Speech of Defence Minister Kodheli in the Parliament of Albania

: Published: Thursday, 17 April 2014 17:36

For a week, the media have published an excessive explosion of the slur policy to obscure the renaissance image of the Armed Forces. It has been a week since the opposition raised the question, implying that it is aware of a terrible truth, but without saying anything other than I, as Minister of Defence, am hiding this information and I’m not being transparent.

The most interesting thing, but in fact the most sad in this case, is that while some compromised gentlemen, show up in the screens with this kind of cynicism and no journalist makes a question. The accused people and the government do not give explanations, but what evidences do the accusers have? Gentlemen of the opposition engaged in this feverish slur, why should the media ask us and why you do not have to give accounts for our shocking accuse?

It’s very simple, because I have the difficult duty to work as Minister of Defence, dealing, from early morning till late in the evening, with the countless problems and you, the opposition, regarding your questions, claims I have only one day a week, this one, the day that I come to Parliament. While your daily task that each accuser has in the democratic system you have chosen, is to prove his accusation, at least making an effort to prove himself the charge. Since in democracy, the burden of the evidence belongs to him that accuses, and not to the accused person. You just make accusations without giving any evidence, without saying anything more than, the Albanian military infrastructure is in the service of drug trafficking and nothing more than, Albania has become a drug protectorate. Great shame! This game is as ridiculous as cynical. But even irresponsible in relation to the Armed Forces of this country and to the country itself, where there is a huge strain to through all this mud.

Gentlemen, it seems that you have no proof, but what I can tell you today is this: there is no single evidence and proved fact that the Armed Forces, or the Albanian military bases are implicated in criminal acts, as asserted so much this week and for which you have accused the Armed Forces. You have not only accused the Armed Forces, but the whole country.

There is no proof and no evidence. By my personal institutional responsibility as Minister of Defence and as a politician, as a representative of the people in this Parliament, I clearly reiterate. Since mid September 2013 until now, from the moment this government took office, there is not any case and any military zone in the Republic of Albania, with any single verified evidence, that actually proves the beginning of all this slur and fume, the pathology of the opposition in relation to the Armed Forces. If your concern stems from what may have occurred before September 2013, in March or in September-October last year when you were in charge, it is another matter for which another investigative body should give answers, but neither me, nor the Ministry of Defence today.

I can also say that since September 2013, there is no partner service that have informed the Ministry of Defence, or specialized organs, on a single evidence, or even on a suspicion for severely criminal activity, for which the whole week you blame the Armed Forces. You know well that this country is a NATO member and partner services even know, for example, how much money was paid under the table for the lists of soldiers going in missions to Afghanistan. Or how many times the emissaries of the former minister have travelled somewhere outside to purchase illegally the tools to tape the opposition. Or the way how, the hard drives of this apparatus were replaced.

Therefore, gentlemen, take it easy, as often advises the Speaker of the Parliament, your new path and do not imagine to much at such staggering levels to disorient the public, without knowing that in this way you through mud not to the government, but to Albania.

As for the Ministry of Defence and military managing structures, we are fully committed to returning the sector the ravaged dignity, to eradicate corruptive practices, to give Albania the rightful place, not only physically, but morally and professionally in the NATO table. At that table and I feel sorry to say that, you had put Albania in a very uncomfortable position with your feats and fatalities, that everyone knows well, better than us, our military partners.

I assure the Parliament of Albania and public that, the Armed Forces, its security structures, commands, and simple soldiers who have already completed all the necessary procedures, already giving a special significance to procedures, preservation, use, utilization and management of any information, no matter how unimportant it is, in order to increase safety, discipline and ensure professional handling of all the volume of information that is processed in our sectors, in front of the threats and risks of a more sophisticated and aggressive world every day. I express confidence, not only with my high responsibility, but based on our data, and obviously on the regular exchange of information with our partners, who after a few lost days regained their absolute trust in the political and military leadership of the Defence institution. As they have regained the lost tranquillity until yesterday from the misuse and abuse of any kind that they have ascertained, unfortunately almost every day.

The very specific task and nature of the work I have the honour to do, limits my ability to clarify today the “political issues” in this auditorium, and I will say directly to him or her, here or outside these walls, all my truths as politicians about the embarrassing defamations of this week. Anyhow, it is not difficult for all to understand, it is quite clear to me and to the government. The wave of accusations made during the past week about the poignant need that my predecessor or the predecessor of my Prime Minister has to prevent at all costs, the light of the law on the darkness of shocking lawlessness of the files of abuse of office, whenever they talk about the military. I wish, in this case, the General Prosecutor Office has not forgotten these files, especially three of them, related to the kind of report there have been and should have been when it comes to national security. Just as I guarantee the Albanian people that this is not simply in the interest of the government of Albania, so that the culture of impunity towards the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces might end through investigation and evidence of the guilty for the moral, financial and professional destruction of the Army in last years of bad governance by the present opposition.

Since the first days, the scandalous accuse was articulated in a half drunken manner from the person who actually should hide from the prosecutors, I have asked the Attorney General to investigate this allegation as soon as possible. I have reiterated my written request to Mr. Llalla and I want to repeat it today. This accuse should be investigated independently, even though there is no kind of evidence for it, because in this disgusting political game not only charges should be investigated, but also the reasons why this game started, if we all say and we must all say that it was a lie.

But I want to add that, beyond the requests to investigate the former defence minister and the leadership of our institution, as well as the demand for investigation we have submitted to the General Prosecutor Office about the accuse of repeating over and over again this week, we have done a lot of good work. Work we have done within few months, while you could not or did not have the will to do, especially in recent years. For example, we put under control our coast that you had left in the darkness for more than two years. Regarding the period you have governed, you have not yet said what happened while the sea was still in the dark. How and why this NATO country stayed for more than two years with out of order radars? We know something from what was written about the Albania of your darkness assessed by the specialized organisms and allied countries.

Since we are taking about the allies, allow me, this time only, the lack of modesty, because I want to convey literally their assessment in one of the most important multilateral meetings. “We appreciate the work begun by your government on the restructuring and growth of the Armed Forces professionalism, but mostly by putting in place the dignity of the Albanian military, as one of the most promising challenges of the last decade in the region.” So, take it easy despite the attempts to distract the focus from your sins during the time in office, our long caravan will move forward alone. Let the boys and girls in uniform to carry out their noble task.

That’s enough from me, you may do what you want to and slur as much as you want, until next Thursday, I do not have a minute to deal with discussions without rewards.”