Deputy Minister of Defence Pranvera Skana says the government continues to call for dialogue with protesters. Dissatisfaction is normal in a democratic society, where not all citizens feel represented.
How does the government view these protests: as a public order crisis or as a political crisis?
Pranvera Skana: We cannot make immediate determinations about this situation in order to necessarily give it a label, but what I consider important is that this is a protest that has directly or indirectly affected the lives of Albanians, including through the flow of media coverage that has run for so many days with possibly unpleasant scenes for audiences. If the Albanian State Police can describe it as an incident or a breach of public order, I would say that Prime Minister Rama has for days been giving young people the opportunity for dialogue, and why not also for a political approach to their demands, should they agree to dialogue and to look each other in the eye.
As the protest continues, does this show that the government’s strategy for managing this situation has failed so far?
Pranvera Skana: We are not putting labels on whether this mission is a failure or a success. What I can assess, and can say with full conviction, is that the government’s objective is absolutely determined to listen to and address every voice that emerges from the protest, from citizens and from public opinion.
We have seen acts of violence in recent days. However, the fact that there is real dissatisfaction, and that we see people on the streets, does this show that the government has not managed to cope with and address these grievances?
Pranvera Skana: It is completely normal for there to be dissatisfaction, because in other European countries too, fewer than 50 percent of the population vote when giving a government the mandate to govern, and of course there are dissatisfied people, people who are not represented, and this is entirely normal. What is significant is to accommodate and listen to every voice, regardless of where or how it belongs. The government has the maximum commitment to listen and to continue with the call that this solution comes only through negotiations and through dialogue. There can be no other alternative, such as violence, stones or other forms that do not belong to 2026, but to a distant past that I am very sure a large part of the students do not even remember, and I suspect they have not accessed and read this information in books.
Today in Tirana, it is not only the opposition protesting; people who are perhaps voters of the Socialist Party and its government are protesting too. What can be said to these people? What can you say about the fact that they are worried about corruption, about corruption allegations, and about the poor quality of public services that they judge to be so?
Pranvera Skana: I very much agree that Albania needs more investment, Albania needs more jobs, more prosperity, more opportunities for young people, but what Albania needs less of today is chaos and insecurity, especially at this moment when we are only one step away from the European family.