

easy, but it can be done, and we are fully committed.

The world has changed tremendously in the course

of recent decades, and it is changing now at an even

faster pace. We all expect the United Nations to follow

suit. United Nations reform is not only necessary; it has

become imperative. If we fail to agree and act on that,

the role which the United Nations is to play will remain

incomplete.

One of the important aspects of change is the

ongoing reform of the delivery of development

assistance. In the course of a few years, delivering

as one has proved to be a valuable achievement, and

it represents today an avenue for deeper reform. If we

want more effectiveness, better efficiency and coherent

action by various United Nations actors and if we aim

for better results on the ground and better value for

our money, delivering as one is the way to go. We have

pledged our support and will continue to do so as we

are convinced that is the right path.

The United Nations is beyond any doubt one of

the most important world bodies. We joined it in the

middle of the past century. But it is not alone; for us,

the European Union (EU), which represents the most

important political project the world has known to date,

is another. We aspire to join it. We know the changes

we have to make, and I am determined to make them.

If the EU has turned its attention towards our

region, particularly due to past conflicts, together

we — Albanians, Serbs, Montenegrins, Bosnians,

Macedonians and all the other peoples of the region

who have already joined the European Union — should

maintain our eyes and our focus on the EU for projects

related to our development for a better and more

prosperous common future.

Regional cooperation that is not grounded in

strategic projects serving the economic revival of all

our countries in the process of integration into the

European Union as a developed economic area would

be completely ineffective. We have neither the time nor

the luxury to engage in time-consuming, ineffective

projects. No country of the region can afford such a

luxury. Consequently, we should create new momentum

in regional cooperation by effectively combining the

objectives of the South East Europe 2020 strategy with

the projects of the Europe 2020 agenda. We should

not forget that successful regional cooperation has a

direct effect on meeting economic accession criteria.

Undoubtedly, meeting such criteria through intense and

fruitful regional cooperation is neither an easy nor a

simple task.

My vision for Albania is also a vision of the Balkans

working together, in defiance of our history of so much

war and conflict, although — let us say it loudly and

proudly — these are past wars and past conflicts. I want

to share my conviction that the remarkable agreement

between Kosovo and Serbia launched a new era in

South-East Europe. Their dialogue, which was an act

of courage and wisdom on the part of both Kosovo

and Serbia, with much-appreciated facilitation by the

European Union, challenges every country of the region

to mobilize its efforts in new and innovative forms of

collaboration and cooperation.

Not everything is easy or perfect. There are still a

few here and there who continue to think in the past. But

the prevailing truth is that Prime Ministers Thaçi and

Da.i. have shouldered their leadership responsibility to

bring their countries into the future they both deserve.

More than anything, in a world interconnected and

interdependent like never before, where space and

relationships are related and recreated in continuity, it

is crucial to live in the new time without prolonging the

old one of conflicts and nationalism.

In this regard, Albania is committed to peace and

prosperity in the region. This is why it is committed

to the irreversible independence of Kosovo, which is

already recognized by 104 Member States. This is why

it calls upon all countries that have not yet recognized

Kosovo to do so. They will not only help Kosovo and

its people, but they will join those who, by recognizing

Kosovo, have played an important role in strengthening

security and stability in South-East Europe.

To those who are sceptical, I say that the people

of Kosovo, like all the other peoples that now enjoy

fully recognized, independent republics following

the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia, deserve the

recognition of their sovereignty, particularly as they

have demonstrated, more than any other people in the

region, their indisputable commitment to human rights,

minority rights, dialogue and peace. Without this

commitment, it would be very difficult for our region

to make progress towards integration into the European

Union. But their commitment is obvious and firm,

and the region has been making remarkable progress

towards its most important goal — integration into

the European Union. Croatia has joined the European

Union. We are waiting in the queue, as are Serbia and

Kosovo.

I have no doubt that, provided that each and every

country of the region replaces the politics of division

with the politics of cooperation, and provided that we

build shared values, beliefs and policies instead of

clinging to ancient enmities, we can show how much

we have changed and how quickly we can make the

further changes needed to take our place alongside

others in the modern European family of nations. It

will undoubtedly take time and perseverance. It will

take the understanding and support of European Union

member States. It will take leadership on the part of us

all, and as past practice and successful examples show,

it can be done.

This is a very serious commitment, and I would

like to state here that it is our firm intention to explore

every possibility to initiate a constructive debate,

develop a real dialogue and foster close cooperation in

every possible aspect with each and every country of

the region, including, notably, Serbia. Let the Balkans,

which have been known so long for war and bloodshed,

now be known for changing its ways and thereby change

the world for the better.

I wish that, in this statement of hope, I could avoid

having to speak about one of the most terrible human

tragedies of our times, which has been unfolding before

our eyes for two and a half years now. It has taken more

than 100,000 human lives. It is destroying an entire

generation and has brought a country to ruin. The

recent large-scale use of chemical weapons constitutes

a despicable crime against humanity that should not

and must not remain unpunished.

Yet even within such a bleak picture, there has

been a glimpse of hope. Yesterday, the Security

Council finally adopted resolution 2118 (2013), on the

removal and destruction of chemical weapons in Syria,

which we welcome. It must now be quickly and fully

implemented.

As I walked to this rostrum, I felt the extraordinary

sense of responsibility that the leadership of a country

implies. I felt the power of the historic forces pulsating

in this building. I felt the new world it has shaped,

the challenges it has met, the challenges it has failed

to meet and the challenges we, the family of nations,

struggle to meet today in this ever more interdependent

and complicated world.

I ran for office on the theme of renaissance, but

we all know that words spoken while campaigning are

the easy part. What is hard is turning those words into

deeds, actions, policies and projects that deliver change.

I am confident, but I am humble enough to know I

cannot do it alone. I have much to learn, and the United

Nations is one of those places where one always finds

people, individuals, groups and Governments who can

teach with experience and lead by example.

We need support. We need partners and friends

willing to be part of our journey for change. Renaissance

means a new Albania. Building the renaissance is

the challenge we face. It will take time. It will take

perseverance. It will take the understanding and support

of partners and friends. It will also take leadership,

which I am committed to. But I know it can be done.