Albania's Edi Rama to Promote Book in Belgrade

Prime Minister Edi Rama, who is visiting Serbia to participate in business and security forums from October 13-14, will also present the Serbian translation of his book, "Sacrifice" on Thursday, in a Belgrade hotel.

According to Rama's publishing house in Serbia, Samizdat B92, the Albanian Prime Minister will also address a Belgrade audience.

Veran Matic, editor-in-chief of the Belgrade-based TV station B92 and director of Samizdat B92,  told BIRN that the aim of the launch of "Sacrifice" ["Kurban" in Albanian] was to introduce the Serbian public to cultural, political and social events in Albania.

"Due to historical happenings there is a lack of translations of books from Kosovo and Albania in Serbia," Matic said, adding that Samizdat B92 had already translated and published a couple of authors from Kosovo and Albania.

Matic said that more needed to be done to work for reconciliation between Albanians and Serbs, and books could help in that regard.

"A friend of mine said that we [Serbs and Albanians] are in the phase of fragile normalization after which full normalization of relationship should come. Only then can we speak about reconciliation and friendship between Serbs and Albanians, no matter where they live,"  Matic said.

Matic also said that Samizdat B92 is preparing three books by Kosovo journalist Veton Surroi which will be published soon in Serbia.

According to his political advisor, the writer and publicist Shkelzen Maliqi, "Kurban" was published in 2011 in Albania after Rama lost the elections for Tirana Mayor.

Maliqi told the Serbian daily Danas in August that during the summer of 2011, after Rama lost the election, he decided to write a form of...