Rama for BBC: Half a million refugees from Kosovo, here we are, survived

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama has again conducted an interview for foreign media for Afghans. This time it was for the BBC's “The World Tonight over the decision to show refugees.

Rama says Albanians were Afghans when they left Europe's North Korean castle.

He recalls that even Albania once sheltered many more refugees, half a million of them from Kosovo that was being emptied of Serbian genocide.

As far as European countries are planning to cope with Afghan ecstasy, Rama says the decision belongs to them and can do whatever they want.

BBC: A small European country, which is not in the EU but is a NATO member, has agreed to offer refuge to Afghans who will go to the United States of America. The first group is expected to arrive these days, and the following could accommodate up to 3 000 of them. Albania's prime minister, Edi Rama, told us why his country had offered to do so.

Because that's what we are. Albania was the only country in Europe that had more Jews after the war than before it, and the reason was that in Albania we had an honor code, which says there is no greater shame in life than surrendering a friend. Thus, the Jews here were given refuge and is one of the most beautiful pages in our history. Second, we were Afghans a few decades ago, when we left Albania, the North Korean castle of Europe, under a brutal dictatorship and knocked on the doors of others and welcomed ourselves. Of course, with much difficulty, we were in essence welcomed. Third, because I think we should do it for our kids. Our children need to understand that this is the world we live in. We may not be rich, but we cannot afford to have short memories.

BBC: As you say, you're not a rich country. You may need to shelter these people for a while. Will it be a big burden to Albania in practical terms?

RAMA: Remember, one thing that in Western Europe, people have forgotten war. Wars for them are just documentaries in Netflix. For us, wars have been here and we have seen wars. We have seen the horrors of war and have had to offer shelter in Albania not long ago. At the time, I was the minister of culture when we sheltered about half a million refugees from Kosovo who were fleeing ethnic cleansing. We survived, here we are. We're not a rich country, but here we are again, so financially, morally, and in everything I don't think we were hurt. I think that experience enriched us more morally.

BBC: Today, a very strong debate has been held in parliament, here in Westminer, about the United Kingdom position, what needs to happen, and why other countries failed to predict how quickly the Taliban would get control of and questions have been raised about NATO itself, while the United States decided to act alone in essence and other countries, such as the United Kingdom, which had troops there, felt they had no choice other than to withdraw. Do you think this has somehow questioned NATO's purpose?

RAMA: I find it sincerely unreasonable that the US conviction is being used to turn its back on Afghans who need us now. First, save people and then debate what we want for them NATO, for invasion, for invasion, and so on. The withdrawal, of course, was the US unilateral decision, but we're all part of it together.

BBC: Is it not fair that some of us ask if we are all part of it together if America withdraws unilaterally?

Yeah, it's true, you're right, but now, that's no reason to turn your back on these people, I mean, people who need shelter. I've discussed this at the NATO summit and I've expressed that I know what I'm talking about, as we've lived in a regime that was like that of the Taliban. We need to think of the next day of people who have worked for us because they will be labeled traitors and treated as traitors and their treatment as traitors in that regime implies death.

BBC: Then just one last thought of refugees. The UK has today declared it will accept 20,000 people within several years, starting with 5,000, but it will have several European countries, which may decide they are unwilling to accept refugees. You gave the moral argument why your country decided to do what it did. What a message you would have for European allies who are sceptical about accepting refugees from Afghanistan.

I don't know. I don't know what 20,000 people mean in many years, because we have to be with those who have worked with us and there are thousands and thousands, and thousands, and thousands we have to stand by today, not over many years, but they can be closed, they can do whatever they want.

BBC: This was Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama