Symposium Report - Albania 25 years after the fall of communism: rebuilding state and society
“Albania 25 years after the fall of communism: rebuilding the state and society”
Opening Session
The symposium was opened through a welcome speech given by Mr. Albert Rakipi, Executive Director of AIIS. Mr. Rakipi thanked all participants for attending the symposium focused on the transformation of Albania over the last 25 years. Special thanks were given to Friedrich Ebert Institute in Albania and the U.S embassy for their support. According to Mr. Rakipi, no country in former Eastern Europe has experienced the radical transformation of Albania and there are a series of questions that should be posed in this regard: Why didn’t the Albanian society become democratic according to the Western models? Why don’t we have a capitalist economy in Albania? According to Mr. Rakipi, these questions have been answered by referring to the so called “Transition Paradigm”. In this context Mr. Rakipi states: “The transition paradigm justifies our failure. Albania has become a “Monopoly State”, similar to a pyramidal structure directed by strong leaders. Twenty years were needed to achieve uncontested elections and the quality of the Albanian democracy is very low. According to Fukuyama, transition period was meant to lead to a state governed by the rule of law and this is not the case of Albania. Here we can’t speak about transition anymore, but about a long state-building process, where the EU will play a key role.
H.E Ms. Romana Vlahutin, Ambassador of the EU delegation to Albania, stated that 25 years ago Eastern Europe experienced an explosion of freedom and that people thought that walls wouldn’t be built again, but they were wrong. According to Ms. Vlahutin, it is not enough to be free, but you need to do something with your freedom, which on the other hand is a great responsibility to come to terms with the past. “Albania remains the only country in Eastern Europe, which hasn’t made public the archives from the Communist Era. In Albania, we observe a large deficit of dialogue, but on the other hand reforms are so demanding that we can’t afford to lose time. Enlargement process is the most important modernization tool of Albania.”, so Ms. Vlahutin.
H.E Mr. Donald Lu, Ambassador of the United Stated to Albania, described the most striking events experienced during his lifetime, namely: The moon landing, Space Shuttle “Challenger” disaster and the September 11 attacks. However, according to Mr. Lu, during the last 25 years Albania has witnessed many more important events such as the protests in Skanderbeg Square during 1991, James A. Baker visit to Albania, the toppling of the statue of Enver Hoxha etc. Mr. Lu emphasized that the will to change is very strong among Albanians and in this direction the process of decriminalization is an important sign. “In the days to come developments will take place for the reform of the judiciary and the decriminalization of the Albanian assembly”, so Mr. Lu. Further, he stated that it is very important to remember the horrors of communism in Albania, but people need also to remember the courageous people, who were able to make change during 1990.
H.E Mr. Florian Raunig, head of the OSCE presence in Albania, explained that during the last 25 years Albania managed to survive many difficult challenges such as the fall of the communist regime, the riots and anarchy of 1997 and the Kosovo refugee crisis of 1998-1999, by laying the foundations of a democratic and free market oriented society. According to Mr. Raunig, during 1997-2003, the OSCE presence in Albania has played a major role in the consolidation of Albanian state institutions. “People thought that 10 years were more than enough to build a functioning democracy in Albania, but that didn’t happen and Albanian democracy has still a long way to go. The democratization process of Albania needs to speed up, but the modernization of Albania is closely dependent on the will of all segments of society to collaborate. In this regard, media and politics will play a key role. OSCE will always support Albania in its democratic path”, so Mr. Raunig.
Mr. Frank Hantke, Director of the Friedrich Ebert Institute of Albania, described the most important aspects of the work of FES in Albania. He stated that FES has always tried to be a partner in its relations with Albanian institutions or CSOs, and not a donor or leader. According to Mr. Hantke, every country has its own specific characteristics, therefore nothing can be copy pasted from one country to another. Further, Mr. Hantke explained that Albania has everything needed for a modern country, such as a modern constitution and legislation, freedom of press etc. However, institutions are not that democratic as they should. In this regard Mr. Hantke thinks that democracy is a long learning process and he quoted Friedrich Ebert “ Democracy needs Democrats”, which served as the guideline of FES in Albania. According to Mr. Hantke people in Albania should have the understanding the Democracy needs the contribution of all people, but the relations between the Albanian state and its citizens is not at its best. An important obstacle for Albanian democracy is the attitude of Hierarchy thinking and this is particularly the case in the Albanian education.
