TIRANA, April 14 – Prime Minister Edi Rama describes Albania as a major transformation site that actively seeks diaspora investment, innovation, and participation in academia and national development. He delivers the statement during the opening session of the Fourth Diaspora Summit in Tirana.

From the outset, he frames Albania as a nation that extends beyond its territorial borders. In his view, the country continues wherever Albanians preserve language, memory, and belonging.

Looking back at earlier migration waves, Rama recalls a period when Albanians left under hardship and uncertainty. He says many rebuilt their lives abroad in difficult conditions and under external stereotypes about Albania.

That trajectory, he argues, has now shifted. The diaspora no longer represents departure but a multiplier of national capacity. It contributes skills, knowledge, and international experience that strengthen the country’s overall development.

At the center of that connection, he places the Albanian language. He defines it as the strategic bond that links Albanians globally and sustains national cohesion across borders.

Within that framework, he links the summit to a broader national project. He says the meeting reflects shared goals rather than ceremony and places the diaspora at the center of national life, not its periphery.

Meanwhile, he describes Albania as a country undergoing continuous transformation. He acknowledges visible disruption, construction activity, and social pressure as part of that process, while linking it to long-term integration objectives.

Against that backdrop, he presents Albania’s development path as part of a wider historical trajectory. He refers to efforts to strengthen ties with Europe and deepen global connectivity as a continuation of a long national direction.

/a.p./