Latest Edi Rama News
Albania says only Italy is allowed to operate migrant asylum centers in the country
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania's prime minister on Tuesday said his government had turned down many requests from other European Union countries to take in thousands of asylum-seekers but made an exception for Italy. An Italian navy ship was expected to dock at the Albanian port...
Italy formally opens centers in Albania to process male migrants intercepted in international waters
SHENGJIN, Albania (AP) — Italy's government on Friday formally opened two centers in Albania where it plans to process male migrants who are intercepted in international waters. The opening was delayed for several months because crumbling soil at one center needed to be repaired. ...
Turkey’s Erdogan inaugurates a Turkish-funded mosque in Albania's capital
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Turkey’s president traveled Thursday to Albania’s capital to inaugurate a Turkish-funded mosque with 50-meter-high (160-foot-high) minarets as part of a trip to boost ties and discuss regional issues. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said that...
Albania's opposition protests and demands a caretaker Cabinet
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Opposition supporters in Albania protested again Monday, demanding that the government be replaced by a technocratic caretaker Cabinet before next year’s parliamentary election. The conservative opposition has long accused Prime Minister Edi Rama’s...
Albanian opposition MPs try to disrupt Parliament to protest a colleague's imprisonment
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian opposition lawmakers on Thursday protested in Parliament, burning effigies and clashing with bodyguards, after one of their colleagues was convicted of slander and imprisoned. The conservative Democrat lawmakers, who had called for a boycott of...
EU, US urge Albania's opposition to end violence and resume dialogue with government
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — The European Union and the United States on Tuesday urged Albania's opposition to resume dialogue with the government, saying violence including the disruption of Parliament to protest the imprisonment of a fellow lawmaker doesn't help the country integrate into the...
Premier says Albania will grant sovereignty to Bektashi Muslims in Tirana, similar to the Vatican
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Sunday his country would transform the Tirana-based Bektashi Muslims, an Islamic Sufi order, into a sovereign state to promote moderation, tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Speaking at the United Nations, Rama pointed...
Albania's former prime minister Sali Berisha is formally charged with corruption
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Former Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha on Wednesday said he was formally charged with corruption in connection with a property deal, describing the move as politically motivated. In October, prosecutors publicly put him under investigation for allegedly...
Albanians vote for new mayor of ethnic Greek town in a case that has sparked tensions with Athens
QEPARO, Albania (AP) — Albanians in the southwestern town of Himara voted for a new mayor Sunday after their previous choice, a member of the country's ethnic Greek minority, was stripped of his title, convicted and imprisoned on vote-buying charges. He and neighboring Greece have claimed his...
Italy confirms construction delays in Albania will push back opening of migrant processing centers
ROME (AP) — Italian officials confirmed that Italy’s controversial new migrant processing centers in Albania, o riginally scheduled to open Thursday, won’t be operational for several more weeks because of construction delays. Cabinet undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano cited the...
