"I want to inform you that next Monday I will have an honor: I will address the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, as Prime Minister of Albania, without their permission," - this is what Prime Minister Edi Rama declared in parliament yesterday, ironically, announcing yet another jab at his political opponents following the Peace Board invitation by President Donald Trump.
By packaging this as an event offered to high-ranking personalities such as the American president, the Albanian prime minister did not hide his pride that next Monday he will speak before the Israeli parliament, even though in fact the visits to this country by various European countries in the last year after the massacres in Gaza are not considered any great diplomatic boast.
However, the truth is a little different than what Prime Minister Rama presents. The Minister of Diaspora of Israel, Amichai Chikli, announced in December the government event where Edi Rama is expected to speak. However, in the initial plan of the Israeli government, MP Romina Kuko was invited to speak in the Israeli parliament.
As the Israeli minister's post shows, among the invited figures from the world, the Albanian MP takes her place, replaced by the "big boss." Eager for some American credit in this situation, it seems the prime minister, who initially delegated Romina Kuko, has now decided to participate himself, declaring himself the head of state speaking in the Israeli parliament, more or less like Donald Trump.
In the end, more than an event of real diplomatic weight, this visit is being sold as a personal and political success — turning international protocol into an instrument for self-aggrandizement and domestic political consumption.
Below is the announcement from the Israeli Minister of Diaspora where Romina Kuko was initially invited to speak.
https://x.com/AmichaiChikli/status/2002801496539193688?s=20
