Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama apparently took umbrage when noted US journalist John Defterios mispronounced his name during a panel discussion in the UAE on Wednesday, with the former launching into prickly references against Greeks and Montenegrins in reply – given that the moderator, Defterios, is of Greek descent while his fellow panelist was from Montenegro.
Nevertheless, the brief but ill-tempered rant by the Albanian leadership quickly went viral on social media.
Rama was speaking at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW).
“…As a Greek … you always underestimate people because you believe you have a monopoly on philosophy and are the direct heirs of Plato and Aristotle, but you are not.” “Montenegro is the greatest and biggest country in the region. They gave 50 million citizens. We are small, but Montenegro is the one.”
🇦🇱 Albanian PM Edi Rama joked about Greeks and Montenegro during a panel discussion in the UAE:
“As a Greek … you always underestimate people because you believe you have a monopoly on philosophy and are the direct heirs of Plato and Aristotle, but you are not.”
“Montenegro… pic.twitter.com/q8yw12vd9K
— kos_data (@kos_data) January 14, 2026
Sarcasm of P.M Edi Rama has no end!!!
“Montenegro is the greatest and biggest country in the region. They gave 50 million citizens. We are small, but Montenegro is the one.” pic.twitter.com/89zifCh2ih— Sami Flamuri🇦🇺🇦🇱 (@SamiFlamuri) January 15, 2026
