Sahin: Me and Cakay wrong to break up with Kosovo and functioned as if we were born in Albania

Sahin clarified the reasons for the decision to give up the post of minister of education, saying personal reasons made it not for a second term in the post.

The moment the election announcement was made in 2021 and the start of the entire pre-election process was confirmed, because I had decided that I would not continue for another term, I had to sit down and discuss with Prime Minister Edi Rama whether or not it was worth staying in this period in Albania and lead with a dictatorship that is very important”.

I asked to be relieved of duty so that he [Edi Rama] could consolidate the team he would then win the election with. Because it's different to get into the elections with a team of people who want to win another mandate and want to serve another mandate, and it's different from joining the election with a team in which people are willing to help, but if they don't want to serve themselves for another term, I believe that commitment would be more limited than that of my successor”.

And this whole year, especially since the pandemic started, it was clear to me that the life I did was a little unstable. I had a huge responsibility in Albania, but my whole family lived in Kosovo. It has been an extraordinary privilege for me to serve not only in the Socialist government but also in the Republic of Albania, especially in the dictatorship of education that I love and I think is one of the best ways to help develop the country”.

According to former minister Sahin, her involvement and Gent Cakaj in the Rama Government has normalised the idea that one from outside Albania can serve in governance in Albania.

She added, however, that after receiving ministerial posts, she and Cakaj have made mistakes that have somehow been cut off from Kosovo rather than integrate it into governance in Albania.

This non-integration, according to Sahin, has also come as a result of the problems they faced during this period beginning with the earthquake in Albania and then with the pandemic.

Our involvement in governance in Albania should teach us to improve if we continue in the future. We've made a mistake, if we can say so, because from the moment of our involvement in governance in Albania, first as deputy ministers then even as ministers, I have the impression that we have made a break with Kosovo. Instead of integrating Kosovo into governance in Albania, we have worked little as Albanians who are actually born and raised in Albania”.

This makes this whole project a little unstable, which is actually fantastic and ambitious, and actually takes the message that Albania is seriously deepening co-operation between Albanians and that it is serious about trying to develop the nation in this environment we are in, where we are actually in positive competition with other nations for more sustainable regional development”.

She has said the message has been delivered with this project that it should happen the same in other countries where Albanians are located.

The “Project has been ambitious and the results have been extremely good and have conveyed the message that is absolutely necessary for a small nation, such as Albanians, to co-operate and use the best talents to advance important policies”.

It's unstable to make this exchange unless more elements are integrated that are bringing people to government, actually. If someone from Albania came to serve in Kosovo, it would have to integrate more fully the part of Albania into government here, just as we should have integrated more of Kosovo's share of government in Albania”.