In two publications distributed on TikTok, it is alleged that the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, has threatened Kosovo and the acting Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, as well as North Macedonia regarding the protests in Tirana.
Both of these pieces of content were published on Wednesday (July 8).
In one of them, Prime Minister Rama appears in the image, while the inscription is "Edi Rama openly threatens Kosovo and Macedonia: either arrest the imams who organized the protest, or the Albanian army will come and arrest them" (see here).
On the other, the image of Rama, Kurti, but also of the former member of the Kosovo Assembly, Milaim Zeka, appears. There are two inscriptions: "Latest News: 80 thousand Albanian soldiers heading to Kosovo and "Edi Rama severely hits Albin Kurti" "Rama calls on Kurti to keep the hounds tied up in your house, don't force me to send the Albanian army into Kosovo to clear out terrorists who have been fighting with Serbs and Turks"" (see here).
What is known so far?
Rama's alleged claims are presented only in text form. There is no video, audio or official statement proving that he made the statements in question.
The first video has received over 87 thousand views, while the second over 34 thousand. Comments on both publications indicate that some users have taken these claims as true.
Hibrid.info checked Prime Minister Rama's social media accounts, which he uses to inform the public. On his Facebook account, from the publications on July 6-8, no post was found that confirms the alleged statements (see here). Similarly, nothing has been found through the posts on the Albanian Prime Minister's personal account on the social platform "X" (see here).
To seek more information about Rama's possible statements, the website of the institution he leads was also checked (see here and here).
Not even in the announcements published by the Albanian Government was there any announcement that confirmed the claims.
From the reports in these information sources, it was learned that during July 7-8, Rama was at the NATO Summit in Ankara.
The research was then continued on the Google search engine. A direct search of the captions of the content discussed in this article showed results that neither confirm nor deny that Rama has made such public statements (see here and here).
The audit came across public statements by Rama, published by credible media, where he commented and ironized on the participation of Albanians from Kosovo and North Macedonia in the protests in Albania, which have been taking place for several days now (see here).
However, no statement has been found in which he threatened Kosovo or North Macedonia.
Protests against a planned tourist development in Albania have been accompanied by public statements by Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has cited Iran's interference in their organization, not any other state (see here).
In a post published on Facebook (July 7), Rama used harsh language against those he described as spreading “digital hate,” alluding to influences from the East and warning of the publication of evidence for his claim (see here).
Meanwhile, regarding the statements of the possible influence of the acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti, in the protests being held in Tirana, the Albanian Prime Minister, in a June 21 Facebook post, had excluded Kurti from responsibility for the actions of some members or supporters of the Vetëvendosje Movement who participated in the protests. He stated that he does not think that Kurti has the same attitude or way of judging as them and had requested that Kurti's name not be linked to this issue (see here).
Analyze:
Two TikTok posts claim that Albania's Prime Minister, Edi Rama, has threatened Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Kosovo's acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, in connection with the protests in Tirana.
From the verification of the facts, it results that there is no evidence in the form of a video, audio or official statement that Rama has made such statements. The check of his official accounts on social networks and the sources of the Government of Albania has not confirmed the claims presented.
Rama has made public statements about the protests and the participation of citizens from Kosovo and North Macedonia in them, but no statement has been found in which he has threatened these countries or warned of sending the Albanian army to Kosovo.
Also, regarding Albin Kurti, Rama has stated that he should not be linked to the actions of some members or supporters of Vetëvendosje who participated in the protests, exempting him from responsibility for these actions.
Therefore, based on its work methodology, Hibrid.info assesses this content as "Fake News".
Reasoning:
The “Fake News” rating is given to informational content that is entirely fabricated or that contains factually incorrect claims or information. Content that is rated as fake news can be defined as having been created and distributed with the intent to misinform the public, i.e., to present a claim that is completely false as fact.