OSCE Assembly/Media: Government's ties to crime, a threat to stability

2026-07-09 15:12:00, Aktualitet CNA

During his speech at the 33rd session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in The Hague, the Chairman of the Republican Party, Fatmir Mediu, raised strong concerns regarding the situation our country is going through.

Mediu stated that corruption, drug trafficking and the government's ties to organized crime, electoral farces, are factors that seriously threaten security and stability in Albania and the Balkans.

The PR chairman also mentioned the protest, which he described as a magnificent movement of citizens who have risen up against arrogance, corruption, organized crime and state capture.

The 33rd session of the Parliamentary Assembly is attended by 57 parliamentary delegations from OSCE countries and a high-level delegation from the US Senate and Congress, where, among other things, security, Russian aggression in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East, the fight against drug trafficking, organized crime and government corruption, elections and democratic freedoms were discussed.

Full word

Since I share the same concerns, as well as the commitment to international law and our common principles, allow me to draw your attention to an issue that we must also engage with in our own countries.

Today, organized crime operates like a multinational corporation, exploiting corruption, financial networks, cyber capabilities, and political influence to infiltrate state institutions.

In Albania, organized crime, drug trafficking, and systemic corruption are increasingly undermining the rule of law, democratic institutions, and citizen trust. This is no longer simply a challenge to law enforcement; it is a direct threat to the security architecture in the OSCE area.

When criminal networks capture institutions, distort elections, and weaken the independence of the judiciary, they erode the principles on which our collective security is built.

This is precisely what we are facing: a deep democratic crisis, democratic regression, state capture and the merging of government with corruption, organized crime and state institutions controlled by the ruling party. These phenomena have been documented in many international reports and documents.

The last parliamentary elections, which you observed, were a farce, characterized by misuse of state resources, vote buying, and voter intimidation by the government and organized crime.

Today, Albania is classified as an electoral autocracy.

The OSCE was founded on the belief that there can be no lasting peace without democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law.

Relying on these values ??– freedom, private property, identity, national identity, love of country, the fight against corruption, against government arrogance, organized crime and drug trafficking – for 30 days in a row, thousands of Albanians have been protesting every day against a corrupt government.

They are the true European Albanians, who stand up in defense of their country and European values, against corruption in government, demanding political responsibility.