Prime Minister,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning, and a very warm welcome to all of you—especially to our guests who have travelled from abroad to be with us today, and particularly to our panelists joining us online despite the inconvenient hour in their respective time zones.

As we saw in the short video, no one here needs convincing. Everyone is already aware of the risks posed by Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI).

What we witness and experience every day is not merely something new. It is a seismic transformation unfolding before our eyes. In this new reality, in a rapidly changing world, the defense of democracy no longer stops at physical borders. It takes place not only in the public sphere, as it always has, but increasingly in the digital space. In democracies, information has always been a public good. Over the years, however, we have seen it transformed into a strategic domain.

Today, it has become the arena where trust is tested, democratic choices are shaped, and, most importantly, influence is increasingly exercised. This transformation is one of the defining challenges of our time.

Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference is not merely a matter of competing narratives. It is increasingly used as a deliberate instrument of hybrid pressure, designed to erode trust, exploit social divisions, weaponize algorithms, amplify grievances, and undermine our shared understanding of reality.

Its objective is not always to persuade us to believe in a particular narrative. Often, of course, that is the case. But more frequently, its aim is subtler: to make citizens question everything, to undermine trust in institutions, independent media, and ultimately democracy itself. In a world increasingly dominated by social media and transformed by the rapid and largely unregulated development of artificial intelligence, no country is immune to these threats.

For Albania, this discussion comes at a particularly important moment. We see a direct correlation: as we enter the final phase of our negotiations for membership in the European Union, we are becoming increasingly exposed to hostile influence and manipulation by those who do not share our choices, our values, or our strategic direction.

This is not a time for hesitation. It is a time to see clearly—not as passive beneficiaries of someone else’s protection, but as contributors to our common efforts. Because resilience cannot be outsourced. Nor can it be built by governments alone.

It requires cooperation among governments and parliaments, independent media and civil society, academia and technology experts, and ultimately citizens themselves.

It also requires international cooperation. The experience of countries that have faced these threats directly, studied them, exposed them, and developed tools to counter them must become part of a shared response. This is precisely why today’s meeting matters.

What we hope to achieve today is not merely to identify the problem, but to exchange experiences, seek practical solutions, and find the best ways to address these new challenges. In Albania, we understand better than most the price of freedom because we have experienced its absence. For that reason, we will spare no effort in defending our hard-won democratic values.

At the same time, we understand that freedom is not something to be taken for granted, misused, or abused. It carries responsibility, and its strength depends on how we exercise it—with respect for the truth, for others, and for the democratic institutions that make it possible.  This means protecting the information space where citizens form opinions, make choices, and exercise their democratic rights. Pursuing this path requires understanding, awareness, political vision, determination, and leadership in order to build resilience and durability.

Prime Minister Rama, this is precisely why your voice is important in this conversation.

The floor is yours.