Rama

Berlin, Germany – Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has played down Western concerns that Russia is preparing for further conflicts in Europe and suggested the European Union should have a concrete peace plan in place for Ukraine amid efforts by the United States to end the war.

Rama, speaking to Al Jazeera on the sidelines of the Berlin Global Dialogue conference late last month, said it would be “completely stupid” of any country to attack EU or NATO members.

“Russia will not attack Albania and Russia will not attack any other European country,” he said. “NATO is ready for any kind of aggression. NATO has nobody and nothing to fear because it’s the strongest army in the world so far.”

Twenty-three out of 27 EU member states are NATO members. Albania is part of NATO and has been an EU candidate country since 2014.

“The EU is being provoked a lot by Russia,” said Rama. “Countries on the border with Russia are being provoked on a daily basis … the EU is defending itself and thinking of defending itself better.”

Since early September, several European countries, including Poland, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Romania, have blamed Russia for a series of suspected drone incursions. Tensions soared further on September 19, when NATO said it intercepted three Russian MiG-31 jets suspected of entering Estonian airspace, a claim denied by Moscow.

Last month, German foreign intelligence chief Martin Jager warned lawmakers that to grow its “sphere of influence further westward into Europe”, Russia would “shy away from direct military confrontation with NATO if necessary”.

Moscow has dismissed accusations that it has deliberately sent drones into European airspace, blaming those countries for stoking hysteria.

EU’s lack of a peace plan ‘looks very strange’

Rama’s government has been vocal in its criticism of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and supports EU sanctions on Moscow.

But he told Al Jazeera, “The fact that the EU does not have a peace plan looks very strange to me.”

As US President Donald Trump attempts to secure a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, Rama said the EU should “think about having its own diplomacy in action to promote its own vision of peace”.

He also suggested EU officials should “find a way to talk to the Russians” to end the war.

Late on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had not seen a European plan to end the war, according to Interfax news agency.

Rama claimed that Albania, which has not reported any Russian drone sightings, feels little pressure despite the apparent incursions, as Eastern European countries bordering Russia are on high security alert.

“I’m Albanian,” Rama said. “We have no fears … There is no room for Russian hostilities in Albania because there is no sympathy for Russia.”

Before the suspected airspace violations, Moscow had long been accused of engaging in “hybrid warfare”, using unconventional methods such as cyberattacks or disinformation campaigns to drive a wedge between EU countries. The drone incursions, the bloc says, are part of that tactic.

There are fears that Russia’s war could spill over into the Western Balkans, comprising – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, self-declared republic of Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – home to deep-rooted tensions.

On October 22, when Rama’s British counterpart Keir Starmer hosted him and the five other Western Balkans leaders, the premier of the United Kingdom called the region “Europe’s crucible – the place where the security of our continent is put to the test”.

The six nations are at varying levels of negotiations with the EU regarding accession, attempting to reform sectors from their judiciaries to social welfare departments in order to join the bloc.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently praised the progress made by Montenegro and Albania.

In Tirana on October 25, in a news conference alongside Rama, she said Albania is on “the right track towards the European Union”, adding, “there has been a stunning and outstanding record speed acceleration since 2022”.

Rama agreed, telling Al Jazeera that the EU’s sense of openness in welcoming the Balkan nations has improved since the Ukraine war began.

A weary electorate votes in parliamentary elections after campaign dominated by EU hopes and political corruption.

Albanians are casting ballots in the general election, with Prime Minister Edi Rama seeking an unprecedented fourth term after a campaign dominated by promises of European Union membership and corruption allegations.

Polling stations opened at 7am local time (05:00 GMT) on Sunday and would close at 7pm (17:00 GMT), with results expected on Monday.

Nearly 3.7 million Albanians, including hundreds of thousands living abroad, are eligible to vote. For the first time, members of the diaspora can cast their ballots by mail.

Rama, leader of the governing Socialist Party since 2013, has positioned himself as the architect of Albania’s EU future. He has pledged that the country will join the bloc by 2030, repeating the promise at his final rally: “We will get our fourth mandate, and we will not lose a single day for Albania 2030 in the EU.”

Rama’s main rival, 80-year-old Sali Berisha, a former president and prime minister, leads the conservative Democratic Party.

Despite being banned from entering the United States and the United Kingdom over alleged corruption, which he denies, Berisha has retained a loyal following and adopted slogans including “Make Albania Great Again”.

Rama has faced allegations of state capture, with opposition voices warning that the political playing field is far from even.

Critics say Rama’s dominance over public institutions has undermined democratic checks.

Rama’s administration has not escaped scrutiny, with his close ally – Tirana’s mayor Erion Veliaj – arrested this year over alleged corruption and money laundering. Both men deny the allegations.

‘I want to leave the country’

The political contest is, in many ways, a rematch of old rivals. Rama and Berisha have dominated public life since the fall of communism in 1990. Many younger voters have grown disillusioned with both.

“I will vote for new politicians because those like Rama and Berisha have been here for three decades and they only replace themselves,” said 21-year-old Arber Qazimi, speaking to the Reuters news agency.

Others, like Erisa, an economics student, plan to abstain entirely. “I am only thinking how to go out of the country to study and then stay there and never come back,” she said, echoing the sentiment of many among the estimated one million Albanians who have emigrated in the past decade.

With the Socialists potentially needing allies to retain their narrow majority, smaller parties could prove decisive in shaping the next government.

The campaign trail shifted largely to social media platforms, though a yearlong TikTok ban – imposed over online bullying and incitement – has led to accusations of censorship.

The Democratic Party brought in American political strategist Chris LaCivita, known for his role in US President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, in a bid to sharpen their message.