Russia-Albania ties not affected by Georgia’s crisis, says ambassador

TIRANA, Aug 27 – Russian Ambassador to Tirana Alexander Prischepov said that the diplomatic ties between the two countries were very good despite the recent clash of words on the sale of weapons to Georgia.
Prischepov said at a news conference Wednesday that Albania was in the list of the countries selling weapons to Georgia, a fact that was made known earlier this week by a top Russian army official.
Following that Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha denied that and accused Moscow of behaving badly toward small countries.
A day later a non-governmental center in Tirana said that Albania had sold 2.3 million euro of ammunition to Georgia in 2006.
Albania defended Tbilisi after the armed conflict with Moscow on its regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia denouncing Russian attack.
Diplomatically speaking the ambassador said Russia was not accusing Albania of its sale, but only noting it was in a list of countries selling weapons to Georgia.
He declined to comment on Berisha’s statement.
The ambassador only complained of Albanian media distorting the cover of the Georgian conflict. (Tirana Times Staff)