Prime Minister Edi Rama started a two-day visit to Italy, in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Albanian exodus of March 7, 1991. On Friday, he was received at Bari airport by Italian Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio, and the President of Apulia Region, Michele Emiliano, with whom he also had a press briefing.

In his remarks, Italian FM Di Maio said that early 1990s were a period of dramatic change for Albania. After 30 years, it is time to remember together those days that brought 25 thousand Albanians to the shores of Italy, he underlined.

“The collapse of what was left of the communist regime and the weak economy pushed thousands of Albanians, especially the young and the most educated, to leave, emigrate and gain the freedom that they were denied for so long,” Di Maio said.

For his part, PM Rama stressed that Albanians will not forget the Italian help and generosity. According to him, the difficult moments tested true friendship.

“Many things happened in the last 30 years, but the generosity of Italy was immense. I wish you never needed us but whenever you need we will be there for you. Half a million Albanians are in Italy today and contribute every day to this country. I want to thank you for opening the doors to welcome strangers who were very different, but in the end it was not the hatred that won, but the generosity of the Italians,” Rama said.

Furthermore, the head of government demanded the recognition of Albanian driving licenses, pointing out that they have “stuck in the corridors of the Italian bureaucracy”.

“There are about 50 thousand enterprises created by Albanians and there are thousands of young people studying at Italian universities. Since Italian is our second language, they are always ahead of other foreign students. All this has been made possible thanks to the availability that has its roots in Italian history and spirit. I advise Luigi to address the issue of Albanian driving licenses because they are stuck in the corridors of the Italian bureaucracy,” the premier noted.