ALBANIA IS DETERMINED TO MOVE FROM THE EXAMPLE OF DICTATORSHIP TO THE EXAMPLE OF DEMOCRACY
-Speech by the President of the Republic, Mr. Sali Berisha, at the conference on human rights in Vienna-
Mr. Chairman,
Your Excellency,
Expanded conference,
Ladies and gentlemen,
The UN has opened and closed our century with its contribution, both to the recognition and respect of rights and to their protection. Its great and unique beacon before the eyes of the peoples of this century will certainly remain the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the first fundamental document in which human rights were formulated for the first time, and which are now, and will remain forever, the spirit of the freedoms and aspirations of modern civilization.
As President of the Republic of Albania, my country, which even after 5 whole decades of being shut away in dictatorship, repression and isolation, must find patience and wisdom to quickly overcome the pains and torments of the trampled and denied human being, yet one who remained unyielding after having accepted and endured the fiercest communist dictatorship of these times, allow me to greet the organizers of this conference and commend its aims.
Albania is going through a difficult but hopeful period of democratic transition. After the overthrow of the totalitarian system, our country has sought to build new democratic institutions, guarantee political pluralism, freedom of the press, the right to property, religious freedom, and the fundamental rights of citizens. The road has been arduous, because the legacy of dictatorship was deep, but the Albanian people's will for freedom and dignity has remained unshaken.
We have undertaken reforms to create the rule of law, separate powers, reform the economy, and return Albania to the European family. We have attached particular importance to the rehabilitation of politically persecuted people, the moral condemnation of the crimes of the past, and the restoration of citizens' trust in justice.
However, our transition is taking place under difficult economic, social, and psychological conditions. For decades, the Albanian citizen was treated not as a free being, but as a blind subject of ideological diktat. Therefore, in addition to institutional reforms, we must also rebuild the culture of freedom, responsibility, and tolerance.
Today's Albania knows well that the protection of human rights is not only a matter of laws, but also of conscience, education, and moral standards. Our society cannot move forward without respecting the individual, without protecting minorities, without guaranteeing equality before the law, and without creating conditions in which every citizen feels free and secure.
We are aware that democracy is not built overnight. But we are also convinced that Albania is determined to move from the example of dictatorship to the example of democracy. This is our historical choice and this is our promise to our citizens and to Europe.
On this path we need international solidarity and understanding. Albania wants to be an active part of European democratic processes, to respect the obligations arising from international human rights instruments, and to contribute to peace, stability, and regional cooperation.
May this conference be a new incentive for our words to be turned into concrete actions, so that human dignity does not remain an abstract ideal, but a tangible reality for every citizen. Only thus can the end of this century be more worthy than its beginning.