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The Letter From The Consulate
No. 174.
Gentofte/Copenhagen, Wednesday 5. January 2022 |
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Dear reader,
Wishing you and your family all the best for the challenges in year 2022 we start the Newsletter No. 174 with some Important info about D.A.F. - The Danish Albanian Association
As you will remember D.A.F. was founded on November 28. 2021. The elected board has now started it´s work to fulfill the mission of the cross-party association - to promote knowledge of Albanian culture, business and political aspirations to the Danish society.
You can support D.A.F. by becoming a member of the association.
The membership fee for 2022 is only 200 Dkr. or 30 Euro.
Just contact D.A.F. by sending your membership request to info@albanske.dk.
Albania non-permanent UNSC member.
On June 11, 2021, Albania was elected a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the period 2022-2023, marking a historic day. Albania was the only country in the race that had never been a member of the Security Council.
Albania has been a member of the United Nations since December 1955, with representatives in the General Assembly. The election to the Security Council, for the first time after 66 years of membership in the UN, represents a major challenge, but also an excellent opportunity for Albania.
Albania was presented as a consensual candidate of the Group of Eastern European Countries.
...but how about the EU?
 The future of North Macedonia’s EU accession path is still uncertain with many actors now weighing in on what should happen next. On Monday (3 January), France’s Ambassador to Albania, and Bulgarian coalition politician both had their say.
French Ambassador to Albania Elisabeth Barsacq said that Albania and North Macedonia’s accession path to the EU should not be decoupled.
In an interview for Euronews Albania on Monday, January 3, Barsacq acknowledged that the desire to decouple the two countries comes from frustration over Bulgaria’s veto on North Macedonia.
 “In regards to this issue, I believe that we need to overcome the idea that these two nations can be separated. I know that many say that these two countries have been treated as one and since things aren’t going so well between North Macedonia and Bulgaria then they should be decoupled. This should be overcome and we need to do our best so that the two intergovernmental conferences can be held at the same time,” Barsacq told Euronews. Read on....
Prime Minister Edi Rama held on December 30. the last press conference for the year.
He started his address with notes on the expected energy crisis, stating he was proud of the work of the government to protect family consumers. “To address the energy problem long term, our ambition is to transit to being net energy exporters, meaning guarantee production for ourselves and sell to others. [This will be achieved] by increasing capacities, which will be made possible by the Skavica [power plant]. Moreover, we will put in order a new scheme for the Vlora TEC, as well as the photo-voltaic parks, while increasing capacities of water production,” Rama said.
Asked whether he still stood by an earlier statement that he was willing to co-operate with the opposition for the selection of the new President of the Republic, Rama said he had made the statement when the Democratic Party (DP) had a Chair, adding that at present there was no one the ruling majority could talk to. “I made that statement when the opposition had a Chair.
Today, it remains in principle, but for the moment there is no one we can talk to,” Rama said. “As to Basha, he is one of two sides of the madness that is bringing the DP to a deserved end, because it is an end prepared for years, not by me, not by us, nor by you or by Albanians, but exactly by these two figures who are reflections of all that has been prepared with the blind persistence of repeating the same thing, in vain asking for different results, a party that has produced nothing but myths of stolen victories and fights that have damaged the country in an attempt to return to power,” the PM added.
Electronic media report on a Twitter post by DP Chair Lulzim Basha, which they interpreted as being in response to these comments by PM Rama. “Ignorance and pride go together like a body and its shade,” Basha quoted Father Gjergj Fishta in his post.
PM Rama also answered journalists’ question regarding the publication of citizens’ private data – salaries, plate numbers, etc. – and the work done to investigate the case. “Thank to investigations, concrete results should come up. There is reason to apologize, but we must also take into account the time we live in and what goes on in other countries, where even more sensitive data are published or where people use others’ IDs to withdraw someone else’s salary,” Rama said.
That´s all for now,
sincerely,
Hans-Georg Nielsen
Albanian Honorary Consul
Comments and suggestions are welcome on hgn(at)albanskkonsulat.dk
PS. This newsletter is mainly sent to relevant Danish and Albanian authorities, to Danes who have shown interest in Albania, to Albanians living in Denmark and to the friends and contacts of the consulate.
Please visit our newsletter archive to read past issues of the Newsletter.
Follow us on www.albanskkonsulat.dk and on Twitter
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