Greece continues to block Albania’s EU bid over imprisonment of ethnic Greek mayor

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - Greece continues to block Albania’s EU bid because of the imprisonment of an ethnic Greek mayor of the southern Albanian town of Himare, media reports said Wednesday.

During a meeting with the Council of Permanent Representatives of the EU (COREPER), which is responsible for the preparation of the European Council, Greece expressed that the swearing-in of imprisoned mayor Fredi Beleri, would serve as a precondition for the future of Albania’s EU accession process, according to the public broadcaster, ERT.

It drew attention to the fact that Greece, since October, has not consented to send the joint letter of the 27 member EU states to Albania for the opening of the negotiations for accession.

-Beleri case

Beleri, an ethnic Greek minority candidate running for mayor in Himare, an Albanian coastal city primarily populated by Greeks, was detained May 12 by police. He was charged with trying to buy votes ahead of local elections in Albania, which took place May 14 and resulted in Beleri’s election as mayor.

His arrest strained the relationship between Tirana and Athens.

The Greek government also lodged a formal protest with the Albanian Foreign Ministry.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on May 15 threatened to block Albania’s EU bid over Beleri’s detention, stressing that his country respects the rights of ethnic minorities.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama responded by accusing neighboring Greece of meddling in its internal affairs.

In late May, NATO foreign ministers came together in an informal meeting in Oslo, where caretaker Greek Foreign Minister Vasilis Kaskarelis met his Albanian counterpart, Olta Xhacka, on the sidelines to raise the issue and discuss ties between Tirana and Athens.