Scandal / Rama boasts about a Soros-funded study featuring a map of Kosovo without clear borders

Edi Rama caused significant public outrage in Albania and Kosovo after publishing a regional study in which Kosovo appeared on a map with dashed boundary lines.

In his rush to spread what critics call propaganda, he shared a map of the Balkan region where, surprisingly, unlike other states, the border between Kosovo and Serbia was shown with dashed lines.

So what does this mean?

On maps, dashed lines are typically used to indicate unclear or disputed borders. Such a depiction suggests that Kosovo's border is not final or fully recognized, an unacceptable message, especially coming from the Prime Minister of Albania.

The scandal was also denounced by IT expert Blerim Gjeladini.

‘Look what the Prime Minister of Albania has done, terrible.

He has drawn Kosovo's map with dots, and if you remember, at a conference he corrected a foreigner by saying it's called 'Kosova,' not 'Kosovo,' yet here he used 'Kosovo' via ChatGPT.

It's disgraceful when Albania makes this mistake,’ he wrote.

Following backlash on social media, Rama changed the map.

Meanwhile, the study Rama published is a non-governmental international project funded by the Open Society Foundations. It ranks Albania as the country with the highest increase in the democracy index in Southeast Europe.

‘Reforms led by long-serving Prime Minister Edi Rama and his Socialist Party (PS) to combat organized crime and strengthen law enforcement have reinforced state authority, improved the rule of law, and enhanced the overall performance of democratic institutions,’ states the ‘Transformation Index’ report prepared by Bertelsmann Stiftung (BTI).

The Transformation Index report is part of the project ‘Shaping Change, Strategies for Development and Transformation.’ This project is funded by the Open Society Foundations Western Balkans, a left-leaning organization led by George Soros and his son Alex Soros, with whom the Albanian Prime Minister is said to have close ties.

This messaging from Rama comes just days after Varieties of Democracy Institute ranked Albania among countries classified as electoral autocracies or authoritarian regimes.