Edi Rama

‘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.

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

The tug of war over Beleri

As anticipated, the recent meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius did not yield any significant progress regarding the case of ethnic Greek mayor-elect Fredi Beleri in Himare, southern Albania.

"It's Kurti's fault"

This happened after the decision of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti not to travel to Tirana for the preparatory meeting of the Berlin Process at the invitation of his Albanian colleague Edi Rama.

Albania’s Parliament Greenlights ex-Deputy PM’s Arrest

Albania's parliament voted on Friday to accept the Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organised Crime's request to be able to arrest former Deputy Prime Minister, Arben Ahmetaj.

The SPAK had requested the arrest and a personal search warrant and a house search in connection with charges on corruption and money laundering.

‘For us, freedom is not self-evident’

On the evening of March 11, 2023, the eve of the municipal elections in neighboring Albania, the then candidate for mayor of Himare, ethnic Greek Fredi Beleri, and his aide, Pantelis Kokavesis, were arrested by the police for allegedly attempting to buy votes. Almost two months later, and while he has already been elected mayor, Beleri remains in pre-trial detention.

Albania Prosecutors Seek Former Deputy PM Arben Ahmetaj’s Arrest

Arben Ahmetaj, a long-time member of Albania's parliament and former Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister is facing a request from prosecutors for his arrest on charges of corruption and money laundering.

Ahmetaj, 54, holds parliamentary immunity, so the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organised Crime, SPAK, has asked parliament for permission to arrest him.

Vucic: We started changing things after decades of silence in Serbian-Albanian relations

BELGRADE - Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Albanian PM Edi Rama in Belgrade, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday evening they had started changing a bad political legacy after decades of silence between Serbia and Albania and Serbs and Albanians.

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