Latest News from Albania
Albania fights wildfire, arrests arson suspect
Albania is fighting a large wildfire near the western town of Lac, the army and firefighters trying to keep away the flames threatening houses, the interior minister said on Tuesday.
Police showed video of a man being arrested and Interior Minister Taulant Balla said he was suspected of arson.
Albanian PM makes conciliatory comments after not being invited by Greece to regional meeting
Albania's prime minister on Tuesday responded to not being invited by Greece to a dinner for top officials from nine Balkan nations and the European Union by saying that in "such turbulent times" Europe's unity is "larger than what divides us."
Playing the part of the West’s leader of choice
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama believes that the West will not sour relations with his country over an issue like the imprisonment of the mayor-elect of Himare, Fredi Beleri.
‘Let him be sworn in,’ Greece tells Albania
Athens is concerned that Fredi Beleri, the ethnic Greek who was elected mayor of Himare in southern Albania in the municipal elections of May 14 (but has not been allowed to be sworn in as he was arrested for alleged vote-buying two days earlier), may lose his seat as a consequence of the tricks played by the government of Edi Rama over the past three months.
Analysts predict that North Macedonia may Fall Behind in EU Membership Negotiations
A political crisis in the Republic of North Macedonia after debates on constitutional changes ended inconclusively and a vote on them was postponed indefinitely. MPs in Skopje debated whether to change their basic law, including whether Bulgarians should be included in the constitution. According to analysts, North Macedonia risks seriously falling behind in negotiations with the EU.
Stern message to Tirana over Beleri
The decision by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to invite the president of Albania, Bajram Begaj, tο an informal dinner of Western Balkan leaders in Athens on Monday rather than the neighboring country's premier, Edi Rama, is seen as a reflection of Greece's dismay with Tirana over the ongoing detention of ethnic-Greek Fredi Beleri, who has not been permitted to take office as mayor of Himar
PM to host Western Balkan, EU leaders on Monday for enlargement talks
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has invited leaders of Western Balkan countries and EU officials to Athens on Monday night for a dinner and an informal discussion on EU enlargement and the European future of the region, his office announced.
New US consul general in Thessaloniki named
A career member of the US Foreign Service, Jerrier (Jerry) Ismail, has been appointed the new US consul general in Thessaloniki.
Albania proving popular with Greek and Italian tourists
In 1997, Albanians desperately trying to escape poverty, political instability and crime were crowding boats headed to Italy.
This year, Italian tourists and other Europeans, including Greeks, are crowding Albanian beaches, taking advantage of the low cost of transport and accommodation.
Schinas: Detention of ethnic Greek mayor in Albania ‘profoundly anti-European’
The continued incarceration by the Albanian authorities of an ethnic Greek who was elected mayor of Himare in May is "profoundly anti-European" and risks becoming a barrier to the "Albanian people's European aspirations," European Commission Vice President for Protecting the European Way of Life Margaritis Schinas has said.
Athens mayor to meet ethnic Greeks in Himare
Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis is due to travel to Himare on Monday to meet with members of the ethnic-Greek community in the southern Albanian city. He is also expected to express support for the mayor-elect of Himare, Fredi Beleri, who has been held in pretrial custody since being arrested in May on charges of vote-buying.
Archaeologists uncover Europe's oldest stilt village
Beneath the turquoise waters of Lake Ohrid, the "Pearl of the Balkans", scientists have uncovered what may be one of Europe's earliest sedentary communities, and are trying to solve the mystery of why it sheltered behind a fortress of defensive spikes.
Dream big and do not criticise others, Vucic tells young athletes
BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Thursday received a group of young Serb athletes from Kosovo-Metohija, Republika Srpska and the diaspora and told them to "dream big as that is the only way to achieve great things."
FM sends stern message to Albania over mayor-elect’s continued detention
Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis sent a stern message to neighboring Albania on Tuesday, saying that it was "shooting itself in the foot" with the continued detention of the elected mayor of the ethnic Greek city of Himare, Fredi Beleri, saying that it is "unlawful" to keep him in custody pending trial for allegedly tampering with the May vote.
Investigation under way into police response to deadly hooligan clash in Athens
Investigations are under way to determine how an estimated 100-120 Croatian hooligans traveling on buses and in cars made their way to Athens from Zagreb on Monday and engaged in deadly clashes with local soccer fans despite a ban on supporters traveling to Greece for a match between Dinamo Zagreb and home team AEK on Tuesday.