Edi Rama

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

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.

TIRANA - Serbian PM Ana Brnabic attended an informal meeting of Western Balkan leaders in Tirana on Monday.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Brnabic said initiatives as part of Open Balkan and a Berlin Process summit to be hosted by Albania had been discussed at the meeting.

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.

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.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis raised the issue of the release of the ethnic Greek mayor of Himare, Fredi Beleri, during a meeting with his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama on Tuesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius.

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.

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.

Rama is visiting the region as part of preparations for the Berlin Process, which Tirana will preside over in October.

The decision came as a measure to prevent the migration of medical students from the public university, who for years have left to work in Europe, especially Germany, soon after getting their degrees.

The plan has been public for some months, but was only passed on Wednesday and Prime Minister Edi Rama delivered the decision himself, wanting to send a "message", while presenting it.