In his keynote speech Mr. Florian Bieber, PhD, Professor of Southeast European Studies and director of the Centre for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz, held the view that before analyzing the developments over the last 25 years, one should clarify the notions of transformation and transition. According to Bieber: “The concept of transformation from transition to a developed democracy might be somehow disorienting for the SEE countries, due to the indicators that measure the transformation process. Albania should not see the EU as the end of its transformation, since this cannot be the only indicator. The EU might serve as an indicator but it should not be regarded as the end of transformation itself. There are many countries, which have joined EU and still have problems with their democracies. An example in this context is Hungary.”
Further, Mr. Bieber emphasized that the transformation concept might be misleading, because it divides the world in two parts. This is not the case because every country, even old EU members are still transformed in many directions. “The countries of Southeastern Europe have not signed any significant changes in terms of democratic developments during the last ten years. They have established stable democratic governance which is not changing. There is no change noticeable when it comes to democratic institutions.”, so Mr. Bieber. He added that economic growth in SEE countries was very high until 2008, but now the idea that these countries will catch up in economic terms with EU has disappeared. According to Mr. Bieber, Albania was described by various studies (along with Estonia and Poland) as a success story, since it managed to have a functioning democracy and a remarkable growth of GDP and this clearly shows that the current transformation indicators cannot be automatic for all countries.
Mr. Bieber emphasized the most important dimensions of democracies of SEE countries which are: “ 1. Stable type of democracy characterized by informality, high level of polarization without ideology, no classical party system according to western standards and strong authoritarian temptation to use control over state institutions and media. 2. Nature of economic system characterize by sharp inequality and connections between politics and economy. 3. Civil society, which is not homegrown and in many cases heavy dependent on foreign donations.
Mr. Bieber closed his speech by making three final observations. 1. We should see where the country stands and not be focused on transition. 2. Psychology. Development is not always linear, since many setbacks may occur and 3. We always assume that 1990 is to be seen as year 0. This is wrong, because we should take into account the time before that year and communism was different in each of the SEE countries.
Panel 1: Transition overview
The first panel on transition overview was chaired by Mr. Marko Bello Former Minister of EU Integration. During his speech, Mr. Besnik Mustafaj, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, described the first difficulties encountered during the foundation of the Democratic Party of Albania. According to Mr. Mustafaj, the program of DPA was written with a language, which sounded very communist and “Leninist”. Language is a very important component for a democratic political culture and in this respect the language used by Albanian politicians during the nineties was not democratic and in many cases violent and offensive. Further, Mr. Mustafaj explained that De-communistification has still not taken place in Albanian society, although it should be a key objective even for the Albanian left. Mr. Mustafaj concluded that due to their deeply rooted communist mentality, the Albanian elite failed to build a functioning democracy. However, the younger generations have the chance to change things. In any case they should make use of an appropriate democratic language.
Elez Biberaj, PhD, Director of the Euroasia Division Voice of America explained that 25 years after the fall of communism, Albanians have the right to be proud of their country, which underwent a deep positive transformation. However, according to Mr. Biberaj, for the time being the Albanian democracy is in a very difficult moment due to the lack of a proper democratic culture, the painful communist past and the economy. Nevertheless the most responsible factor for the deficits of Albanian democracy is the Albanian Political elite. “Albania is the poorest country in the region, producing migrants that make up a large part of the country’s population. Corruption and unlawfulness constitutes a serious threat for the state as a whole, while the judiciary is corrupt and the parliament criminalized. On the other hand, media has made several achievements, but it is still far from becoming the fourth estate. When describing the main characteristics of the Albanian democracy, Mr. Biberaj, stressed the lack of dialogue, the inability to follow the rules and corruption. “Once in power, all parties aim to capture the state. The distinctions between political parties are disappearing and elections instead of being considered as a competition between political platforms are experienced as a big drama. The last major victory of the Socialist party in the 2013 election enabled Rama to gain a broad mandate for undertaking reforms. However he didn’t take this opportunity and didn’t establish e new political path for Albania.” Mr. Biberaj said. Further Mr. Biberaj, stressed that cooperation between government and opposition is key for the upcoming constitutional amendments and that four lessons should be learned for the consolidation of Albanian democracy. 1. Concentration to party interests is harmful by generating many problems, while national issues require large consensus, 2. The efforts of all leaders to limit freedom of institutions have proven to cause serious damages, 3. The voice of the people should be heard in order to avoid the creation of a gap between politicians and people, 4. Dysfunctional relationship between main political actors damages the country’s stability. In his final words, Mr. Biberaj held the view that the U.S and E.U should exercise more pressure for the consolidation of the Albanian democracy.
