"Rama's statement was misinterpreted" - Thaci

"Rama's statement was misinterpreted" - Thaci

ZAGREB -- According to Hashim Thaci, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama's recent statement about unification of Kosovo and Albania was "misinterpreted."

The statement, that has met with condemnation from Serbian officials, was made on Monday in a joint interview given by Thaci and Rama to a Pristina-based broadcaster. Rama said there were "two alternatives" for a future unification of Albania and Kosovo: "Within the EU, or the classic way."

Thaci, who serves as Kosovo's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, addressed the controversy on Wednesday during his visit to Croatia, to say that the statement "in no way concerned a change of borders."

Instead, he said, it was about "reducing their visibility, according to the European model, so people can move freely."

"We will all one day belong to that European space," said Thaci, who in Zagreb met with Croatia's Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic and President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.

Asked to comment on Rama's statement, to which the EU also reacted "after reviewing the interview," Thaci said that Rama is "a reform-minded leader who has a clear European vision for Albania and strongly supports dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia."

Furthermore, Thaci said that Rama and himself "share the same vision about the region according to the European model of open borders."

When reporters insisted that he comments on Rama's statement, Thaci said he was "not Rama's spokesperson," but was "talking about what he heard during the interview which he attended."

"If we talk about that interview, none of us spoke about a national unification or a change of borders," said Thaci.

Vesna Pusic was quoted as...