Blendi Gonxhja defends public spending on Kanye West concert

Albanian Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, Blendi Gonxhja, has defended the government's decision to provide public funding for a Kanye West concert in Tirana. His comments come amid ongoing public protests regarding poverty, rising prices, and the national economy.

Gonxhja argued that spending on large-scale events is a strategic investment for promoting Albania globally. To justify the expenditure, he cited existing costs for international fairs, noting that Albania spends approximately 3 million euros for a three-day event and a 250-square-meter pavilion in Berlin.

Addressing the backlash, Gonxhja stated that the government intends to continue investing heavily in the 'event economy' to attract tens of thousands of foreign visitors. He suggested that the controversy surrounding the Kanye West concert may have actually increased costs, claiming that if the public had not reacted negatively, the state might have saved millions of euros.