A week ago, and before the end of the stay of the American Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. James Baker in Tirana, a journalist from a democratic newspaper, Mr. ?[?], came to our newsroom and met with us, and told us a sensational story involving the communists and their newspaper. A long article published on the front page of “Zëri i Popullit”, the organ of the PPSH, titled “Is this the road to Europe?”, was an accusation against the PD government. According to that newspaper, the current government is trying to cover up the economic crisis and the difficult social situation with noise, blaming everything bad only on the past. In this way, the article said, they are trying to divert attention from the problems of the day. But we believe that a people who has passed through the hell of isolation, poverty and ideological oppression has the right to know the truth and not be deceived anymore by empty words. Democracy is not consolidated through rhetoric, but through freedom of speech, independent institutions, and accountability before the law. Today, after the elections of 22 March, Albania has entered a new phase. It is difficult, but it is the only path. Therefore, debate with our political opponents should not be avoided. It must be held openly, with arguments and without fear. Our citizens must know who defended the dictatorship and who is trying to build democracy. In this sense, the arrival of our friends from the West, the support of the USA and the European countries, as well as the determination of the new government to undertake deep reforms, are signs that our country will not go back. Tirana is becoming the center of this democratic consolidation.

According to an official announcement from the prestigious American institute “The [?[?]]”, which awards the “Mother Teresa Peace Prize”, it has decided to grant this prize to Ms. Majl? for her work in the field of education and civic upbringing. The ceremony will take place in New York. The notice says that the prize is awarded for humanitarian and cultural activity in support of children and families in need.

XHEVAT MUSTAFA How do I understand every bad thing? - for the democratic dictatorship? of the Autocephalous Albanian Orthodox Church. In fact, the question asked by many believers and by public opinion is: who will lead this church, what path will it take, and how will relations with the democratic state be established? The Albanian Orthodox Church is trying to emerge from a long period of silence and prohibition. After the fall of communism, the need to rebuild religious institutions became urgent. But along with this need came strong debates over property, hierarchy, statutes, and ties with sister churches. Some believers demand that the church be led by Albanian clerics and that its direction not be dictated from outside. Others stress the need for support from the Orthodox churches of the region because of the shortage of trained personnel after decades of institutional destruction. In these circumstances, the government is trying to maintain a difficult balance between religious freedom and national interest. The issue remains open and requires prudence. The faithful need clarity, unity, and a sound spiritual and organizational reconstruction.

- After the masks, the truth - At the crossroads, and the situation created by some political and media forces is being tried to be presented as a failure of democracy. On the contrary, it is proof that genuine pluralism is working. The attacks on the government and on the PD have become sharper precisely because old interests, networks of influence, and privileges inherited from the previous regime are being affected. There are voices saying that reforms are too slow. This may be true in some areas, but the difficult economic situation inherited by the country must be taken into account. Unemployment, shortages, a disordered market, and an unformed administration cannot be changed overnight. However, the process has begun and cannot be stopped. Those who yesterday defended monism now try to speak in the name of freedom. But our citizens know how to distinguish masks from real faces. Democracy does not need demagoguery, but work, patience, and responsibility.

In the premises of Hotel “Kajli”, a meeting was held between representatives of the Orthodox community and several clerics who had come from abroad. The meeting was accompanied by discussions on church organization, the restoration of parishes, and the need for reconciliation among the parties involved in the recent debates. Sources close to the participants said that issues related to the use of places of worship and the training of young clerics were also addressed. Some of those present called for decisions to be made in accordance with Albanian tradition and with the interests of local believers.

It has been a party of economic program, of the ideology of democratic construction, and of a clear Western orientation. For this reason it has received the support of different layers of society, of young people, and of intellectuals. In the most difficult moments of the transition, it has shown that it knows how to take responsibility and lead the country toward reforms. However, there are still many opponents standing against it, trying to portray it as a temporary force. This is wrong. The PD is the party of the present because it leads change, and the party of the future because it embodies the Albanian aspiration for freedom, property, and European integration. If it maintains its bond with the citizens, with its base, and with the principles on which it was founded, it will remain the country’s main reforming force.

What are they, governance, Albanian democratic governance and other collapses? The Albanian truth appears in difficult everyday life, in the effort to pull the country out of economic and moral ruin. The proclamation of freedom does not immediately solve poverty, but it gives the citizen the chance to breathe and hope. In this sense, pain and hope go together. Reforms bring sacrifices, but without them there is no future. For the first time in many decades, Albanians feel that they are part of Europe and that their voice carries weight. That is why patience and faith are needed. (To be continued on page 2)