Athens-Tirana ties put to test after killing of ethnic Greek man

The killing of an ethnic Greek by police under unclear circumstances in Albania on Sunday has cast a dark shadow over relations between Tirana and Athens, threatening a rupture reminiscent of the 90s when bilateral relations were at their lowest ebb.

In the wake of the incident that led to the shooting of 35-year-old Konstantinos Katsifas in the village of Bularat (Vouliarates) near the Greek border, Athens Monday summoned Albanian Ambassador Dashnor Dervishi, while the Foreign Ministry lodged a demarche with Albanian authorities.

Earlier, Katsifas and other members of the Greek community in Bularat raised a Greek flag - on the occasion of the October 28 national holiday marking Greece's entry into World War II - at a cemetery for Greek soldiers. However, sources at the Greek Police (ELAS) said there was no evidence, nor witness accounts, linking Katsifas's death to...