PM postpones Belgrade visit following match row

Albania and Serbia prime ministers are now scheduled to meet on Nov. 10, three weeks later than originally scheduled, following a political row after football violence Belgrade match between the two countries.
TIRANA, Oct. 19 – In the aftermath of football violence in Belgrade in a game between the two countries, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has postponed his visit to Belgrade to Nov. 10.
The visit — the first for an Albanian premier in 68 years — was originally scheduled for Oct. 22, but was placed in doubt following a diplomatic row between the two countries, after their Euro 2016 qualifier football game in Belgrade was abandoned due to violence.
Rama’s office said that the premier had a telephone conversation with his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, last Sunday, with both agreeing that the incidents that followed the soccer brawl were “too undesirable.”
The offices of the prime ministers proceeded to issue the same statement following the phone conversation, regarding the postponement of Rama’s Belgrade visit.
“The two prime ministers agreed that they must not and will not let go of the opportunity to meet and work for regional stability and to turn a new page regarding political and economic relations between the two countries,” the statement said.
Belgrade and Tirana have had strained relations for decades, mostly over the status of the former Serbian province of Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, following a war that ended in 1999.
Serbia has refused to acknowledge the split, but both Serbia and Albania must work to improve ties to advance in their efforts to join the European Union.
Rama said the decision not to cancel the visit did not come out EU pressure, but out of a shared vision of moving toward the toward European Union together.
Rama said that without a European perspective, the Balkans could again turn into “powder keg.” Both the Balkans and Europe need each other, he added.
Diplomatic row, tensions followed game
In Belgrade, last week, a drone carrying Albanian nationalist banner, boiled over already simmering violence among Serbian fans in the stadium, who entered the pitch and attacked Albanian players after a short brawl.
Tirana and Belgrade then became involved in a diplomatic row blaming each other for the sport incident.
Last Wednesday’s Serbia-Albania European Championship soccer qualifying match was suspended after clashes between players and fans.
Serbia accused Albania of a deliberate provocation, while Albania said its players were insulted and attacked. The ambassadors of both countries were handed harsh rebukes by the respective governments.
Several ethnic Albanian businesses in Serbia were attacked by extremists in the wake of the match, in a sign of mounting tensions.
Prime ministers soften comments ahead of visit
Serbian Prime Minister Vucic told media this week he expects the Albanian prime minister’s visit to go well and be used to further enhance economic and other common interests.
“The postponement of the visit was in the interests of the country,” Vucic said, adding Serbia “wants peace and stability in the region” and that many people “would like to destroy Serbia through destabilization of the situation.”
However, Vucic also repeated his previous statements that he held Albanians responsible for the Belgrade incident.
“You cannot come to Belgrade to talk and do what you want, when you caused the incident yourself,” the Serb prime minister said.
Meanwhile, Albanian Prime Minister Rama told APTN television that his policies will not be determined by a football game and what happens in a stadium. He said the two countries should overcome what he called “a very painful past.”
“Peace is very fragile, and we should strengthen relations and build trust,” said Prime Minister Rama.
He added that Greater Albania — the union of all areas in the Balkans were ethnic Albanians live in one country — is not an Albanian project.
“We want a greater Europe, not a greater Albania,” Rama said.
Rama takes to international media to promote Albania
Driving in the message of a EU-minded Albania, Rama has appeared in a series of media interviews with the internaitonal press.
“European Albania is not a blade of grass in a football pitch that is taken away so easily but a strong stump with its root deep in its history,” Rama said in one interview. “While the youngest branches are in the mind and heart of each Albanian, wherever he lives and which are grown together with Europe of hope, Europe of knowledge, Europe of culture, Europe of peace and prosperity that comes from the co-living and the cooperation in peace.”
Rama said Albania is the country which the world truly got to know recently during a visit of Pope Francis.
Visiting U.S. senator urged both prime ministers to meet
U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, the chairman of the sub-committee for European affairs in the U.S. Senate, said during a visit to Tirana that hooliganism should not interfere in relations between the countries.
“Football hooliganism should not be allowed to counter strengthening relations between countries in the region,” Murphy said, stressing that he had given the same message to Serbian Prime Minister Vucic.
He added he had asked Vucic to reconfirm the visit of Rama to Belgrade. Murphy’s statement came shortly before the prime minister’s office had announced that the visit would be postponed but not canceled.
Murphy said that when two countries face problems their leaders should talk to with each other.
Senator Murphy met in Tirana with all the country’s top political leaders. He described Albania as the best friend of the United States in the region, hailing the country’s commitment at a U.S. ally in crisis worldwide.
His visit to Tirana was part of a regional tour that included Kosovo, Serbia and Albania.