Frictions continue in relations with Greece

TIRANA, Oct. 30 – To be honest: ties between neighboring Albania and Greece are not in their best moments recently. That was proved earlier these days.
Greece celebrated the anniversary of its entry into the World War II. Besides its parade and other ceremonies at home some of its officials, lawmakers and diplomats came to southern Albania to celebrate them at the cemetery of their dead soldiers.
But the Red and Black Alliance Party was not so much in favor of such a presence.
They organized a protest at the road near Permet in the south where the Greek lawmakers and diplomats passed and even threw an egg to their cars.
Albanian police intervened but the protesters stayed at the site and kept shouting anti-Greek slogans during the ceremony.
At these difficult days for the neighboring country such frictions are not good news. But one should also consider the fact that even under such difficult days in Greece they do not forget to come and honor their dead soldiers with a somewhat pompous act that they expected would become a moment of tension.
The local Albanian media continues to report how the Greek authorities block many bus lines for irregularities, though they have been operating in the routes for many years now. They continue to report how Albanian immigrants are obliged to change the names of their birthplaces in Albania or they would not be registered there.
There are hundreds of thousands of Albanian immigrants in neighboring Greece, though many of them have already turned back finding no jobs and difficult life there too.
But these frictions, which very often are believed to be on purpose, do not help good neighborly communications.