Ilir Meta

Thousands of Albanians went to the streets on Saturday to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Demonstrators clashed with the police as they tried to enter the prime minister's office in the capital Tirana.

Four demonstrators and two police officers were injured during the clash, according to the Albanian Ministry of Health and Social Protection.

The rift between Albania's ruling Socialist Party and President Ilir Meta widened on Sunday after Prime Minister Edi Rama accused Meta of acting as the head of the opposition - after he urged the government to cancel a project to demolish homes to make way for a new stretch of road in the capital. 

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Monday said he would take over the position of Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, following a row with President Ilir Meta on the nomination of Gent Cakaj as the new minister.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Twitter on Thursday condemned President Ilir Meta's refusal to endorse his nominee Gent Cakaj as new foreign minister, calling it "not just unconstitutional but also shameful".

He also issued an apology to Kosovo "about this shame", as Cakaj has citizenship of both Kosovo and Albania.

The acrimonious aftermath of the Macedonia name deal has prompted the government to defer efforts to resolve bilateral differences with Albania. According to reports, the Prime Minister's Office is reportedly waiting for the name deal's ratification in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Greece before it tackles the Albanian issues.

The State Department announced on Monday that businessman and politician Tom Doshi, one of the wealthiest MPs in the Albanian parliament, has been barred from entering the US, along with his immediate family.

The State Department alleged in a statement that Doshi's ban was "due to his involvement in significant corruption".

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic remains the only head of state in the Balkan region to lead a political party, having not followed the example of his predecessor, Tomislav Nikolic, who quit the Serbian Progressive Party to assume his new office.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's official visit to Albania, where he was scheduled to meet his counterpart Edi Rama, has been postponed until after Greek Orthodox Easter, with no precise dates released as yet.

Albania President Ilir Meta on Friday met parliament's foreign affairs committee, seeking more talks on the government's request for authorization to negotiate a new maritime border deal with Greece.

President Ilir Meta on Tuesday refused to provide the authorisation for further talks with Greece to resolve the sea border disagreement, demanding further information on what and how the government will negotiate.

"The request doesn't clearly define the object of negotiations for which the authorisation is requested," Meta said in a statement.