The president of the EU-Albania Joint Parliamentary Committee on the country’s accession process and ND MEP, Manolis Kefalogiannis, had meetings with the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, the Speaker of the Parliament, Lidita Nikola, and the Minister of the Interior, Tauland Bala.

In the meetings, Mr. Kefalogiannis “raised the issue of the continued pre-trial detention of the elected mayor of Chimara, Fredi Beleris”, as he “does not allow him to take the oath and assume his duties in accordance with the decision of the people of Chimara”, while he visited, for the second time, Mr. Beleris in the prisons where he has been held since May 12, as stated in the relevant announcement.

Mr. Kefalogiannis was in Tirana to chair the 16th Session of the EU-Albania Joint Parliamentary Committeewhere the country’s accession process is discussed and in which 28 European and Albanian MPs participate.

Also, Mr. Kefalogiannis met “with representatives of all the political parties that participate in the Albanian Parliament” and visited Chimara, Agioi Saranda and Drymades and “had a meeting with the executives of the Greek National Minority and the president of Omonia, Vassilis Kayos, both about the ongoing pre-trial detention of the mayor Beleris, the only minority mayor in Albania, and about the property an issue that strongly concerns the region and our expatriates”, the announcement states.