Bernd Fischer, Professor Emeritus of History, Indiana University, Fort Wayne, emphasized that while nobody wants to go back to the old days of Hoxha regime, not all vestiges of the old regime have disappeared. Further he argued that the basic issues of Albanian democracy today are a healthy political culture, functioning political parties and political leadership, which in many cases is disconnected by the people living in remote areas. In this context Mr. Fisher made the following suggestions: Organization of free and fair elections, establishment of a free and independent press, Fight against organized crime and culture of corruption, establishment of an independent judiciary and a qualitative education based on the most advanced international standards. Mr. Fischer also pointed out some of the most relevant achievements reached by Albanian over the last 25 years, namely: Establishment of a two party system and acceptance of election results by all political parties; The foundation of Civil Society Organizations with a huge contribute on the protection of Human Rights; Major steps have been reached in terms of strengthening the rule of law such as: Fight against narco-trafficking and economic informality. Mr. Fischer, closed his speech by expressing his confidence about the accession of Albania to EU, which will represent a major step in consolidation of Albanian democracy.
In the discussions that followed, Ms. Kozara Kati, Head of the Albanian Center of Humar Rights, argued that EC progress reports have been widely used by Albanian politicians to legitimize their interests. Further she stressed, that few efforts have been undertaken with regard to the De-communistification issue. “There cannot be a genuine democracy by having a communist mind” said Ms. Kati.
By referring to the speech of Mr. Mustafaj, Prof. Dr. Romeo Gurakuqi, academic at “UET”, asserted that verbal violence is nowadays more present than it used to be. Further he noted that the role of the “internationals” in the Albanian political scene should be studied more thoroughly, since the international community keeps on legitimizing politicians, who are not legitimized by their own people.
Panel 2: Democratization and society
Mr. Gabriel Partos, Intelligence Unit, The Economist, presented the details of Albania’s ranking in the Economist intelligence unit’s Index of democracy. In 2015, Albania was ranked in the 88th place behind Serbia, Macedonia, and Montenegro and well ahead of Bosnia and Herzegovina. With regard to the political process (1 component) Albania scores pretty well, but it scores pretty poorly when it comes to the functioning of the government (5 out of 10). In this regard, Mr. Partos holds the view that the Albanian Public Administration is deeply politicized and this has caused delays for the granting of EU candidate status. In this context, the corrupt judiciary also plays a major role. Mr. Partos went on with the third component dealing with political participation. Here Albania scored 5 out of 10 points due to the lack of trust to political institutions, although there were small improvements in the increase of participation of women in parliament. In the fourth component on political culture, according to surveys Albanians showed desire for a strong leader. In the last component on Civil Liberties, Albania scored pretty well (7,35 points) second to Macedonia. This might be explained through the positive steps undertaken by Albania in terms of freedom of expression and media freedom, although there are some issues especially when it comes to the inadequate social inclusion of Roma community. Mr. Partos, emphasized that the consensus among Albanian politicians on the EU agenda is a very encouraging sign for the future of the country.
Mr. Remzi Lani, Executive Director, Albanian Media Institute, pointed out that transition in Albania underwent a political, economic and psychological dimension. “ Albanian transition is rather to be defined as a long state-building process. The term transition itself fails to describe the whole picture of Albania’s struggle for democracy over the last 25 years, as this term can’t serve anymore as an alibi for the dysfunction of state institutions. Instead of transition we can perhaps use another term, namely “Transicrotacy” ”, Mr. Lani said.
According to Mr. Lani, in the regional perspective Albania is geopolitically part of the West, but when it comes to the integration perspective we have a consensus of vision, but not an agreement over the actions that will bring the country in the EU. With regard to the media, Mr. Lani argues that despite many problems, media is advancing and it is free and open. However there are problems when it comes to the Albanian Public Broadcast, which is basically non-existent and the intensive ties between media outlets and politics.
