TIRANA, Jan.26 – Road closures on the Greek side by farmers protesting over pension cuts have caused long waiting lines this week at the border crossing point of Kapshtica, connecting Albania with Greece.
Such a situation was initially registered on Sunday around noon when as a result of the strike by Greek farmers traffic was brought to a halt for about two hours resulting in long lines, while citizens complained they had to wait for several hours in cold weather and that there had been no warning about the closures beforehand.
The situation continued on Tuesday as farmers again blocked roads in the vicinity of the border, but this time authorities at the border crossing point of Kapshtica had earlier in the day notified about possible delays as a result of the two hour strike.
Meanwhile, long lines were again created at Kapshtica on Wednesday but this time it was due to the customs office operation system being down on the Greek side. Dozens of trailers and other vehicles were stuck at the border for nearly two hours Wednesday evening, after which the situation normalized.
The pension reform as part of new austerity measures has met with fierce opposition in neighboring Greece and farmers have vowed to extend road closures until their demands are met, which could potentially cause further problems at border crossing points with Albania as a result.
