Albania

Afghan refugees who came to Albania in 2021, expecting to move quickly on to the US, are finding their prolonged stay in the Balkan country frustrating.

The Greek Foreign Ministry has slammed the refusal of Albanian authorities of the request by the detained elected mayor of Himare, Fredi Beleri, for special leave to attend and take the oath of office on Tuesday at the Municipal Council's first meeting. 

The swearing-in ceremony for the elected mayor of Himare in Albania, Fredi Beleri, is scheduled for Tuesday but cannot take place while he still remains in custody.

According to Albanian legislation a deputy mayor, appointed by a council of ministers controlled by the ruling Socialist Party, will have to take office.

Dublin-based low-cost giant Ryanair recently announced it was adding Albania to its roster for the first time as its 37th country destination, with new flights from Edinburgh, London Stansted and Manchester, alongside a host of European cities.

Border Force and the military escort migrants ashore at Dover after they crossed the English Channel in Dover, Britain, 27 August 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/STUART BROCK

"Designating a state as a 'safe country' necessitates the confirmation that 'there is … no serious risk of persecution of nationals of that State'. Unfortunately, Albania does not meet this criterion," the letter reads.

UK Parliament Home Affairs Committee at a hearing. Print Screen from UK Parliament livestream.

The investigation report [Link], said that some of those seeking asylum are indeed in danger of being trafficked but most seem attracted to the UK by higher standards of livings there compared to Albania.

Kathimerini, being a prestigious newspaper, deserves praise for consistently bringing attention to the issue of Albania's treatment of its ethnic Greek minority, who primarily live in the south of the Balkan country. Here, however, I will switch roles. I will step into the position of an Albanian official in Tirana, responsible for monitoring developments in Greece.

Albania is jumping up the international tourism rankings - but a chronic lack of infrastructure and workers suggests that the sector's true potential may not be realised.

Albania's Authority on Access to Information of the Sigurimi Files, the Communist-era political police, on Friday said it is preparing the way for an "administrative" investigation to find out what happened to some 44 people who were executed or died while imprisoned in the infamous labour camp at Spac.

The continued pretrial detention of ethnic Greek mayor-elect Fredi Beleri by the Albanian authorities is not consistent with the rule of law, the Greek Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.