The Chairwoman of the Committee on Culture, Tourism and Diaspora, Ina Zhupa, accused the socialist Taulant Balla of presenting false claims in Strasbourg to justify the construction of the Vlora airport in the Vjosa-Narte protected area. According to Zhupa, there has never been an international airport in that area before, but only a test runway built by the Italians about 15 kilometers away, used for small aircraft.

She stressed that such a runway cannot be used as an argument for the construction of an international airport with a terminal, runway, buildings and associated infrastructure, which according to her damages protected habitats and ecosystems. Zhupa added that Albania has constitutional and international obligations to protect the Vjosa-Narta and that the development of airports should take place in places that do not endanger nature and biodiversity.

Ina Zhupa's reaction:
Taulant Balla's deception in Strasbourg about the airport in the Vjosa-Narte area does not stand up to the facts.

To justify the construction of the Vlora airport in a protected area, he claimed that an airport previously existed in that area. Untrue.

What existed was about 15 km away, and it was not an international airport, but a test track built by the Italians for pilot training, for small aircraft. There has never been an airport there!!! After abandonment, the track was degraded, nature reclaimed the territory and for this reason the area was declared protected.

But even if this comparison were accepted, it falls flat on its face. A small runway cannot be used as a justification for building an international airport with a terminal, runway, buildings, connecting roads, parking lots, and all the accompanying infrastructure that fragments habitats, harms birds, and destroys a protected ecosystem.

It's like saying that, since there was once a fisherman's hut somewhere, today you have the right to build towers there.

Albania has constitutional and international obligations to protect this area, according to Albanian legislation, European Union rules and the Bern Convention. These cannot be circumvented with false arguments or unfounded comparisons.

Vlora and the south deserve airports, but with standards that do not endanger aircraft from birds on engines, nor the destruction of nature and habitats. The possibilities to build were numerous, but they wanted to build where they could destroy a protected area that was earmarked for resorts later, and they also needed an airport for convenience.