Prime Minister Edi Rama gave an interview to the Italian newspaper "La Stampa", as he commented on the tourism situation in Albania.

Low-cost tourism on the Albanian coast, will not last for much longer. Albania must get ready for elite tourism. This was the vision that Prime Minister Edi Rama shared with the Italian newspaper "La Stampa" in the midst of a tourist season that is considered one of the most successful for Albania.

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While Prime Minister Edi Rama is resting, just a few days, in his holiday home in Dhërmi, the airport of the Albanian capital never sleeps. 200 flights from dusk to dawn, not counting land or sea transport. 

From Shkodra, on the Adriatic, to Saranda and the islands of Ksamil in the Ionian, low house prices embrace resorts and expensive cars driven by very young Albanians living abroad. 

The socialist leader enjoys the country's redemption and also posts a self-ironic meme: Vlora in 1991 full of desperate people heading for Italy and a photomontage with the same scenes, but this time those who leave the ship are Italian vacationers in the land of eagles. 

First he explains the phenomenon of the title "Maldives of the Mediterranean" frequently used to describe Albania, saying that this summer has been beyond expectations. 

"We are walking in the footsteps of your country (Italy - ed.). But this summer has been beyond expectations. We had a 35 percent increase in tourists, the numbers of Italians are impressive and are close to half a million. At the beginning of my mandate (2013 – ed.), Tirana airport handled a maximum of 350,000 passengers per year. Now over 6.5 million", revealed the head of the government. 

Rama added that today tourists come and willingly mix with Albanians: "The approach has changed in contrast to the past when they were prejudiced as criminals, mafia, poor immigrants". 

"For three or four years, there has finally been an image change. Until a few years ago, we suffered from the prejudice created in the 90s, of being generally criminals, mafia, poor immigrants who dream of "Lamerica", as Gianni Amelio said. 

Today tourists come and willingly mix with our people, the wind has changed. We have to make up for lost time. But be careful: we don't want to make the big mistakes of Italy or other countries, of the coasts or of the conquered cities. Mass arrivals, only low cost can destroy the future and leave behind eco-monsters and environmental disasters", said the Prime Minister. 

Rama added that Albania has equalled Greece and just passed Italy for the number of tourists per capita. 

"We have tied Greece and just passed Italy for the number of tourists per capita. Unbelievable, but we have worked hard for it in these years of the Albanian Renaissance. Looking ahead, we want balanced and increasingly high-level tourism. It takes three or four years to be ready to parade with the big ones," he added. 

Holding the reins of enthusiasm, Rama remembers that the Albanian authorities do not want to fall into the "honey trap", as today's figures can deceive future generations. 

"Mass tourism is not sustainable for the environment. Balance is needed to protect nature. But that's easier said than done. We are running against the wind", said the Prime Minister. 

As for the leadership from the energy point of view, the prime minister brought to attention that two important companies such as "Shell" and "Eni" are developing large operations for gas and oil in the unexplored Albanian land. 

At this point, he stung during the interview also the position of Italian investments in Albania. 

"Italy is a very strong ally. If it was smart and lived up to her reputation, she would have made a lot more investments. I think that the economic cunning of your country is more of a myth than reality", said Rama. 

When asked about the relations and closeness with the Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, the Albanian Prime Minister said that she "is a big surprise for the Euro-Atlantic club". 

"Giorgia is a big surprise, not for me, but for the Euro-Atlantic club. In all international circumstances she is seen with palpable respect, has charisma and says all the right things. I am 198 cm tall, but when she talks she looks taller than me", described the head of the Government. 

Turning to the situation on the war front and Ukraine and its implications for Albania's EU membership, Rama hopes that it will speed up the full integration of European countries into the EU. 

"It is no longer only a financial issue, but above all a geopolitical issue. It would be far-sighted for the Western Balkans to enter without delay, so as not to leave black holes and space for third parties that have already created problems for the region", he emphasized. 

To the question about Albin Kurti's "mistakes", Rama answered with diplomacy, reminding his Kosovar counterpart of the "fantastic opportunity" he has on the table. 

"I respect it, but I would make completely different choices. He is stubborn and maximalist. There is a fantastic possibility, the Franco-German peace plan. Deals don't stay on the table forever. Then, history makes you wait", remembers the Albanian Prime Minister. 

In conclusion, as "Erdogan's friend", Rama answers that the Turkish president does not have the magic key to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. 

"He (Erdogan - ed.) has a very important role for the stability and security of Europe and is a capable interlocutor between Ukraine and Russia. But I don't think there is a magic key to change an imperialist, anti-democratic and chauvinistic vision like Putin's. All wars end at the political table, but unfortunately it will still take a long time," the head of government told La Stampa.