The Democratic Party leader, Lulzim Basha, stated that the former Prime Minister Sali Berisha has deceived the Democrats over the non grata decision. 

In a public appearance for the media, he stressed that Berisha wanted to make Albanians stupid on why he was declared non-grata. 

"I want to address today all Democrats, especially those who have sincerely wanted the convening of an extraordinary Assembly of the Democratic Party, which the DP Headship convened on December 18 and reflecting their demands. 

Without repeating what I have said several times about my efforts to find together with Sali Berisha the best solution for the DP in the first place, efforts that were unsuccessful, I feel obliged politically and humanly to tell you: 

-Sali Berisha deceived you when at the beginning of his movement to take and turn the Democratic Party into an anti-American bunker after his declaration non grata, he told you that I violated the statute because I did not vote in the Headship and in the National Council the decision of his exclusion. At the height of his movement, time has shown that despite Sali Berisha's incessant diversions, the Headship, the National Council including the Parliamentary Group and the National Assembly of the Democratic Party held on December 18, as well as most Democrats have decided to stand firm to the official positions of the DP on corruption and non grata determination of the USA and to implement in our party what we have been asking for years from all Albanian institutions. 

-Sali Berisha has deceived and wanted to make you stupid with his ridiculous fabrications about the reasons why he was declared non-grata by the US, at a time when the motivation has been and is clear to anyone who does not want to lied. The proclamation non grata as an instrument of anti-corruption and protection of democracy by its miners, is rising like a storm in Albania and in the region. Anyone has the opportunity to clarify through concrete examples the reasons for these announcements that are being accompanied by sanctions against the illegal property of persons declared non grata and the enterprises that support them. 

-Sali Berisha has deceived with his continuous efforts to keep secret the procedure of non grata decision which takes time and includes several institutions and law enforcement agencies in the most powerful country in the world, from the State Department to the Department of Justice , Treasury Department, and National Security and Law Enforcement Agencies. 

-Sali Berisha, well aware of the pro-American feelings of the vast majority of Democrats and the Albanian people, has deceived by keeping secret as much as possible the clear and repeated statements of US representatives and President Biden that the US will sever all ties with a DP led by one of person non grata, whoever he is. Sali Berisha has deceived and fed you with illusions as if American non grata is a political decision of one administration that can be removed by another administration, and not an institutional decision that matures for a long time and is taken through the cooperation and coordination of many institutions and agencies of law enforcement. The proclamation non grata for corruption has never been removed from anyone.
 
-Sali Berisha has been lying to you by excluding himself from the most important decision-making of the DP during our eight years in opposition, at a time when he has been part of the decision-making and even preceding them with media statements, and with his rival protagonism with the elected institutions of DP. I have accepted my responsibilities for this situation, but Sali Berisha can not pretend that he was on an island from where he returned after eight years. 

-Sali Berisha has deceived you badly by lying, fabricating and slandering without reckoning against me, without presenting any fact or proof no matter how small, all this to gather behind him supporters and make the crowd against the US and throw the Democrats against each other.
 
"Sali Berisha has abused the will of those democrats who sign for the convening of an Extraordinary Assembly of the Democratic Party, by not allowing the passage of their signatures in the legal path defined by the party constitution," said Basha.