TIRANA, Jan. 22 – Albania’s foreign minister has been chided by members of parliament of his own party as well as the opposition for refusing a proposal for Albania to take the lead of a key OSCE committee dealing with economic issues, Albanian media reported.
The foreign ministry said Albania had asked to lead the security committee instead, because it lacked the expertise the deal with economic issues. It had replied to the OSCE with argument that it lacked the needed funds and human resources needed to lead the committee, according to a ministry statement.
Albania’s position would have provided some regional balance at OSCE, where Serbia currently holds the rotating presidency, critics said.
Local media reported that on Sept. 25, the permanent council of the OSCE proposed to Albania’s OSCE Ambassador, Spiro Koci, to take the chairmanship of the Committee for Economic, Social and Environmental issues. But the foreign ministry dragged its feet in accepting it and ultimately refused. In total, the OSCE has three key committees, including one on security issues and the other on human rights.
A local newspaper, Panorama, cited sources inside the ministry which said the reason behind the rejection was a personal conflict between Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati and Ambassador Koci.
The Socialist chairwoman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Arta Dade, criticized Bushati in a committee meeting for not taking an opportunity to play a more active OSCE role during the Serbian presidency.
The opposition’s top members in the committee, Aldo Bumci, said the refusal was “unforgivable.”
He called the refusal “unprecedented in the history of diplomacy in Albania.”
