Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said that while the problem of property titles is a real problem, it affects the entire country from north to south and not just the Greek minority, some of whom use the Greek flag as a credit card.
Amid a tense situation with neighboring Greece, exacerbated by the arrest and imprisonment of Greek politician of Albanian origin Fredi Beleri, suspected of buying votes in April’s local elections, Rama was interviewed by Greek media. Kathimerini.
Greek politicians have said Beleri’s problem is rooted in discrimination against the Greek community in the country’s south, while Albania insists the courts must be able to do their job. They also raised claims over property issues that Athens says affect ethnic Greeks.
“The problems related to property titles in Albania, from north to south, are the same. The problem is that some people, who remember that they are smarter than others, know how to use the Greek flag as a credit card. Some use the Greek flag to poison society. They support their micro-interests using the Greek flag,” Rama said in his interview.
About 0.9% of the population identifies as of Greek origin, and several communities in the south of the country speak Greek. Albanian nationalists claim that they simply identify as Greek to obtain Greek (and de facto European) passports and money from Athens, such as pensions and other benefits. .
Rama added, however, that Albanians also use flags in this negative way, including the ruling Socialist Party and the Democratic Party, currently in opposition. However, Albanians do not claim that they are a “destroyed” minority.
“However, some members of the Greek minority are very adept at manipulating Athens, and Athens is not capable of perceiving that the person who can contribute to improving relations and improving the standard of living of the minority n “It’s not a Greek, it’s only me, not me. because I work for the Greeks, but because I work for all Albanian citizens,” said Rama.
He called Albania’s Greeks a “treasure”, but added: “But if there are some Albanians who don’t appreciate the fact that we have the same blood, there are also some Greeks you shouldn’t not be too proud to have the same blood. blood.”
Regarding the informal meeting of Western Balkan leaders with EU chiefs in Athens, hosted by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to which Rama was not invited, he said he did not take it personally.
“I have learned in life that feeling personally offended is not a good thing. In politics, there are decisions that can go wrong, politics is a dangerous beast. It can drag you down, no, I’m not offended,” Rana said.
He added that Mitsotakis “simply shouldn’t have done what he did” and that he couldn’t imagine doing the same thing.
But over the weekend, relations deteriorated further when Greek Labor Minister Adonis Georgiadis said the government would block EU funding to Albania if Beleri did not take the oath of office.
“If the elections are repeated or if another mayor is sworn in, this will be a bad factor for Greece in relations with Albania for an indefinite period. Albania will pay dearly if it continues to violate the rights of Greeks. The message sent today to Albania is clear. If they continue to prevent the inauguration of the new mayor of Himarë, Fredi Beleri, they will have to forget their European background and European money,” said Georgiadis.
Beleri was arrested two days before the elections but still managed to win the elections by a handful of votes. He has not yet been able to take the oath of office and take office due to his incarceration. His lawyers say if he fails to take the oath of office by mid-September, he could lose his mandate.
The Greek minister called on Albania to review its position and considered that the fact that Rama did not receive an invitation to the informal dinner in Athens constitutes a clear message for the Western Balkans.
“Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ decision to invite everyone except Rama, I think, shows that the case of Fredi Beleri is not proceeding without obstacles within the Greek government. Those who thought that Kyriakos Mitsotakis would be lenient on this issue were wrong,” he added.
Athens has repeatedly threatened to block Albania’s path to the EU, not only in terms of financing, because of the Beleri affair, but also other disputes linked to the northern region of Epirus, called Chameria by the Albanians.
Asked by EURACTIV for his opinion on the informal dinner in Athens, Rama told EURACTIV: “once the Balkans, always the Balkans”, apparently referring to the stubborn mentality of the Balkans.
(Alice Taylor | EURACTIV.com)
