Defense Minister Ermal Nufi has joined the reactions against Dritan Goxhaj, who has emerged as a leading voice articulating the demands of Monday’s protest. In a public statement, Nufi said that the name of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) should not be used for personal or political interests.

The minister shared a post by Prime Minister Edi Rama and accompanied it with a comment contrasting those who took part in the war with those who, according to him, support it only in words. Nufi also criticized the protest, claiming that it lacks clear leadership and objectives.

“How easy it is to support a war from the comfort of a sofa and refuse to join your comrades on the battlefield, just as today it is easy to collect ‘likes’ from a protest square when even its supporters do not know who leads it or what it is actually trying to achieve. There is no greater shame than to tarnish the blood and flag of the KLA—the most glorious struggle of the Albanian people for freedom in their own lands—by associating it with charlatans who dare to speak in the name of real heroes. It is truly shameful that anyone claims to speak on their behalf or in the name of patriotism while directly harming Albanian national interests. Such people are connected only to Iranians and/or traitors; they have no connection whatsoever to the KLA.

Meanwhile, the true commander of the KLA is in The Hague, being held unjustly. And the true architect of Albania’s journey toward the family of European values, having brought about an extraordinary transformation of the country, is Edi Rama. The Albanian people demonstrated this clearly through their vote by overwhelmingly supporting him and the Socialist Party of Albania,” Nufi wrote.