Edi Rama criticises omission of Albanian anthem in Pustec; praises mayor

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama publicly criticised the omission of the Albanian national anthem at a folklore festival in Pustec, calling the episode “a meaningful parody” of differing worldviews in the region and praising the local mayor for apologising for a fault he did not commit. Rama spoke on social media after Tirana's foreign ministry also registered a formal protest.

"We honoured that small community with a special status as a distinct municipality, precisely because for Albania minorities are not statistics but a national treasure, and minority citizens are not numbers but brothers and sisters with the same freedoms and rights as the rest of us. Now, this occasional arrival on our territory of circus troupes of Balkan national-folklorism, sometimes from one country, sometimes from another, not only does not worry us for itself, for the sovereignty of Albania, no, no, but also for the balance of political life in here, where there are no Trojan donkeys bred in our hills or a 'diaspora' exported from our neighbourhood that shakes us, because European Albania has already passed its adolescence as a democratic state," Rama wrote.

Tweet and local response

In a tweet posted on August 21, 2026, Rama added in English translation: "What happened in Pustec is a meaningful parody of our different worldviews in this neighbourhood of Europe. The mayor of Pustec, Pali Kolefski, requested in advance that the Albanian anthem also be played. He was ignored and then apologised for a fault that was not his…" — Edi Rama (@ediramaal) August 21, 2026.

The Albanian Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs characterised the absence of the Albanian anthem at the festival as a serious breach of respect for national symbols and institutional protocol. The ministry’s reaction prompted Rama’s public comments and underlined Tirana’s diplomatic concern over the incident.

Mayor Pali Kolefski of Pustec told organisers and the public that he had asked for the Albanian anthem to be performed but was ignored. Kolefski apologised on behalf of the event organisers and emphasised that the Municipality of Pustec had been invited to the festival but had not organised it. He also confirmed that the association "VMRO-DPMNE Albania" was responsible for staging the event.

The festival, titled "Prespa 2026" and dedicated to Macedonian tradition, culture and folklore, took place in Mala Prespa on August 20, 2026. The event was attended by Hristijan Mickoski, who was present among other guests.

The episode has raised questions about protocol at cross‑community cultural events and highlighted sensitivities between Skopje and Tirana, with Tirana asserting that respect for minority symbols remains a priority for Albanian authorities.

Photo: Printskrin