Mr. Afrim Krasniqi, PhD Albanian Institute for Political Studies began his speech by giving the example of the suspended referendum on the import ban of wastes, which reflects the contrast between citizens’ participation in democratic institutions and the unwillingness of institutions to work together with the citizens. Further, Mr. Krasniqi stressed that Albanian constitutions have served only to legitimize power and in this context Albania underwent a long series of “constitutional experiments”, which have created confusion and lack of trust towards institutions. ”Constitutions have been amended to resolve momentary political problems, while the most important institutions are elected without making use of the qualified majority in parliament. Political parties have a lot of power and they do not respect the basic principles of the constitution, which regulate their own political mechanisms” said Mr. Krasniqi. Further he noted that today Albanian politics has strong leaders, who are in the same time the most ardent violators of the constitution. He ended his speech by emphasizing that the juridical education of the society is needed to strengthen the stability of constitution in Albania. Further he stressed that the upcoming constitutional amendments should be voted in public referendum.
Mr. Frank Hantke, Director of the Friedrich Ebert Institute of Albania, stressed that people keep on discussing about loyal opposition or loyal governance, but loyalty should be stretched towards citizens. Further, he added that the role of foreigners in the Albanian politics has not been criticized as it should. EU policies didn’t take into account Albania’s specific history and experience. “We should be aware of the fact that Albanian democracy will look different than democracies in EU countries, since here we have to deal with an independent democratic tradition.”, so Mr. Hantke. Further, Mr. Hantke suggested talking more to young Albanians, who grew up during the transition time.
Mr. Andi Dobrushi, Executive Director, Open Society Foundation Albania, chair of the second panel opened discussions. Erion Kristo, Academic, stated that there is a tremendous increase of Enver Hoxha’s presence in social media. Further he explained his view that Albania needs the foundation of a new republic, since all institutions have failed to fulfill citizens; expectations. Further, Mr. Kristo asked criticized Mr. Bieber’s method to put all SEE countries in the same group. Mr. Bieber replied that every country is obsessed with its uniqueness, but uniqueness is poisonous for scientific analysis.
Panel 3. Economy and Migration
The panel on economy and migration was moderated by Alba Çela, deputy director of AIIS. The first panelist to present his findings was Dr. Franz-Lothar Altmann, is currently an Associate Professor for Intercultural and International Relations, Bucharest State University. He is also a co-editor of the Journal for Southeast European and Black Sea Studies and editorial board member of the International Journal of Balkan Policy Research. He has previously taught at several well-known universities such as Portland State University, Tohoku University, Economic Department of Boston University and German Air Force Officers´ College. Dr. Altmann has published 10 books and some 266 articles on East- and Southeast-European economics and politics, transformation and European integration (EU-enlargement).
Dr. Altmann focused on the Transformation Index of the Bertelsmann Foundation to present the progress that Albania has made from 2006-2016. In the first index of 2006 Albania held the 38th position and only Moldova had a worse position. In the 2016 Index that is to be published, Albania has advanced, according to Dr. Altmann. He also mentioned the criteria of a functioning market economy to connect it to the last progress report of EU for Albania. According to the Copenhagen criteria, a country must have a functioning market economy and the economy must be able to withstand competition forces within the EU. In the last country progress report, Albania shows that it is moderately prepared to join the EU, but challenges remain. The main challenges of Albania are the high number of nonperforming loans, which block the banks to give new loans. Another obstacle is related to the labour market. High unemployment and informal employment lead to misleading figures about the workforce.
It is economy that has a major impact on migration. Statistics from the first half of 2014 show that Albania was the fifth country of origin concerning the number of asylum seekers in Germany. In 2015 Albania ranked the third. What are the causes of this migration? People do not have the feeling that the economy is improving. The social structure of migrants varies from poor citizens coming from rural areas to skilled professionals in search for better opportunities. Dr. Altmann compared the situation with Bosnia, where over 1000 professionals left from health centres in search for better payments.
Dr. Altmann concluded that the consequences of this level of migration can be seen in both the country of origin and the destination country. In the country of origin the pressure in the market is reduced and the remittances contribute to the growth of the GDP. ON the other hand, in Germany for example, immigrants fill the gaps in the health sector, however a general fear exists in the public. Also, in order to have better integration, barriers should be demolished and initiatives such as recognition of diplomas should take place.
The second panellist presented by the moderator was Dr. Arben Malaj. He is a Full Professor of Economic Sciences at the College of Economics, University of Tirana. He is the Founding President of the Institute for Public Policy and Good Governance. In 1986, Dr. Malaj graduated from the University of Tirana with a Bachelor of Sciences degree with a major in Finance. In 1997, Dr. Malaj received a Doctorate Degree in Finance from the University of Tirana.
Dr. Malaj focused during his speech on the transition period of Albania. He stated that recently Albania has limited opportunities for monetary and fiscal policies. Structural reforms are necessary and according to the economic theory, big differences produce more opportunities, therefore Albania can profit from this.
