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Security expert, Ilir Kulla, has commented on the participation of the Albanian delegation at the NATO summit in Ankara, rejecting interpretations that Prime Minister Edi Rama's positioning during the event was related to a cooling of relations with Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Invited to the show "Të Pashoj", Kulla said that the Albanian delegation's place at the summit was in line with the weight that Albania has within the Alliance.
According to him, Albania is one of the smallest NATO member countries and there is no reason to expect different treatment than that provided for by the protocol.
The security expert emphasized that personal relationships between leaders do not affect ranking or official treatment during NATO summits, adding that a country's role in the Alliance is determined by its weight and contribution.
Speaking about the comments that accompanied Prime Minister Rama's chartered flight to Ankara, Kulla said that the use of such a flight does not constitute a problem in itself. He added that any allegations of corruption must be supported by evidence and pursued through justice institutions.
Excerpt from the interview:
-Beyond what was declared in Ankara, but also from the implications, strong suspicions are being raised that the NATO summit in Tirana will not be held. Do you believe this and a question attached to this since we are in Albanian territory, about Prime Minister Rama who became the object of, let's say, mass commentary from the Turkish media, if I'm not mistaken from the Turkish CNN, about the white sneakers, about the luxury charter with which he traveled to Ankara to participate in the summit, about the place in the corner unlike in the past, about the cooling of relations with Erdogan as a consequence of... Give me, yes, give me a summary of this part of yours.
Ilri Kulla : Then let's take things one by one. That Edi Rama was up there in the corner, with Mrs. Linda, is logical, because we are one of the smallest countries in NATO. Where would he be now, in the center? Let's not pretend that we are the center of the world. They put him where he belongs.
-No, starting from the relationship he had with Erdogan before...
Ilri Kulla : But the NATO summit relations are irrelevant. Erdogan can want whatever... Look, there is a problem. NATO... How much GDP do we have? France, for example, which has Thales, has... the Thales company, which deals with these systems, has a turnover three times greater than Albania's GDP. Why, where would they bring him? The fact that he is there, they have respected him, they have welcomed him with protocol, he has bowed his head in front of the flag, he has saluted that soldier, as Trump said, that they have order in theirs. He went with the lady, they have given him the place he belongs to. Yes, this is the place that belongs to Albania. Why, what does Albania have? Does it have nuclear weapons? Does it have dangerous special forces? Does it have a dangerous secret service? What does Albania have? So Albania is a NATO member country, it is a small country, it is a modest country that has been in NATO for a little over 20 years, and that's it. Why, where did you expect them to come?
-Does he have bad relations with Erdogan, who was received so much as a peripheral person?
Ilri Kulla : He was not received as a peripheral person. He was received as... as befits the leader of a small country. He was received with protocol, he was received with respect for protocol. There is a very beautiful Sicilian expression. Shall I say Sicilian?
-Tell him.
Ilri Kulla: "Il rispetto è misurato, a chi ne porta, viene portato".
-I completely agree. But I'm asking the question in reference to the close relations he had with Erdogan. That's where the surprise lies, it's not... otherwise it's understandable.
Ilri Kulla : Well, you have nothing to refer to again. You think that since he had a relationship with Erdogan, he will have a voice in NATO. What voice will we have in NATO, my friend?
-Yes, no voice in NATO, yes, at the reception.
Ilri Kulla : So what are you waiting for now? He's a man, he's... that's all he's worth. He's as good as he's worth. Albania is a small country and there's a lot and that's it for now, let's be realistic.
-He went by private jet. How does this look like a luxury private charter? Because here we are talking about corruption and other things.
Ilri Kulla: I know... Here now... I know. I said corruption. If there is an opposition, the opposition goes and sends letters to the prosecutor's office if there is talk of corruption. I go out and do blah blah blah blah, they are squares now.
-No, but in appearance, how do you like this action?
Ilri Kulla : How does it seem to me? Normal. If... look, I remember when we joined NATO, the Albanian government received a complete charter...
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