Edi Rama

Albania has denied that the Turkish state intelligence agency, the MIT, was involved in the extradition on January 1 of an alleged supporter of the exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Teacher Harun Celik was arrested in Albania in July 2019 while apparently trying to travel from Kazakhstan to Canada via Tirana on fake documents.

Serbia

Serbian citizens who have been protesting weekly against Vucic's regime stormed the building of the Serbian national broadcaster RTS on March 16. Photo: BIRN.

JANUARY

January 11 - Romania begins a six-month EU Council presidency amid anti-government protests at home and calls from EU leaders to respect the rule of law.

January 17 - Human Rights Watch's World Report 2019 highlights threats to journalists and minority and immigrants' rights as key problems in the Balkans.

Fears grow over the state of media freedom in Albania after Edi Rama's Socialist government pushed through laws that critics say will allow it to censor online media.

Serbian President will visit Tirana on Friday and Saturday, where he will take part in the "Mini Schengen" Summit.
In front of the hotel where the President of Serbia is supposed to be staying, a banner was put up, with the inscription "Here comes a war criminal, disguised as a benefactor".

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama speaking in parliament on 18 December. Photo: Gent Shkullaku/LSA

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Monday asked parliament for a three-month extension of emergency powers that were introduced after the deadly earthquake in Albania on November 26.

Rama claimed the extraordinary powers are needed while there are still post-earthquake tremors in the Tirana and Durres regions.

Albanian Parliamentary Commission of Laws, on November 22, 2019. Photo: Gjergj Erebara/BIRN

On Thursday, Mark Marku, Dean of the Department of Journalism and Communications in the University of Tirana, told MPs debating the laws in the parliament's Commission on Media and Education that "nobody in his right mind could possibly support such laws".

The rise to power of Kosovo's Albin Kurti will test relations with neighbouring Albania, where he and Edi Rama have not always seen eye to eye.

According to the media, Pristina is "in the state of shock".
"Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, Edi Rama, has just published a map showing the Republic of Kosovo within the territory of Serbia", the Pristina-based Gazeta Express newspaper reported.