PRESS RELEASE THE PAN-ALBANIAN FEDERATION OF AMERICA “VATRA”/
VATRA denounces the actions of Albania’s government employing symbolism that jeopardizes the European future of the country and its people/
VATRA calls upon Prime Minister Edi Rama to commence strengthening the relations with the United States, reaffirming these ties as demanded by the Albanian people and to turn away from symbolism that endangers our Western oriented goals
Currently, under official information darkness, the general public was briefly informed about the dedication at Tirana’s Park of a memorial honoring the Turkish citizens who lost their lives in the turmoils of July 2016 in Turkey. The public was offered no arguments in the decision-making process. The flagrant lack of accountability and transparency of this action highlights the practices followed by the governmental institutions that serve at the pleasure and for the benefit of the leadership, contrary to and outside of democratic norms.
The Pan-Albanian Federation of America “Vatra” was founded by the coryphaei of the modern Albanian thought, Noli and Konitza, due to the historic necessity of urging and materializing the separation from the Ottoman multi-centennial darkness while aligning Albania with the West, as its rightful place.
At this juncture, VATRA denounces publicly and distances itself firmly from the recent event and suchlike attempts at symbolic representation that aims to satisfy an agenda decried by Albanians for over a century. We invite Albanian political entities, regardless of their affiliation that, surprisingly, are standing by, to adhere to the position of civic groups.
Pan-Albanian Federation of America VATRA has not ceased to express publicly and privately to American institutions, the grave concerns it has with
regard to the state of democracy in Albania in all its components. The last incident however sends dangerous messages as far as the optics for a wider strategic partnership.
We call upon Prime Minister Edi Rama to commence immediately the tightening of the relations with the United States, reaffirming these ties as demanded by the Albanian people and to turn away from symbolism that endangers our Western oriented goals.