Himara

It came after a complaint by the elected mayor of Himara Fredi Beleris – Albania hopes the presence of another member of the minority will appease Greece

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.

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.

Fredi Beleri, the ethnic Greek mayor-elect of Himare, was transferred to the Tirana prison hospital on Monday, after he felt unwell due to heart-related health problems.

It is the second time that Beleri has shown these symptoms in the last two days and he will undergo specific tests, according to press reports.

After Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka met with her Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias last Monday to discuss elected ethnic Greek mayor of Himare Fredi Beleri's jailing on charges of buying votes, she tweeted: "The meeting w/my colleague & good friend FM @NikosDendias in Brussels was a good opportunity to discuss in a frank manner Mr Beleri's case.

The extension of the detention of Fredi Beleri, the recently elected ethnic Greece mayor of Himare in Albania, "is contrary to the common sense of justice and the European concept of the rule of law," the Greek Foreign Ministry underlined in a statement on Monday.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias discussed on Monday the jailing of an elected ethnic Greek mayor with his Albanian counterpart Olta Xhacka, during a meeting in Brussels, the foreign ministry said. 

A temporary lull in Greek-Albanian diplomatic tensions has arisen ahead of the Greek elections after interventions from Washington, Berlin and Brussels.

Diplomatic tensions rose between Athens and Tirana after the arrest and imprisonment of the newly elected ethnic Greek mayor of Himare, Fredi Beleri, just two days before local elections in the neighboring country.

The secretary-general of the Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Theocharis Lalakos, is expected to arrive in Albania on Wednesday, acting on the orders of Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, in order to meet with the new mayor of Himara, Dionysis-Fredi Beleri, and his aide Pantelis Kokavessis, who have both been jailed on remand in a Tirana prison, according to diplomatic sources.

Athens hosted an art exhibition a couple of months ago at its iconic Zappeion Hall venue where Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama was able to express his creative side. Late last year, Kyriakos Mitsotakis paid an official visit to Himare, becoming the first Greek prime minister to visit one of the main ethnic Greek towns in Albania in 30 years.