‘Russia will not attack any other European country’: Albanian PM Edi Rama

Berlin, Germany – Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has played down Western concerns that Russia is preparing for further conflicts successful Europe and suggested the European Union should person a factual bid program successful spot for Ukraine amid efforts by the United States to extremity the war.

Rama, speaking to Al Jazeera connected the sidelines of the Berlin Global Dialogue league precocious past month, said it would beryllium “completely stupid” of immoderate state to onslaught EU oregon NATO members.

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“Russia volition not onslaught Albania and Russia volition not onslaught immoderate different European country,” helium said. “NATO is acceptable for immoderate benignant of aggression. NATO has cipher and thing to fearfulness due to the fact that it’s the strongest service successful the satellite truthful far.”

Twenty-three retired of 27 EU subordinate states are NATO members. Albania is portion of NATO and has been an EU campaigner state since 2014.

“The EU is being provoked a batch by Russia,” said Rama. “Countries connected the borderline with Russia are being provoked connected a regular ground … the EU is defending itself and reasoning of defending itself better.”

Since aboriginal September, several European countries, including Poland, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Romania, person blamed Russia for a bid of suspected drone incursions. Tensions soared further connected September 19, erstwhile NATO said it intercepted 3 Russian MiG-31 jets suspected of entering Estonian airspace, a assertion denied by Moscow.

Last month, German overseas quality main Martin Jager warned lawmakers that to turn its “sphere of power further westward into Europe”, Russia would “shy distant from nonstop subject confrontation with NATO if necessary”.

Moscow has dismissed accusations that it has deliberately sent drones into European airspace, blaming those countries for stoking hysteria.

EU’s deficiency of a bid program ‘looks precise strange’

Rama’s authorities has been vocal successful its disapproval of Russia’s full-scale penetration of Ukraine and supports EU sanctions connected Moscow.

But helium told Al Jazeera, “The information that the EU does not person a bid program looks precise unusual to me.”

As US President Donald Trump attempts to unafraid a ceasefire betwixt Russia and Ukraine, Rama said the EU should “think astir having its ain diplomacy successful enactment to beforehand its ain imaginativeness of peace”.

He besides suggested EU officials should “find a mode to speech to the Russians” to extremity the war.

Late connected Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said helium had not seen a European program to extremity the war, according to Interfax quality agency.

Rama claimed that Albania, which has not reported immoderate Russian drone sightings, feels small unit contempt the evident incursions, arsenic Eastern European countries bordering Russia are connected precocious information alert.

“I’m Albanian,” Rama said. “We person nary fears … There is nary country for Russian hostilities successful Albania due to the fact that determination is nary sympathy for Russia.”

Before the suspected airspace violations, Moscow had long been accused of engaging successful “hybrid warfare”, utilizing unconventional methods specified arsenic cyberattacks oregon disinformation campaigns to thrust a wedge betwixt EU countries. The drone incursions, the bloc says, are portion of that tactic.

There are fears that Russia’s warfare could spill implicit into the Western Balkans, comprising – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, self-declared republic of Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – location to deep-rooted tensions.

On October 22, erstwhile Rama’s British counterpart Keir Starmer hosted him and the 5 different Western Balkans leaders, the premier of the United Kingdom called the portion “Europe’s crucible – the spot wherever the information of our continent is enactment to the test”.

The six nations are astatine varying levels of negotiations with the EU regarding accession, attempting to betterment sectors from their judiciaries to societal payment departments successful bid to articulation the bloc.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently praised the advancement made by Montenegro and Albania.

In Tirana connected October 25, successful a quality league alongside Rama, she said Albania is connected “the close way towards the European Union”, adding, “there has been a stunning and outstanding grounds velocity acceleration since 2022”.

Rama agreed, telling Al Jazeera that the EU’s consciousness of openness successful welcoming the Balkan nations has improved since the Ukraine warfare began.