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Rama gives details on where negotiations with Trump's son-in-law are...
Edi Rama has sealed the future of Sazan. According to him, there is no longer any question that Donald Trump's family will build there. He said that the Albanian government will be a partner with the group that will invest there.
" The island of Sazan is an asset of the state and the Albanian people. It has not been sold and will never be sold. The island of Sazan is an asset of the state and the Albanian people where we will be partners. The Albanian government will be a partner with the company or group that will invest and the partnership negotiations are not over yet ," Rama told journalist Blendi Fevziu in "Opinion".
Asked whether the agreement on Sazani will pass the Assembly, Rama replied: " Unquestionably ."
He added that both Sazani and Zvërnec are still in the design phase, emphasizing that the agreement for Sazani Island has not yet been finalized.
" The agreement is not yet complete. We do not yet have a finalized agreement on Sazani. Zvërnec is a private story ," Rama said.
The Prime Minister denied that he had given the "green light" to the project after Donald Trump was elected president. The reason it was made public after Trump took office, according to him, is only because the process had not been completed. Rama stressed that the international media had misinterpreted it by presenting it as a political story, underlining that this issue "has nothing to do with politics at all."
" They have done a job and it is unfortunate the way this process has been interpreted by the international media from the beginning. It has been presented as a political story. Meanwhile, when I met Jared and we started working on this, Donald Trump did not know if he would go to the White House or go to prison? This has nothing to do with politics. For me, they were American investors and they are American investors like all Americans ," said Rama.
Asked if he would release the project if Kamala Harris were to win the US elections, Rama responded as follows.
" I have had this conversation with the other party when I was asked. There can be no discussion here that Albania is not a place where any kind of conflicts or problems that may exist between the parties in America can be transferred, because here every American who comes is a friend and everyone who wants to invest is welcome. Moreover, my relationship with him has been a very friendly one. There has never been any discussion about this. Both his request and that of his group and our request have been symmetrical. Everything respecting the law and procedures ," he said.
The Prime Minister said that in a few months the complete project will be ready and presented to the public. According to Rama, a great deal of work is being done to turn Sazan into a dream destination.
" The procedures will not take long because many steps have been taken. I believe that in a few months we will have the complete master plan, the complete project that will be presented to the public. What is most important is that the way we are working will set a new standard for developments in hospitality infrastructure, not only in Albania, but also in the Mediterranean. Extraordinary work is being done with architects, with environmental engineers, with landscape architects. Something is being done to make a dream destination ," said Rama.
interview
-Has Sazani been sold?
It has not been sold and will never be sold, the island of Sazan is an asset, I repeat, of the state of the Albanian people. We will be partners; the Albanian government will be a partner with the company or the group. The modalities and negotiations of the partnership have not yet been completed;
Will it pass in parliament?
The agreement, without question, must be parliamentary, because this "selling of Sazan" is like the "partition of Kosovo": a fool throws a stone into the river and then the wise can't get it out.
-I'm referring to the Italian press..
Aren't there a few fools in Italy? What do you think, they should be throwing stones in the river. Plus, we know the times we live in and we know what happens with the media today: throw a stone, it creates a story, it makes a noise, then we continue the next day.
Negotiations... meanwhile Zvërnec is private land, Zvërnec is private land. The Zvërnec and Sazan processes are still in the project process.
-I have a question: why did you give the green light for Jared Kushner's Sazani after Donald Trump was elected President of the United States of America, in January before his inauguration, and not at the time when he was simply a candidate?
It was not the complete process. They have done a job and it is unfortunate the way it has been interpreted by the international media. This process has been highlighted from the beginning by the New York Times and the international media; it has been presented as a political story. Meanwhile, when I met Jared and when we started working on this, Donald Trump did not know whether he would go to the White House or go to prison. So this has nothing to do with politics. Meanwhile, for me, they were American investors and they are American investors like all Americans.
-If Harris won the US presidency... would you give Sazan for whose event?
Yes, I have had this conversation, Fevzi, with the other party when I was asked and I told them: there can be no discussion here that Albania is not a place where any kind of conflicts or problems that may exist between the parties in America can be transferred. Here, every American who comes is a friend and everyone who wants to invest is welcome. Moreover, my relationship with him has been a very friendly relationship. So there has never been any discussion about this. The process... on the other hand, I have said it both in interviews and abroad, that his request and that of his group, and our request, have been symmetrical, everything by the book, everything respecting the law and procedures. It will continue, it will be executed. We are, and even today as I speak, the project continues, the work continues.
-But the agreement...
The deal is not done yet; we don't have a finalized deal yet.
-Will it be done with the project that has been presented, as far as it has been reported in the media?
No, that time it was just a master plan, a vision; no master plan, but a vision. We then had a master plan that was presented to the National Territorial Council and in the meantime work continues on improving it, perfecting it and so on.
-When do you think they might be ready to start work? So how long might the procedures take?
The procedures will not take long, because many steps have already been taken. But I believe that in a few months we will have the complete master plan, the complete project that will be presented to the public. And what is most important is that the way we are working will set a new standard for developments.
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