Albanian ambassador to Greece praises leaders for tact

The Albanian ambassador to Greece, Dashnor Dervishi, praised Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos and President Karolos Papoulias on Wednesday for their “measured and careful” response to the abandonment of a soccer game between Serbia and Albania in Belgrade last week.

However, the diplomat accused some Greek columnists of fearmongering after the European Championship qualifier, which was called off after fighting broke out between players when a drone carrying a flag of so-called “Greater Albania” was flown into the stadium.

Dervishi expressed sadness about the incident, over which there have not yet been any arrests, and said it “highlighted the danger our region faces if we do not react, if we remain hostages to the past and victims to sporadic events.”