Former President Bamir Topi, a guest in the studio of “Të Paekspozuarit” hosted by Ylli Rakipi, commented on the chaotic situation Albania is going through. Topi said that if we find ourselves at this point today, responsibility has only one name: Edi Rama.
Rakipi: You have lived through several crises and are very familiar with situations and crises, in which you have also been a protagonist, sometimes as head of state, sometimes as a senior official of the Democratic Party. Why is there fighting in the streets of Tirana?
Topi: The answer is one that we have addressed frequently. What is happening in the streets of Tirana is the epilogue of a dramatic change that has taken place over the years in the relationship between the state and power. It would be a laconic answer, but an incomprehensible one.
You mentioned the fact that I have been a witness to a long journey, both as a politician, as a citizen of Tirana, and also as president. What happened in 2008 changed the structure of the state for the worse. After so many years, we are seeing the epilogue of a power that totally controls the state.
Coming to the studio, I was updated with the latest news. So, police have penetrated as far as the peripheral neighborhoods of Tirana. I, both as an old citizen of Tirana and as an intellectual, politician and former head of state, am addressing the prime minister: “Mr. Prime Minister, if Albania has come to this point, you are the main responsible. I point my finger without hesitation, because year after year, since he took power, he has come to expand his power, and today we have a prime minister who dominates everything. I am one of the people who has loved and loves the state. I condemn violence, but history has an origin.”