Samos, Greece, June 30
Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosova, Albin Kurti, is attending the 26th edition of the SYMI International Symposium, where progressive politicians, prominent academics and leaders of international organizations have gathered under this year’s theme: “Step into the Future: “Prometheus Unbound: Power Re-imagined for a Demos of Peace, Equity and Sustainability”.
Below you may find Prime minister Kurti’s full remarks at the opening panel of the Symposium.
Dear distinguished guests, participants of SYMI,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is great to be back at SYMI, with such a spot on and haunting topic.
As we know Prometheus symbolizes the enduring quest for knowledge, enlightenment, and the defiance of tyranny. Prometheus’s most famous for stealing fire from the gods on Mount Olympus and giving it to humans. This action led Zeus, the king of the gods, to punish Prometheus by binding him to a rock where an eagle would eat his liver every day. Since Prometheus was immortal, his liver would regenerate each night, making his punishment eternal. This was a selfless deed and a heroic act of great sacrifice for the benefit of humanity.
Therefore, it is such a pleasure to have few days here at Samos Island, dwelling into thinking and discussing together, on what nowadays should be the fire we snatch to distribute to empower people, what is the XXI century liver that eternally regenerates, and what are exactly those chains we need to break.
Dear Friends,
We confront global challenges of unprecedented scale, I believe on three main fronts: climate change, social inequality, and security threats. Let me focus a bit only on social inequality tonight. Last year, Oxfam noted that the richest 1% hold 45.6% of global wealth and own 59% of all global financial assets. It also noted that over the last 10 years, the richest 1% of humanity has captured more than half of all new global wealth, and that within a decade, the world will have its first trillionaire. As long as the richest 1% own half of the global wealth, I am afraid there will be no real peace among societies and people nor with the nature of our planet.
Leszek Kolakowski has been warning us that leftists’ negation should be put at the level of practical thinking, not merely on that of moral protest. We have to bring back actual and concrete meaning to big ideas of liberty and equality, democracy and justice, and turn them into programs with projects and activities to compete with and fight for. We need to win democratic elections in order to get a democratic governance, so we could win again democratically and continue to govern alike. In my view, it has never been more important than now, since the end of World Wars, 80 years ago.
With ever rising inequality, chances for dictatorships and fascism also rise. The progressives and the socialists, the labour unions and women movements, the social democrats, understand and know this best; therefore, they should get all the support in democratic elections and other struggles in our times. Of course, starting tomorrow in France and next Thursday in the UK.
Let us increase our solidarity to organize better, win more and govern longer, never forgetting that just as we democrats feel threatened by war, the autocrats feel threatened by peace. The peace we need is a democratic peace, and the democracy we need is social democracy.
Thank you.
Last modified: June 30, 2024