“The accusations alleging that the majority is controlling the justice system do not seem to match reality,” spoke Italian Ambassador Alberto Cutillio from Shkodra.
His declaration contradicts the findings of Freedom House, an American Department of State-funded independent watchdog organization concerning itself with democracy and human rights, that labelled the election of Arta Marku as temporary General Prosecutor through a simple majority involving only the votes of the ruling socialist party as a blow against the independence and credibility of the prosecution in the sensitive Tahiri investigation.
The Ambassador praised the Justice Reform:
I believe that the Justice Reform being carried out in Albania is unprecedented in European history. It is a deep-rooted and decisive reform, that is encountering some difficulties in its current primary stages.
Even though the Ambassador expressed concern regarding the paralyzed Supreme Court and the crippled Constitutional Court, he stated that this was the price to pay for the Justice Reform.
Regarding the Tahiri case, the Ambassador refused to confirm whether or not the Catania Prosecution Office is investigating the former Minister. He stated that he knew “of an ongoing investigation in the Catania Prosecution, not directly linked to Tahiri, but otherwise [he knew] as much as everyone else.“
Regarding the tension that has formed between the opposition and the majority as a result of the opposition’s accusations alleging that the brother of Minister of Interior Affairs Xhafaj is organizing drug trafficking operations from Vlora, the Ambassador stated: “It is normal for the majority and the opposition to disagree, it happens everywhere. What is important, and I believe that has been the case, is that the relations remain civil.”
The Italian Ambassador called illegal immigration a “limited phenomenon” that does not constitute a serious problem. His declarations contradict those of the newly elected Italian government, especially Minister of Interior Affairs Salvini, who has stated several times that he would strengthen border control, pointing to illegal immigration as one of the reasons for the lack of public safety in Italy.
“The new government was born based on an agreement between political forces, which does not warrant any concern for a change in foreign relations policy. The Foreign Minister also guarantees a continuity in foreign policy.” Cutillo spoke.
At the conclusion of his speech, he declared his optimism for opening EU negotiations with Albania, despite the fact that, according to him, “there are still some skeptic Member States.”
