Rama pays official visit to Serbia

BELGRADE - Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama will arrive and meet with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade Monday.

Vucic will greet his colleague from Albania in front of the Palace of Serbia, where the two prime ministers will also hold their talks.

This will be followed by a meeting between delegations of the two countries and the signing of several intergovernmental agreements, after which Vucic and Rama will hold a joint press conference, the Serbian government's media relations office said in a release.

Prime Minister Rama will be Albania's first senior official to pay an official visit to Serbia in 68 years.

Originally, the visit had been scheduled for October 22, but was postponed for November 10 following a provocation that occurred at a football match between the two countries.

The Euro 2016 qualifier between Serbia and Albania in Belgrade on October 14 was abandoned after a brawl that followed the appearance above the pitch of a drone with a map depicting the so called Greater Albania, a nationalist project that would include parts of Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Greece.

UEFA later awarded Serbia a 3-0 win, but the hosts were also deducted three points because a number of supporters invaded the pitch as the situation escalated.

In a telephone conversation on October 19, Vucic and Rama agreed that the incidents at that game had been "very unfortunate," but they "must not" miss the opportunity to meet and work together on maintaining regional stability.

The prime ministers of the two countries agreed during the conversation that "it is necessary to turn a new page in the political and economic relations between Serbia and Albania."