The Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Belinda Balluku, said in a communication to the media after the government meeting that the port of Durrës has no responsibility for the hazardous waste towards Thailand.

“In the territory of the port of Durrës, different concessionaires operate, the Port Authority and the concessionaire who carried out this transport are two competing entities. Let’s not turn this procedural issue into a national and international issue”, said Balluku.

Balluku also commented on Kurum’s decision to close the activity, which would leave 500 people unemployed. As she pointed out that the Albanian government has had conflicts with Kurum before which it has also resolved legally, Balluku said that Kurum must provide explanations regarding the situation created, which as she said is a social issue and affects 500 families.

“It has to do with 500 families, it happened two days ago, there was an announcement from Kurum days before near Elbasan municipality about a difficulty in terms of activity. It is not the first time that the Albanian government has had conflicts with Kurum, which have also been pursued legally, a few days ago we won an arbitration trial related to violations in the concession by Kurum. Kurum will be obliged to give the appropriate explanations, as we are dealing with a social issue”, said Balluku.