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Democratic Party MP, Jorida Tabaku, participated in the international conference "Countering Authoritarian Influence", organized by the International Republican Institute (IRI), which brought together politicians, security experts and representatives from countries in the region.
During her speech, Tabaku focused on how democracies can strengthen resistance to authoritarian influences and foreign interference, emphasizing that vulnerability begins with the internal weaknesses of the state.
"It's not just external actors that are the problem. Foreign intervention only works where institutions are weak, where corruption is tolerated, where transparency is lacking, and where citizens lose trust in the state," Tabaku said.
Referring to developments in Albania and the Western Balkans, the democratic MP said that corruption, money laundering, organized crime and state capture no longer constitute only challenges to good governance, but have become direct threats to national security.
According to her, open economies must be accompanied by protective mechanisms to avoid the creation of strategic dependencies.
"Economic security is national security. Energy security is national security. Technological security is national security. So is financial transparency," Tabaku emphasized, underlining that democracies must build mechanisms that prevent the creation of strategic dependencies.
In her speech, Tabaku also presented two initiatives that she has supported in the Assembly. One of them is related to the creation of a modern framework for the screening of strategic foreign investments (FDI Screening), which would enable Albania to control investments in sensitive sectors such as infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, ports, data and strategic technologies.
According to her, this mechanism does not aim to limit foreign investment, but to guarantee that economic openness does not become a risk to the country's strategic interests.
Tabaku also spoke about her proposed package against corruption and money laundering, which foresees more transparency on the beneficial ownership of companies, stricter control of high-value financial transactions, increased transparency in public procurement, and measures to prevent the entry of illegal capital into strategic sectors of the economy.
Part of the speech was also dedicated to the role of technology in geopolitical challenges. According to Tabaku, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, data and advanced technologies are now key elements of national power, so Albania should invest in institutions that attract reliable investments and support innovation.
In conclusion, the MP called on international partners to assess the Western Balkan countries on the basis of the implementation of reforms and not on political promises. She also demanded that the fight against money laundering, transparency of beneficial ownership and control of strategic investments be treated as instruments for protecting the sovereignty of the countries of the region.
"Foreign intervention is attracted to weakness. The strongest response a democracy can give is to build resistance through transparency, the rule of law, accountability and citizens' trust in institutions," Tabaku concluded.
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