Athens supports Albania’s NATO membership

TIRANA, March 20 – Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis expressed her country’s full support to Albania’s membership invitation at the next Bucharest summit in April.
Bakoyannis held a visit to Tirana to meet with her counterpart Lulzim Basha, Prime Minister Sali Berisha, President Bamir Topi and also visit the injured from the last weekend explosion for which Greece has given a considerable assistance.
Bakoyannis said that Albania would receive all Athens support for the NATO membership, also saying Greece supported Croatia but not Macedonia, due to the disagreement on its name.
Bakoyannis also said that likely next month the government would send to the parliament the Stabilization and Association Agreement signed by Albania which needs to be ratified.
The Greek minister said also that Athens was closely following developments in Kosova but they would not recognize it at the moment. She added they would continue participation at the KFOR troops and also at the EULEX, the European Union mission in Kosova.
Bakoyannis said that both countries were making good efforts to improve the already very good ties existing between the two countries. The Greek minority and the Albanian immigrants in Greece were issues of discussion between the Greek delegation and Albanian authorities.
Bakoyannis said she was pleased with the fact that the Albanian government was offering full support for the cemetery of the Greek soldiers dead over the World War II.
On the other side, she replied that the issue of the Cham community (ethnic Albanians deported from northern Greece by the end of World War II) properties could be resolved at the European courts.
Bakoyannis also visited the injured at Tirana hospital. Greece has already taken six of them to have better treatment in Ioannina and Salonika hospitals.
The minister urged her host authorities to continue support and facilitate the work of the Greek investors, saying that Greece was a strategic investor in the country.