Edi Rama

"We have several proposals for a declaration, we'll see... The only thing I can say is that I will stick to the principles adopted by the National Security Council of the Republic of Serbia two years ago," Vui told the gathered journalists.

TIRANA - Tirana is hosting the first Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit, to also be attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Albanian PM Edi Rama and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are expected to discuss the war in Ukraine and its consequences.

There is still no agreement on the text of a declaration to be adopted at the end of the summit, Tanjug learns.

In the capital of Albania, on the occasion of the summit, Ukrainian flags were hung on the central streets, and the sign "Ukraine-Southeastern Europe Summit" was placed on the plateau of the Congress Palace itself.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to meet with Balkan leaders in Albania on Wednesday, seeking to keep support and weapons flowing to Kiev as Russia makes gains on the battlefield two years after invading its neighbour.

Albania's Parliament voted Thursday to approve a deal for the country to hold thousands of asylum seekers for Italy, despite protests from opposition lawmakers and human rights groups.

Albania's Parliament votes Thursday on a deal with Italy to hold thousands of migrants rescued in international waters by the Italian authorities while their asylum applications are processed.

Tensions escalated in Albania as anti-government protests erupted into clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in the capital city of Tirana. Thousands of supporters of the opposition Democratic Party converged outside the parliament building, demanding the immediate release of party leader Sali Berisha, who has been under house arrest since December 31 on charges of corruption.

For the past nine months, Kathimerini has been drawing attention to the judicial odyssey of Fredi Beleri, the mayor-elect of the predominantly ethnic Greek city of Himare in southern Albania, and to the violations of human rights, the rule of law and the principles of democracy entailed in his persecution.

The difficulties that lie ahead in finding an acceptable solution to the case of Fredi Beleri, the jailed ethnic-Greek mayor of Himare, were reflected at the funeral of his grandmother, which took place on New Year's Eve in the southern Albanian town, under tight security, with the presence of a total of almost 30 armed police officers. 

Greece is anticipating an initiative from the Albanian government of Prime Minister Edi Rama to address the ongoing deadlock in bilateral relations caused by the detention of Fredi Beleri, the ethnic Greek mayor-elect in the southern town of Himare, on charges of alleged vote-buying.