Dr. Malaj mentioned that the starting point of transition in Albania was the fall of a system where the country was isolated and with hostile environment towards business. The model that Albania followed was the shock therapy. However, shock therapy proves to be more shock than therapy when basic factors are missing, such as in Albania. -said Dr. Malaj. The reforms followed the Washington consensus speed and while the first reports show progress, Albania failed in providing the property rights. This is not only the restoration of confiscated properties during communism, but the right of every individual to private property. The second problematic issue is the corruption and the state capture.
On the other hand, transition in Albania marked few achievements, such as the structuring of the economic sector. The decrease of rural population and agriculture is a sign of this process. This means that now Albania is supporting the most productive sectors. During transition Albania scored an increase in 3%, but the biggest problem remain weak institutions. Now Albania has democracy, knowledge and therefore, more opportunities.
Failures that the transition recorded are related to the interference of politics in economic decisions, weak institutions and weak competition. The mistrust in institutions is still high. According to Dr. Malaj, Albania needs a new economic model and what the country should do is to reduce barriers and fight corruption, as well as to prioritize the institutions.
Dr. Ilir Gedeshi is currently the Director of the Center for Economic and Social studies (CESS). He has previously been a professor of migration and development as University of Tirana, Faculty of History. He focused during his presentation, primary on migration. He presented statistics related to migration in the case of Albania and listed some of the most immediate consequences. In the year 2015 some 50 000 Albanians requested asylum in Germany, while 200 000 citizens applied for the US lottery. This statistics are important, but what is also important is the silent mode of migration: brain drain. Dr. Gedeshi said that according to statistics 15% of the population is in migration and the only period when Albania was in the same position was after the death of Scanderbeg.
The profile of the Albanian migration has shifted from short term to long term migration. Albanian migrants have integrated in societies and a second generation of migrants has been born. The obvious reasons of migration are poverty and unemployment, as well as the image that the citizens have about their future. The remittances during these 25 years of migration have improved less the microeconomic level of the economy and have produce moiré migration. According to a study made by Dr. Gedeshi’s center, an Albanian migrant save 501 units of his incomes and sends back to Albania only 1 unit. The remittances in Albania have been used for consumption purposes and only 15% for investments.
Talking about the scientific Diaspora, Dr. Gedeshi stated that 40% of the university staff migrated until 2001. After 2001 the migration shifted from staff to university student, who did not come back, but integrated in their universities abroad. However, 90% of the scientific Diaspora expresses good will to collaborate with Albanian institutions, even though only 21% gave their contributions in Albania.
The last panelist, Dr. Erka Çaro is herself an example of this brain drain and brain gain process and identified herself as a transnational migrant. She is a researcher and lecturer at the Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of Jyväskylä, Finland and at the University of Tirana, Albania. She received her PhD in Population Studies from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands in 2011.
Dr. Çaro emphasized that almost all Albanian families have been affected by migration. Migration in Albania was perceived as a survival strategy. The transition saw the abandoning of rural areas and a drastic increase of the population in Tirana. One of the negative consequences is the changes in demographic structure. This affects the labor market and also strengthens brain drain. What can be observed in Albania is that the country has created some sort of addiction towards remittances.
While going to another country, Albanians are mainly integrated in the societies. However, they face informality, stereotypic descriptions and generalizations in media and they are willing to accept lower wages. These patterns are strengthened during crisis. After the crisis in 2007 the migrants that returned to Albania faced problems with re-integration in the society, as well as identity issues. Due to several problems, the returnees take decisions to re-emigrate. In this case the government has to play the role of a regulator. The working experience has to be legalized and recognized. The Albanian government must have a thorough agenda on migration. Dr. Çaro also pointed out that Albanian migrants do not have the right to vote, while they are abroad.
The panel presentation was followed by discussions. One of the participants, Dr. Lori Amy asked about the trafficking networks ad this dark side of migration and shadow economy. Dr. Malaj argued that the answer is difficult to be given, but the political forces in the country should learn from the collaboration of trafficking networks in order to join forces against it. Dr. Malaj mentioned that the EU must offer equal opportunities for Western Balkan citizens because this way we reduce barriers and therefore migration itself.
