Hasimja: Albania is losing a historic chance for EU integration

Political scientist Ermal Hasimja stated that Albania is at a favorable geopolitical moment for the European integration process, but is not managing to benefit fully from it.

Invited to Syri TV, he said that the country is advancing towards the EU with additional conditions and unresolved problems, while emphasizing that under normal circumstances Albania could be much closer to membership today.

" There is one issue that is preliminary, it is the issue of immunity.

And in the report, and in Ibari and others, it becomes clear... that the issue of protection through immunity must be resolved by the majority, by the Albanian parliament. That the parliament will never name names and will not name names to say that this case, that case and others. Ibari passed, you saw how Ibari passed. They gave the message very well.

To make it clear, they added a list of things, among which was this. And if Ibar had passed gloriously clean like in all the other places, you wouldn't have all this big appendage from behind.

They said: We are letting you go, but you will have to prove to us that you will fulfill all these conditions we are imposing on you in the future.

The fact is another matter, if you read the long list of demands that were there, it is clear that there is a will in the European Union.

Fortunately, there is a willingness to facilitate the integration process. Today, if you look at it, another important step has been taken to include Ukraine in integration discussions, and even Moldova, which was far from the integration process until now.

It was done with Montenegro, the others were ready with Macedonia. That is, there is a geopolitical, geostrategic situation in which Europe is interested in the enlargement process...

Which was far from the integration process until this moment. It was done with Montenegro, they were ready with Macedonia and others. That is, there is a geopolitical, geostrategic situation in which Europe is interested in the enlargement process. Not in the enlargement process in the sense as it was expanded before with Greece, to move on to other countries, Croatia, recently, then later Romania...

Albania is at a very favorable moment, where not really for its own merit, but due to geopolitical, geostrategic reasons, it should benefit tenfold. Tenfold! And it is not benefiting. Because what happened? Even this process that was done, the approval of IBAR and others, was done by adding some conditions. By saying, look, you are to stay, but I am not going to stay with you on condition that you then fulfill all these conditions. That is, if we were in a normal situation where we did not have these problems, these conditions, we would have moved forward with the integration process much further than that.

Today we would have surpassed even Montenegro. We would have surpassed everyone, that is. We were the most favored. Because you have the most pro-European, most pro-Western country today as a whole, in the entire region. And this is very important. And they understand this, despite the fact that we are a small country and so on. I mean, this situation does this, we have not known how to benefit from the maximum. We have received the minimum. From this whole geostrategic situation in which we find ourselves, unfortunately we have received the minimum. It seems to us like a great achievement, but...

"We could have managed to secure it in a normal situation, we wouldn't be having these kinds of conversations. We would be saying: how good that we achieved this and are now at the doors of the European Union. We are not at the doors, we are still far away ," said Hasimja.