Prime Minister Edi Rama has invited Albanians to vote for the Socialist Party in the May 11 elections, with the aim of Albania's entry into the European Union.
Rama made the comments during his speech at the opening of the Socialist Party's campaign in Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, where he said that Lady Albania should be at the EU table.
He also added that Albania was once like Asia and had no connection to Europe, while also talking about Skanderbeg, whom he called the prophet sent by God to Albanians.
Excerpt from Rama's speech:
It was destined that our fate would bring us to such a final confrontation with our arduous history, giving us, the Albanians of the third decade of the 21st century, the chance to change the course of history forever.
Right here, right now, right at a crossroads between a pair of political elections, for the party that will govern for four years, and a historic opportunity, for Albania that in four years can become a lady member of the united European family, we have Albania's European destiny in our hands and we have 30 days ahead to join hands with every Albanian who loves Lady Albania at the EU table, and themselves equal citizens of Europe.
That is why our gathering today is different from many other times, here in this square, where the bronze statue of our national prophet stands as a stoic witness and guide, riding the horse of Albanian history.
A European thinker once said:
"If it is true, as the Quran itself affirms, that God has given every people a prophet in its own language, Albania had in Skanderbeg, the prophet of its independence, the hero who sowed the seeds of greatness and happy destinies of his nation."
Under our feet, the hundreds and thousands of tiles of Skanderbeg Square tell the long shadow of our Albanian identity from one corner of the country to the other, and beyond;
the land soaked by the blood, tears, and sweat of Albanians over the many centuries of their existence;
her manly dignity and her maternal charm;
They narrate a martyred piece of Europe's body, witness to unheard-of horrors and unparalleled renewals from one corner of the continent to the other, and beyond.
About 100 years ago, a European traveler wrote that although a few hours of sailing separated Italy from Albania, as you landed on its shores you would have bet that this country was not Europe, but Asia.
"If you said that Albania is in Asia, every professor would give you a zero grade in geography, but a sense of reality would have given you a 10," he says. (A2 Televizion)
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