Prime Ministers of Albania

At his trial on Monday in the Albanian Supreme Court, Socialist MP Arben Ndoka apologized for having attacked a fellow MP, maintaining that such actions have occurred in other parliaments.

"I want to apologize to the public although such incidents have happened in parliaments all over Europe and in the Albanian parliament in the past," Ndoka told reporters outside the court.

On Monday and Tuesday, February 23 and 24, Alternate Foreign Minister Nikos Chountis will carry out a visit Tirana, where he will participate in the Meeting of Foreign Ministers of South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) member states being hosted by the Albanian SEECP Chairmanship.

During his stay in the Albanian capital, Chountis will have a series of meetings:

Minister makes first bilateral visit to Albania since 1992

TIRANA -- A Serbian-Albanian working group was formed on Thursday in Tirana, Tanjug is reporting.

This happened "after a meeting between Serbian Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic and Albanian Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Entrepreneurship Arben Ahmetaj."

TIRANA/BELGRADE - The Serbian-Albanian working group was formed on Thursday after a meeting between Serbian Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic and Albanian Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Entrepreneurship Arben Ahmetaj in Tirana on Thursday.

In a major drugs busting operation near Elbasan, 40 km south of Tirana, police seized more than 19.5 kg of pure cocaine and 20 kg of of chemical elements used to mix the cocaine.

"Our investigation discovered a structured international criminal enterprise with activities from Latin America into the Balkans and Western Europe," police said.

Prime Minister Edi Rama on Sunday joined more than 40 world leaders who marched in Paris as a sign of unity against the terrorist attacks against the satirical magazine Charlie Hedbo and a Jewish supermarket, in which 17 people were killed, including 10 journalists.

Disillusioned with political promises and with the justice system in Albania, relatives of a victim of January 21st, 2011 protest in Tirana have asked the European Parliament to help push forward the investigation.

Prime Minister Edi Rama's office on Wednesday denied allegations by an opposition MP, accusing the centre-left government of protecting crime gangs in the country.

Rama's office announced that it would pursue MP Edi Paloka for slander in the courts.

The ruling centre-left coalition of Prime Minister Edi Rama and the centre-right opposition, headed by the Democratic Party leader, Lulzim Basha, have agreed on a proposal to enable the opposition to end its prolonged boycott of the assembly.,

BELGRADE - Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama abused his visit to Belgrade for personal promotion and inter-political purposes, Director of Centre for Regionalism NGO Aleksandar Popov stated on Monday.