×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Sunday
07
Dec 2025
weather symbol
Athens 13°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> World

Albanian PM: We smuggled coronavirus vaccines with Italy’s foreign minister!

"What kind of Italian or Albanian is anyone if they always follow the law?"

Newsroom October 10 01:01

 

In a revelation that caused a sensation in both Italy and Albania, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama admitted that he had “smuggled” vaccines for the coronavirus with the cooperation of Italy’s foreign minister, Luigi di Maio, and the secret services of the two countries.

Rama’s revelation was made during a conference in the city of Bergamo when the prime minister of Albania referred to the first months of the pandemic and when the delivery of the first Pfizer vaccines had begun.

“At that time we had no vaccine and the pressure was great. People were afraid that they would die like fish out of water. So then I said to Di Maio (note: who was present at the conference): Can you give us a symbolic number to start vaccinating doctors and nurses?” Rama said.

“The first answer was negative because Pfizer had a very imperialistic and capitalist contract: I give them to you but you can’t give them anywhere else. It is anything but a Christian practice”, continued the prime minister of Albania.

“Then Luigi said to me ‘it’s serious, we can’t do it because we’re doing something wrong’. But we did this with an operation carried out by the secret services”, added Edi Rama.

See Also:

Royal Navy testing Iron Man-style “jet pack” suits to swarm enemy ships

As he commented, “if I am Albanian-Italian, Di Maio is Neapolitan-Albanian, and we did a smuggling operation together. What kind of Italian or Albanian is someone if he always follows the law?”

>Related articles

Papastavrou: The ministerial meeting of the Greece, Cyprus, Israel and the USA group in Washington in April

European Commission handbook depicts the East Aegean islands and the Dodecanese as Turkish

Anger in Cyprus over the UN Secretary General’s envoy: She described the occupied territories as the “Turkish” side of Cyprus

Continuing his revelation Eddie Rama explained that there was, however, another problem as the vaccines could not remain hidden but had to be given to the people.

He even recalled a meeting he had with Pfizer lawyers in which he was asked where he got the doses for Albania. “‘From a friendly country’, I replied but they insisted that I tell them from which friendly country ‘otherwise we will file a lawsuit’. Then I said to them ‘we have learned from the Neapolitans that you should never, never, never betray your friends to the police’ and so I did not betray this friend of mine”.

Addressing, finally, Luigi Di Maio, Eddie Rama concluded: “Now we can tell everyone. Now you will have the papers writing that you are a smuggler. You are a free man Luigi”…

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#albania#Albanian PM Edi Rama#covid#diplomacy#italy#law#Luigi Di Maio#politics#secret services#smuggling#vaccines#world
> More World

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

Video: Farmer tearfully says goodbye to his 450 sheep — all of his local breed

December 6, 2025

Taylor Swift: The date of her wedding to Travis Kelce has been revealedThe couple may marry in Rhode Island

December 6, 2025

Tragedy for the 33-year-old climatologist who died on an Austrian mountain after her partner left to get help

December 6, 2025

Tragedy in Zakynthos: 18-month-old child killed after attack by family’s pit bull

December 6, 2025

The secret lives of Putin’s hidden children: Growing up in wealth and isolation

December 6, 2025

Mitsotakis from Markopoulo: The government is open to dialogue with farmers — they should come with representation and clear demands

December 6, 2025

Analysis by The New York Times: Trump turns his back on Europe, treats it as an enemy, and downgrades it to a hub of decline

December 6, 2025

The murders that changed the map of the Greek Mafia: The bloody path that started from the chief godfather Stefanakos and reached up to Zambounis who was gassed with 97 bullets

December 6, 2025
All News

> Politics

Mitsotakis from Markopoulo: The government is open to dialogue with farmers — they should come with representation and clear demands

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis sent a message to farmers that the government is open to dialogue, during his visit to Markopoulo where he spoke with citizens

December 6, 2025

Papastavrou: The ministerial meeting of the Greece, Cyprus, Israel and the USA group in Washington in April

December 5, 2025

European Commission handbook depicts the East Aegean islands and the Dodecanese as Turkish

December 5, 2025

Anger in Cyprus over the UN Secretary General’s envoy: She described the occupied territories as the “Turkish” side of Cyprus

December 5, 2025

Nicos Christodoulides reshuffles the government in Cyprus

December 5, 2025
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2025 Πρώτο Θέμα