Answer to the political reactions caused by his upcoming visit to Greece, on May 12, attempts to give the prime minister of Albania Eddie Rama in a post on X, stating that it is “in the context of a long-planned series of visits to several European countries”, including Greece.

As he notes at the beginning of his post, “it is very strange to hear the statements of the Greek opposition, while I can fully understand the perspective conveyed by the Greek Prime Minister. The stark contrast in views on the same issue sheds light on why some are in opposition while others are entrusted with governance by the people.”

“As Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis rightly pointed out, Greece remains a democratic country where leaders from other democratic nations can visit, meet with their countrymen and praise them for their hard work and valuable contribution not only to their country of residence but also in their homeland” he adds.

Wanting to emphasize the Greek-Albanian friendship, the Albanian Prime Minister put in his post an emoji with the flags of the two countries and a heart.

Eddie Rama’s post in detail

“It is very strange to hear the statements of the Greek opposition, while I can fully understand the perspective conveyed by the Greek prime minister. The stark contrast of views on the same issue sheds light on why some are in opposition while others are entrusted with governing by the people.

“However, as Prime Minister Mitsotakis rightly pointed out, Greece remains a democratic country where leaders from other democratic nations can visit, meet with their compatriots and praise them for their hard work and valuable contribution not only to the country they reside but also in their homeland.

“My upcoming visit to Athens on Sunday, 12 (May), is not related to the internal affairs of Greece, the elections for the European Parliament in Greece or any specific narratives that may interest Greek politicians but are not included in the government policy agenda of Albania. This visit is part of a long-planned series of visits to several European countries, including Greece where a huge Albanian community lives, to engage with my fellow citizens abroad and share Albania’s pride in them and the Vision for Albania 2030. This has only to do with my visit to our friendly neighbor Greece.”

It is noted that Mr. Rama is planning a tour of the largest communities of the Albanian diaspora in Europe entitled “Proud of Albania”.

Based on his plan, the Albanian prime minister will first visit Greece (Athens on May 12), then Italy (Milan on May 26) and Britain (London on June 2), ending with Germany (on May 16 June in Dusseldorf).

Mitsotakis: “The event is unnecessary and unnecessary”

Kyriakos Mitsotakis in an interview with protothema.gr called unnecessary and unnecessary the imminent arrival of the Albanian prime minister in Greece, pointing out that he is not invited by the government and is coming to speak to his compatriots. “It’s his right, a choice that seems rather unnecessary to me, that’s why I said it’s an unnecessary choice. We have issues with Greek-Albanian relations,” the prime minister says.

About the gathering at which Edi Rama will be the speaker, he said “the gathering we will not prohibit it, we will not facilitate it”.

Regarding the issue of the detention of Fredis Beleris, Mr. Mitsotakis clarified that it is a European matter, it is not bilateral. He even noted that the Greek minority in Albania is represented in the ND’s European ballot with two candidates, as are the Muslim Greek citizens, which is not the case in the ballots of the other two major parties.

Marinakis: “We could not encourage such an event”

Regarding the issue of Rama’s visit, government official Pavlos Marinakis commented to Real FM that “it is a private visit of the Albanian prime minister. It’s in the context of his campaign tours.” “He is not a guest of the Greek government, so it is not a bilateral visit in the context of an invitation or agreement between two states” he pointed out.

“The government received a completely formal briefing just yesterday… We have not yet been informed of the location of this event. The Greek government neither encourages nor could encourage such an event. But beyond that, because there is – as you well know – the free right of assembly, he cannot in any way prohibit a meeting, under no circumstances,” Mr. Marinakis emphasized.

“There is no concern about the security of the event. From there, the government will take care of all security measures,” he said.

Anywaythe opposition targeted the government for the gathering of the Albanian prime minister.

SYRIZA-PS: “Provocative action”

The announced visit of the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, to Greece, on the date of the anniversary of the pre-trial detention of Fredis Beleris, is a provocative action and highlights the absence of a coherent policy for the Western Balkans of the Mitsotakis government, SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance states in a statement.

He adds that the announced visit “underlines its communication choices to date, which harm bilateral relations, do not really highlight the issue of the rule of law in Albania and do not effectively protect the rights of the Greek ethnic minority in Albania. Rights stemming from both international and Community law – especially in view of the country’s European perspective”.

SYRIZA reports that “the Mitsotakis government, as it was also seen in the pre-election period, treats the Greek national minority as a tool for small party benefits, when of course it does not attempt to harm SYRIZA-PS”. Finally, he comments that “once again in a few 24 hours, it is proven how dangerous Mitsotakis’ foreign policy is for national interests”.

PASOK-KINAL: “ND, and Mr. Mitsotakis personally, bear full responsibility for the Rama visit”

The parliamentary representative and responsible for the KTE Foreign Affairs of PASOK-Movement for Change Dimitris Manzos, sharply commented on the decision of the Albanian prime minister to hold a “pre-election rally” in Athens – for the Albanian elections of 2025 and a few days before the European elections – and indeed on the day of the one-year anniversary of the arrest of Fredis Beleris, laying clear responsibilities on the Greek government and personally to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

“It is a provocative move with obvious symbolism and clear messages both for the case of the elected mayor of Heimarra and his inclusion in the New Democracy ballot, as well as for Greek-Albanian relations as a whole,” Mr. Manzos said in a statement.

He emphasized how “the Greek government and the prime minister cannot and are not allowed to downplay the event, talking about an “unnecessary choice” (terminology he also used in the conversion by the Turkish President of the Monastery of the Country into a mosque) and “private visit”, as not to be a head of government, but rather of a neighboring country with which relations have recently been strained”.

He added that “Mr. Rama’s actions, combined with yesterday’s reference by the representative of the European Commission to “bilateral issues”, instead of fundamental issues of Albania’s accession path to the EU, prove the adverse consequences of the Greek government’s pernicious related choices” .

“New Democracy and personally Mr. Mitsotakis, who acted not as prime minister but as a party leader, bear full responsibility for the above developments”, concluded the responsible head of PASOK-KINAL.