Prime Minister Edi Rama met with the Albanian community in Michigan during his visit to the United States. He highlighted the strong ties between the community and Albania. He also spoke about the recent protests in Tirana over a planned investment in Zvërnec.

“One of the strongest Albanian hearts in America beats in Michigan,” Rama said at the start of his speech.

Rama then referred to the protests over the planned Zvërnec investment. Flamingos from the Narta Lagoon became a symbol of the protests.

He recalled a similar case in Michigan several years ago. A group of goose hunters spotted a flamingo for the first time. According to Rama, the American Bird Records Committee officially confirmed the bird’s presence. The committee described the sighting as extremely rare.

Rama then drew a parallel with Albania. He said the flamingo became one of the country’s most popular symbols this summer.

“But, as you know, this summer the flamingo became the most popular figure in Albania. It left the lagoon, came to Tirana, occupied the boulevards, screens and digital spaces, and attracted attention around the world,” Rama said.

He said few people would have imagined such a development only a few years ago. A flamingo, he noted, placed Albania at the center of an international debate about nature, development and tourism.

Rama also highlighted the public reaction to the protests. He said the response showed an important change in Albanian society.

In the past, he argued, environmental damage rarely triggered strong public reactions.

“The truth is that until yesterday, nature and its living species were being devastated in Albania, perhaps as nowhere else in the world, and nobody said a word,” Rama said.

According to Rama, Albanian society now has higher expectations. He said people increasingly believe that Albania can do better.

“Today, when many things have changed, Albanians have started to live with the idea that ‘there can be something better.’ And precisely this new approach of society was confirmed by that protest,” he said.

Rama said a society that demands more has made progress. He said people now expect better standards and refuse to lower their ambitions.

“A society that demands more is a society that has risen, that has seen the horizon and no longer accepts lowering its gaze,” he said.

Rama also called for greater personal responsibility. He said citizens should demand more from themselves as well as from the government and the state.

He also stressed the importance of respecting different opinions. He said social progress requires people to accept disagreement and engage with one another respectfully.

“But precisely because we have learned to demand more from the government, the state and our country, we must also learn to demand more from ourselves as part of the new Albanian society, especially in the way we see one another when our views do not coincide,” Rama said.

The meeting in Michigan formed part of Rama’s visit to the United States for Albania’s participation in the United Nations General Assembly. He will also meet with members of the Albanian diaspora and attend high-level events in New York.

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