Op/Ed: The Beleri case as bellwether for democracy in Albania

Op/Ed: The Beleri case as bellwether for democracy in Albania

By GENC POLLO The standard definition of a political prisoner is “someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner’s detention”. If it still holds Albania might have gotten one. Fredi

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Open Letter: Balance and proportionality must return in dealing with Kosovo and Serbia

Open Letter: Balance and proportionality must return in dealing with Kosovo and Serbia

Several key U.S. and European lawmakers have sent an open letter requesting changes to the current international approach to the Kosovo-Serbia crisis. Tirana Times is publishing its full text below:  To: Miroslav Lajč ák  Special Representative to the Western Balkans 

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Op/Ed: NATO Summit in Vilnius: Full of Drama, but Few Surprises

Op/Ed: NATO Summit in Vilnius: Full of Drama, but Few Surprises

By JONATHAN TERRA Will anything that happened in Vilnius really matter in the foreseeable future? After all, in terms of diplomatic and material support, training, logistics, intel-sharing, and coordinated strategic goals, Ukraine is already a de facto member of the

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Op/Ed: Remembering the Srebrenica Genocide

Op/Ed: Remembering the Srebrenica Genocide

by George Monastiriakos In 1993, one year into the Bosnian War, the United Nations declared “safe areas” in the Muslim enclaves of Republika Srpska to protect Bosniak refugees fleeing from the violence. Security Council Resolution 819 designated the city of

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Op/Ed: The sacrifice of a spotless shirt

Op/Ed: The sacrifice of a spotless shirt

By DEMUSH SHASHA While 20 seconds of Ambassador Hill’s tweets shatter 20 years of illusion in Kosovo, they are also useful starting points for reassessing our way forward. Our way forward is the quagmire, where Kurti’s political clean shirt must

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Op/ed: A rebuttal for Prime Minister Rama’s conceptual comments on Kosovo

Op/ed: A rebuttal for Prime Minister Rama’s conceptual comments on Kosovo

By VETON SURROI Prime Minister Rama does not have to be a mediator between the “Euro-Atlantic community” and Kosovo. The Albanian language, technically, does not constitute any added value in communication between the “Euro-Atlantic community” and Kosovo. I listened to

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Q&A: Türkiye-Albania relations face a bright future, says Ambassador Atay

Q&A: Türkiye-Albania relations face a bright future, says Ambassador Atay

Marking 100 years of diplomatic relations between Albania and Türkiye, Tirana Times interviewed Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye Tayyar Kağan Atay. Türkiye and Albania enjoy excellent relations and they have a bright future ahead, Ambassador Atay says, citing the

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Op/Ed: End threats to use military force!

Op/Ed: End threats to use military force!

By GENC POLLO* For the third time in the last two years, Serbia last week put its armed forces on alert and has deployed them to the border with Kosovo. Apart from infantry and armor, fighter jets have been flying

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Op/Ed: Who are the parties for?

Op/Ed: Who are the parties for?

A series of concerts, celebrations and parties are springing up in Albania now that the local elections have wrapped up and the party in majority has clearly won them. In a process of expressing gratitude to the voters the Socialist

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Is Albania’s new dominant-party system here to stay? 

Is Albania’s new dominant-party system here to stay? 

By ANDI BALLA The ruling Socialist Party scored a sweeping victory in Albania’s May 14, 2023 municipal elections. SP won 54 out of 61 municipalities, including every single large city. Socialist mayors will govern more than 94 percent of the

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