Panel 4. International Relations and Foreign Policy
The first speaker of the panel, Dr. Albert Rakipi in his intervention stressed the need to democratize foreign policy making not only focusing on more inclusiveness for the responsible actors but mainly taking a critical approach and examining with a critical thinking al the process. Dr.Rakipi argued that this can help to part ways with some myths which in turn depend on the communist legacy and the Bolshevik rhetoric used back then. “This would help a more effective foreign policy management,”-Dr Rakipi said. Rakipi argued that since the beginning of the transition the whole change process was dependent on foreign policy and that from early on the elite took the strategic decision to align the country with the West. This corresponded also to the popular feelings. Dr.Rakipi brought the example of the US mission report at the end of WWII which highlighted since then the existence of a determined group in Albania with strong relations with United States and the West.
Despite the long way foreign policy has come and despite its achievements, Rakipi argued that accession into NATO or the process of integration in itself do not necessarily point to full effective and successful foreign policy.
Some of the myths Dr. Rakipi elaborated on include the often mentioned idea of the “asymmetric relations with large powers” portrayed as exclusive and strategic relations or partnerships. In this cases the rhetoric is exaggerated and does not often reflect reality. Another myth is that of being in the center of the world, which does not reflect the size and true importance of Albania in the IR arena. Often there are so many strategic partnerships the sheer number of them undermines the ‘strategic’ denomination. The second issue Dr. Rakipi elaborated regards Albania’s relations with neighboring and region countries particularly Serbia and Kosova. Dr Rakipi said that in the region there is a concrete possibility for Albania to play a positive and constructive role.
Albania has been consistently supporting western foreign policy objectives and according to Dr. Rakipi it the right to claim more rewards for this in the form of support. For the relations of Albania with Kosova he warned that we have to be careful not to take things for granted under the umbrella understanding that we are one nation. He explained that the true substance of relations with Kosova beyond the patriotic parlance is very shallow and there are often trade wars at the borders for many food products and other market outputs. For the relations between Albania and Serbia, Dr Rakipi reiterated the importance of the normalization of the relations for the countries themselves as well as for the stability and progress of the entire region. The countries have started on the path of collaboration- Rakipi said and the process will take time.
Enri Hide , professor at European University of Tiran and Associate researcher of AIIS presented on the topic of the relations of Albania with Greece and turkey elaborating on the growing power of Turkey and its involvement in the Balkans after the year 2000. Hide argued that Albania despite being small can smartly multiply its power in the IR arena. According to Hide Albania has played a balancing role between a power in retreat from the Balkans, Greece and a power who has been growing strong with cultural economic and even religious influence, Turkey. Also Albania serves as a countering weight in the axis of balancing Russia’s influence in the Balkans. Hide argued that the strong presence of Turkey in all the important economic and strategic sectors in Albania makes the relation with Turkey to be very preferential. In suggesting some advice to decision makers for drafting foreign policy Hide argued that public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy of Albania has been inexistent until very recently and much more needs to be done in those fields to achieve again a multiplier effect on the power. He said that the current moment presents very favorable conditions for Albania and should be used with care to generate the positive impact we need.
Klodiana Beshku, professor at University of Tirana and adviser at the MFA examined the process of European integration of Albania, delineating time cycles in which it has gone through from the weak engagement in the nineties towards a gradual development until the singing of the SAA and onwards. Beshku elaborate don the shifting importance of key terms used in foreign poly and alliances created. She examined the relations of Albania also with the United States and key countries in Europe which as Italy, Greece and Turkey. Professor Beshku highlighted that currently the process of integration is facing with a dual challenge of enlargement fatigue on the side of the EU and internal problems of the Western Balkans which often resist being portrayed in group. Beshku said that Albania can use the portrayal of being between west and eats instead of having complexes about it.
The panel generated a lively debate. Former finance and economic minister Arben Malaj argued that in terms of foreign policy actors, there is confusion and infighting between institutions such as Ministry, president and a decrease in the role of the Parliament which he portrayed as a negative development. Malaj also argued that the process of consultation for major decisions is very sporadic. Malaj urged the decision makers to proceed with much care in constructing relations with powers that are displayed an increased presence in the region such as China. Participants were interested also in the lack of investments form Arab countries in Albania despite the fact that the country is part of the Organization of Islamic conference. Moderator Arian Starova explained that Albania membership there is inactive and criticized the approach of Albania that neither steps out nor uses its presence there for its own benefit.
AIIS deputy Director Alba Cela concluded the symposium on a positive note, lighting the changes and assets of Albania 25 years after the big system change while congratulating participants on their critical evaluation and reflections brought to the discussion table. The papers and presentations of the event will be published by AIIS in the spring of 2016.