Former Interior Minister Sandër Lleshaj has raised concerns about foreign services’ involvement in the students’ protest, urging young people to be wary of infiltrators. He said he believes foreign services may be involved in the protest, while stressing that the responsibility for identifying and preventing this lies with Albanian institutions.
“I strongly believe that foreign services infiltrate protests like this. They are paid for this work, to destabilize, undermine and delay a country’s progress”, Lleshaj said on ”A2cnn”. According to the former minister, if such a threat exists, security institutions must take concrete measures and not be satisfied with public statements. “If an infiltrated service is operating in Albania, the question is: where is our service? Do we also have a service that protects us from them?”, he said.
Lleshaj added that the government should focus on actions and decision-making, arguing that in such situations institutions bear direct responsibility for guaranteeing security. Asked whether he expected the resignation of Interior Minister Ervin Demo, the former minister said political responsibility must be borne by leaders, citing as an example his own decision to step down after an incident that occurred while he was heading the Ministry of the Interior.
“If the police give way, the responsibility lies with their minister. If society gives way, the responsibility lies with the establishment and its leadership”, Lleshaj stressed. He recalled that he had considered his resignation one of the most important decisions of his career, describing it as an act that had given him a different perspective on responsibility in office.
During the interview, Lleshaj also praised the role of young people in the protest, stressing that their demands must be heard and that this movement could influence the country’s political future. “These young people have the right to be heard. These young people should determine the new government. This new spirit, in my opinion, is a healthy spirit”, the former minister said.