Prime Minister Edi Rama has stated that there is still no finalized agreement between the government and the group of investors for the investment project on Sazan Island. The statement comes at a time when the project has sparked public debate, precisely because of the lack of transparency and the noise that has surrounded the discussion over the island’s future.
Rama’s version of the negotiations
In an interview with Channel 5 with American journalist Andrew Callaghan, Rama rejected claims that Sazan has been privatized or that the agreement has been finalized.
According to him, the island remains public property, and what is being negotiated is the establishment of a joint venture in which the Albanian state will be a partner. The prime minister insisted that so far there is no money, no approved project, and no signed agreement.
Public property and questions over transparency
Rama’s statement is aimed at lowering the tone of alarm, but it does not close the essential questions about how a public asset with high strategic and tourism value is being negotiated.
The fact that the government acknowledges negotiations, but no agreement, leaves the debate open over the terms, the partners, and the public interest that will be protected if the process moves forward. At this stage, the official version remains that the state intends to be a party to a joint enterprise.
Irony about flamingos and Trump
Rama chose to address the debate with irony as well, attacking the way the Sazan issue has been reported, according to him.
He said the issue is being presented as if the flamingos on the island would be killed and end up as breakfast for Donald Trump. With this language, the prime minister sought to downplay the criticism and concerns that have been raised about the project.
What is known so far
From the public statement made, the only clear element is that the government denies the existence of a finalized agreement for Sazan.
Beyond that, it remains unclear what stage the talks are at, what terms are being discussed, and what guarantees there will be to protect the public interest if the negotiations move into a concrete phase. It is precisely these gaps that fuel doubts and keep the issue at the center of the debate.
For now, the official version is that Sazan remains public property and that no agreement yet exists.
But the more the government speaks with irony and less with documents, the greater the need grows for real clarification about a project that affects one of the country’s most sensitive public assets.