Seems that Albanian politicians are not heading to a solution of the political impasse and this leads foreign diplomats to settle down for resolving the crisis and especially now when the opposition eventually confirmed the election’s boycott.
In an interview for the ” Voice of America”, ambassador Lu explains that everyone is working on making opposition participate the process, but, as he notes, elections can be considered legitimate even without the opposition’s participation.
Mr. Ambassador! First of all, thank you for this opportunity. Albania has been experiencing a long political crisis for several weeks. Two days ago in Tirana there were two MEPs who tried to mediate a solution between the parties but they failed. What are the consequences of this situation created, in your opinion?
First Armand, thank you for inviting me again in Voice of America. I will not talk about all the consequences, but I want to say that some Albanian politicians want us to think that we are pro violence or chaos. I would respond to them, as you say in Albania, “don’t judge a book by its cover” . And so far, the US government is very glad for that, the government and the opposition have made real steps towards avoiding violence. The protests have been peaceful. And even if the rhetoric has never been so, both sides have called for dialogue, both sides have said they do not want violence. Now it is a responsibility of all us to make sure that these politicians will keep their promises.
Mr. Ambassador, tomorrow, together with Ambassador Vlahutin and the OSCE Ambassador Borchardt, have fixed a meeting with the small parliamentary parties. Do you think there is still space for a solution, although it seems that the chances are lowering ?
There definitely is space for solution. It is true that two days ago, negotiations did not yet produce a definitive solution. But I would say that negotiations are often not a one-day discussion. Negotiations are often a process, sometimes a long process. Mr McAllister and Mr Fleckenstein worked hard to find a solution. Both sides were willing to sit down and discuss issues. This process must continue. And I have full confidence that there are smart people in Albania who work every day on that.
Mr. Ambassador! Would you be worried from an election scenario without the opposition?
We are clear in our belief that the elections will be better if they are held with the participation of all political parties. We have not given up on this goal. Also, it is true that elections can be considered legitimate even without the participation of the opposition. But to be clear, we must all agree that with the participation of the opposition these elections would bring a better result. And we are working every day to reach this conclusion.
