Speaking on his podcast, Prime Minister Edi Rama once again addressed the ongoing protests, saying that a global battle against United States President Donald Trump had been shifted to Narta.
Rama argued that this created the conditions for what he described as an imaginary revolution, adding that several small political parties attempted to take advantage of the situation.
“Flamingos do not need crowds swept up by algorithm-driven hysteria and encouraged by interests that are not our interests at all, nor Albania’s interests. In a globalized battle, it is not that the world suddenly woke up concerned about the fate of flamingos. Rather, the world shifted to Narta a major battle against the President of the United States for reasons that have nothing to do with Narta. All this hatred, resentment and anger, which has a political and ideological nature, whatever the reasons may be, created the conditions for an imaginary revolution. Some people mistakenly thought this was the perfect opportunity for their political careers or for their new political parties, which quickly became old, small parties trying to grow by throwing stones while hiding their hands. I am here, we are here, to do our best together for Albania, for nature, for Zvërnec and for the flamingos, but by working with reality, not outside of it. We must share facts, not fly into a territory where facts have no value. Above all, we should discuss a project that is not yet finalized and focus on how it can become as successful as possible, rather than trying to bring it down before it is even completed. Everything else you may have learned from other news sources, if you have learned it at all, is less important than being introduced to Fabrice del Dongo,” Rama said.
Prime Minister Edi Rama also stated that many citizens believe they are defending flamingos, Zvërnec or Albania itself, but in reality, according to him, they are defending someone else’s interests, interests in which the country’s welfare holds no value.
According to Rama, people often believe they are fighting for a noble cause, while in fact becoming part of a battle that is no longer their own.
“A person can make a dreamlike leap, no longer judging facts themselves but relying on a version of facts constantly served on a mobile phone screen. In this way, they become part of a constructed, edited and amplified story that creates the feeling of belonging to a larger community and no longer being alone. That is why many people join protests today with sincere convictions, believing they are defending nature, flamingos or a shared national asset. Such intentions are noble and deserve respect. But the question is: defending them from whom? From me? From us? The protection of nature, protected areas, the ban on illegal hunting and deforestation have always been, and remain, central to our work. Therefore, my appeal is that, while respecting people’s motivations, we should not abandon the obligation to verify the facts. When emotions are fueled by half-truths, images taken out of context and slogans that spread faster than facts, then idealism and sincere intentions become instruments in the hands of those who have entirely different interests,” he said.
