Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama opened his speech at the 35th anniversary celebration of the Socialist Party by addressing recent events related to the civic protests in Tirana. Referring to the situation, Rama recalled a quote attributed to Faik Konica: “Be patient, because Albanians have a habit of opposing things without understanding them.”

“The truth is that the difference between me and anyone among those protesters who belong to this category is not what it appears to be from the boulevard. I, too, think about the lives of the people of this planet and the fragility of the environment in the face of actions taken by people in power. Ever since I first stepped into a public office, I have done everything I could against pollution and in favor of cleanliness. Many of those who are on the boulevard today, or who support the protests through social media, are too young to remember Tirana 20 years ago, when we took over the leadership of the municipality. At that time, there were more trees being cut down than planted.

More than 90% of the trees people see today along Tirana’s streets were planted by us together with others who are here today. When I left the mayor’s office, I left behind 55,000 decorative trees. Many of those tall trees began as saplings planted amid controversy, because kiosks had to be demolished. In the embankments of the Lana River alone, 123,000 tons of concrete were removed.

It was then that I learned you cannot take a single step forward in this country without triggering a conflict that pulls you backward. Since that time, I have often remembered the words of Faik Konica, who said: ‘Be patient, because Albanians have a habit of opposing things without understanding them,’” Rama said.