On December 12, 2021, Sali Berisha declared that his declaration as “non grata” was a “unique case in the world.” At the time, the former prime minister had turned the American decision into the main axis of his political battle, presenting it as an unproven blow to him, his family, and the Albanian opposition.
In a statement made at an online meeting with Democrats in Florida, Berisha said that there was no person in the world who had been declared "non grata" eight years after resigning from leadership positions. According to him, there had been no accusations from any individual or institution against him and his family.
He linked the “persona non grata” declaration to George Soros, NGOs and the media that, according to him, were captured by Edi Rama. Berisha claimed that the decision was made on the basis of data sponsored by Soros and his political opponents. In the same statement, he said that he was also hit because he had not accepted that the Democratic Party would become an ally of the Socialist Party.
In that 2021 version, “non grata” was not a side detail. It was the political reason, the cause, the evidence of persecution and the justification for starting his battle within the DP. Berisha declared that he had taken the initiative not for personal interests, but to restore the statute in the Democratic Party and conservatism in Albania.
But today, after the news that he has received a visa to travel to the United States of America, Sali Berisha has given another version: according to him, he has never been "non grata".
Thus, between the statement of December 12, 2021 and today's statement, the change is complete. What was once called by him "my declaration non grata" and "a unique case in the world", is now presented as something that never existed.
The irony is that Berisha is not facing the words of his opponents, but his own. In 2021, he accepted the “non grata” declaration and used it to build a narrative of political persecution. Today, when he should be celebrating his American visa, he denies the very term that for years kept at the center of his political battle.
