Prime Minister Edi Rama has defended the late former Albanian leader Fatos Nano, saying that his historic meeting with Slobodan Milosevic was not an act of betrayal but part of his broader patriotic legacy.
Nano, former Prime Minister and founder of the Socialist Party, passed away two days ago at the age of 73. During a tribute ceremony, Rama emphasized Nano’s patriotic and historic role in shaping Albania’s political direction and supporting Kosovo’s liberation.
“Those who now honor him with big words are the same people who once called him a traitor for meeting Slobodan Milosevic during an international event in Thessaloniki,” Rama said.
“I have listened to his conversation with the butcher of Belgrade. There is nothing in it that could be called betrayal,” he added.
Rama said that when the full content of Nano’s meeting with Milosevic — and his cooperation with patriots of the National Liberation Movement for the freedom and rights of Albanians in Kosovo and North Macedonia — eventually comes to light, no one will question Nano’s patriotism.
“When the truth is revealed, it will be clear that Fatos Nano’s contribution to the liberation of Kosovo and the signing of the Ohrid Agreement places him among the honorable figures of Albania’s modern history,” Rama declared.
Fatos Nano’s Controversial Legacy
Fatos Nano, one of Albania’s most influential political figures of the post-communist era, founded the Socialist Party and served several terms as Prime Minister. His meeting with Milosevic in the late 1990s sparked fierce criticism, especially from those who viewed any dialogue with the Serbian leader as a betrayal of Kosovo.
However, Rama stressed that Nano’s pragmatism and diplomacy were misunderstood at the time and should now be reevaluated in the light of history.
“Fatos Nano belongs in the ranks of Albania’s patriots who contributed to regional peace and the strengthening of Albanian identity,” Rama concluded.
