Latest News from Albania

Greek foreign minister urges European focus on Beleri case

Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis said on Wednesday that the case of Fredi Beleri, a mayor from Albania's Greek minority who was recently sentenced to two years in prison for buying votes, should be viewed as a European concern rather than a bilateral issue between the two Balkan neighbors.

Does Athens owe Fredi Beleri a candidacy?

I won't get into the discussion of whether putting Fredi Beleri's name on the New Democracy ticket for the upcoming European elections would serve the ruling Greek conservative party's interests; it would, in spades.

EU leaders agree to open membership talks with Bosnia

EU leaders on Thursday agreed to open talks with Bosnia on joining the bloc, though negotiations will only begin in earnest once the Balkan country has passed more key reforms.

"Congratulations! Your place is in our European family. Today's decision is a key step forward on your EU path," European Council head Charles Michel wrote on X, as leaders met at a Brussels summit.

US envoy travels to Montenegro to support its EU bid as war in Ukraine rages on

A senior US official visited Montenegro Monday to offer support to the small Balkan nation seeking to join the European Union.

During a press conference in the capital Podgorica, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar said Montenegro should be next in line to join the 27-nation bloc.

What comes after the conviction?

Things are judged by results, and in the case of Fredi Beleri, things have not gone at all well. The mayor-elect of the predominantly ethnic Greek town of Himare in southern Albania is to remain in prison until September 12, 2024. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama's goal is for the appeal trial to be finished by September too, so that Beleri can be convicted once and for all and disqualified.

Rama appoints ethnic Greek as Vlora prefect

Albania's council of ministers, headed by Prime Minister Edi Rama, appointed on Wednesday Vangjel Tavo as prefect of the Vlora district, in Albania's south, in a move seen as an effort by Rama to diffuse tensions with Greece, caused by the conviction of the elected mayor of Himare for vote buying.

Earthquake Rocks Montenegro: Eyewitnesses Describe Frightening Scenes

Montenegro was jolted awake by a powerful earthquake in the early hours of this morning, sending shockwaves across the region. According to reports from various seismological agencies, the earthquake measured between 5.3 and 5.7 on the Richter scale, striking fear into the hearts of residents.

PM: Beleri case clouds relations with Albania

Tirana's handling of the case of Fredi Beleri, the ethnic Greek elected mayor of Himare in southern Albania, has adversely impacted bilateral relations with Greece, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Skai TV in an interview on Tuesday.

EU members should open talks with Bosnia on joining, executive branch says

The European Union's executive arm will recommend that member countries open accession negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday, despite lingering ethnic divisions in the Western Balkan country.

Beleri imbroglio freezes prospects of bilateral deals

Greece's decision to block Albania's EU accession process in the wake of mayor-elect of Himare Fredi Beleri's prosecution and sentencing will inevitably impact Greek plans to reach an agreement on the delimitation of maritime exclusive economic zones that Athens hoped would serve as a blueprint for the more important negotiations with Turkey.

Albanian defense ministry denies NATO base opening snub

Albania's defense ministry said on Saturday that Defence Minister Nikos Dendias declined an invitation to the opening of a refurbished NATO air base in Kucova earlier in March, rejecting a press report that the Greek official had been snubbed.

Is Albania’s Rama burning bridges with Greece in the Beleri case?

This week an Albanian court sentenced Fredi Beleri, the imprisoned mayor-elect of Himare, to 2 years in prison. Beleri slammed the trial and the court's decision as a "sham". This case is about much more than one individual, however, touching on deeper issues in Greek-Albanian relations.

Albanian rule of law questioned over Beleri conviction

Following the Tuesday conviction of ethnic Greek mayor Fredi Beleri in Albania over alleged vote-buying, sources from within the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday expressed their concern over the rule of law in Albania and the objectivity of its justice system.

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