May it be a year of prosperity for Albania and our nation The consolidation of institutions and a more agile functioning of the rule-of-law state, mass privatization and the expansion of the space for free initiative, the consolidation of Western relations, the fight against crime and tax evasion, higher wages, pensions and living standards, improved infrastructure, the spread of information technology in our education system, better-quality health care, the country’s steady progress toward Europe, and the resolution of national issues are the ambitious and most important objectives that the government will achieve this year. The consolidation of institutions and a more agile functioning of the rule-of-law state, mass privatization and the expansion of the space for free initiative, the consolidation of Western relations, the fight against crime and tax evasion, higher wages, pensions and living standards, improved infrastructure, the spread of information technology in our education system, better-quality health care, the country’s steady progress toward Europe, and the resolution of national issues are the ambitious and most important objectives that the government will achieve in the coming year. Thus today, with this message addressed to the Albanian people and nation on the occasion of New Year 1997, the President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, after greeting all Albanian citizens, has reviewed the developments that took place during 1996 and has outlined the objectives that the democratic government has set for itself for 1997. “Ladies and gentlemen, Brothers and sisters, Happy New Year 1997! At this moment, each of us, every Albanian family, first of all has in mind and in heart the relatives, friends, companions and acquaintances who are not with us today, but whom we keep alive in our minds and hearts. Let us honor their memory. Let us raise our common prayer to God for the sick, for the elderly, for children without parents, for those who suffer and need our support, so that this year may become for them more prosperous and more hopeful. I want to bow with the highest respect before hundreds upon hundreds of Albanian boys and girls, men and women, who during the year we are leaving behind sacrificed so much, or their lives, in an effort to save human lives, to protect public order and citizens’ security, to carry forward the work of democracy and nation-building in Albania. The year that is ending has been an important year for the consolidation of democracy in Albania. This year was the year of the general elections, which marked an excellent victory for the democratic forces; it was a year of progress, stability and development. During 1996, we managed to make Albania a safer, calmer, more stable, freer country. During this year we firmly defended the free institutions, the laws and the Constitution of the country against crime, trafficking, tax evasion, corruption and any other anti-state activity. For the first time, at the end of 1996, we carried out the privatization of low-rent apartments, the privatization of land and of small and medium-sized units, creating a new basis for the market economy. We increased agricultural and industrial production, encouraged investment, significantly expanded the private sector and strengthened the banking and financial system. We achieved important economic growth and a reduction in inflation. During 1996, Albania’s relations with Western countries, with the USA, the European Union and international organizations expanded. Albania consolidated its place in Europe and in the world. 1996 was also a year of important progress on the Albanian national question. Steps were taken forward toward its fair solution, in accordance with international norms and human rights. During 1997, the Albanian government will have as its main objectives: strengthening the rule of law, improving public administration, expanding privatization, encouraging investment, increasing production, fighting smuggling and corruption, raising wages and pensions, improving infrastructure, extending information technology into education, improving health care and more fully integrating the country into Europe. I am convinced that through work, with faith in ourselves and in Albania, with national unity and with dedication to democratic ideals, we will succeed in making 1997 a more prosperous year for every Albanian. Happy New Year 1997!”