Greece supports to Albania’s integration

TIRANA, April 28 – Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis pledged further support to Albania’s efforts to join the European Union in his talks with his Albanian counterpart during his visit to Tirana.
Albania applied Tuesday to start negotiations on EU candidate status, after all 27 EU member countries have completed the ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement Albania signed three years ago.
Karamanlis on Monday hailed Albania’s NATO membership and reassured Tirana of Athens “support to Albania’s goals toward EU integration.“
“Elections according to international standards, confronting corruption, full respect of the children and minority rights are important steps in that direction,” said Karamanlis at a briefing after meeting with host Albanian counterpart Sali Berisha.
Albania will hold June 28th parliamentary elections that the EU has said will be decisive in its further integration.
Karamanlis and Berisha also discussed ways of boosting economic and political ties, military cooperation and the fight against organized crime.
Karamanlis called on Albania to ensure that the country’s parliamentary elections are trouble-free ahead of the Balkan state’s bid to join the European Union.
Speaking in the neighboring country’s parliament a day before Albania officially submitted a request to join the EU, Karamanlis said that the June poll had to be carried out “in accordance with international standards” and with “respect to human and minority rights.”
The Greek premier repeated the message to his Albanian counterpart Sali Berisha during their meeting, underlining the EU’s concern about corruption and violence possibly marring the election. The leaders signed an agreement delineating the continental shelf and sea borders in the Ionian Sea and praised relations between the two countries.
Karamanlis also held an unofficial meeting with representatives of the ethnic Greek community.
But three issues attracting daily comments in the country were not mentioned during Karamanlis’ visit and his meetings _ the sentence to imprisonment for Vasil Bollano, the Himara mayor, the case of the Cams and Kosovo.
The two premiers avoided any reaction on the sentencing with six months imprisonment of an ethnic Greek minority mayor in SouthWestern Albania last week for removing road signs because they were not written in Greek.
Athens seemed to be pleased with Berisha’s reaction after the trial that such “interpretation and enforcement of laws … might carry political and archaic nuances (that) do not serve to the law enforcement goal.“
Both pledged their commitment to the rights of the ethnic Greek minority in southern Albania and of the estimated 600,000 Albanian immigrants living in Greece.
Berisha reassured Karamanlis of Tirana’s commitment “for the full respect, cooperation … and support to the (ethnic Greek) minority areas,“ while Karamanlis highly considered Albanian immigrants’ “substantial contribution to the Greek economy“ and their help to their families in their homeland.
Relations between the two neighbors often have been strained over minority rights in Albania and the status and treatment of Albanian immigrants in Greece.
Cams were another avoided issue in the talks. Athens has made it clear that any claim on their properties in the Hellenic country should be referred to the courts.
But the Cams claim they should have more rights and also may claim Greek citizenship in order to get their properties.
Tirana, on the other side, seems not at ease when discussing their case.
Kosovo was another avoided issue.
Athens has made it clear for the moment it does not aim to recognize an independent Kosovo as it is quote “nearer Belgrade.” It also keeps in mind the Cyprus case that may be similar to Kosovo’s independence.
A deal on the delimitation of the continental shelf and the maritime zone was signed during Karamanlis visit. That means a new border agreed at thee Ionian Sea between the two countries, giving more space to the Helenic country.