What the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania replied to DW Igli Hassani to DW about Albania-Greece relations and the Beleri case at an event at the Hertie School in Berlin. Shortly before the European elections, the Minister of European Affairs and Foreign Affairs of Albania, Igli Hassani, was in Berlin and participated in a public debate organized by the Jacques Delors Center at the Hertie School of Governance in the German capital on the topic: “Toward enlargement: Mapping challenges and reform paths”.

In particular, the European perspective of Albania, which received candidate country status in 2014, was in the spotlight. However, reference was also made to the case of the elected mayor of Heimarra Freddy Beleris, who continues to be in prison.

It is this case that is currently overshadowing Greek-Albanian relations, while at the same time Beleris is also a candidate for the European Parliament with the New Democracy party.

But how does Igli Hassani see the relations between Greece and Albania at the given moment?

“Excellent” relations with Greece

“Excellent!” he answered a question from DW regarding the current image of Greek-Albanian relations and added: “The relations between Albania and Greece have always been perfect. The two peoples coexisted peacefully in the region for centuries. My mother is from Himarra. We can even speak Greek now, but probably just the two of us and maybe some others here can understand us” he said jokingly, which he actually did after the event ended in fluent Greek.

In response to a question about the Beleris case and the position of the Greek government that the issue is of a European nature and not just bilateral, because it concerns the functioning of the rule of law, he stated with careful wording – and avoiding to name him – the following:

“The most important aspect of all is that a special case (ss: the Beleri case) cannot block the relationship between two important countries, two important societies, two important peoples. The reason why a certain person was arrested a year ago was to buy votes. We’re not saying it, but there’s a legal process going on. Let’s wait for the results from this legal process. Every government must keep its hands off any judicial process.”

“Good luck in New Democracy!”

From there on, it is interesting that he nevertheless wished good luck to the Greek candidates for the European elections in an amiable and diplomatic manner. “Good luck for the European elections, good luck to New Democracy and its candidates. I can’t wait to see the results”, said the Albanian Minister of Foreign Affairs from the stage of the event in Berlin.

But what is more important, as he emphasized, is this: “Anyone who has a problem with Albania or the Albanian government can check, see better and expand in detail anything through the mechanisms that the EU has created for Albania as a candidate country. That’s why I refer to the opening of the chapter on the fundamental issues, where everyone can check even every party, every paragraph, every proposal in order to make the life of Albanian citizens, of any origin, better”. In his opinion, the most important thing is to “help Albania to strengthen its democratic institutions. That way everyone will have a better life.”

It is worth noting that during the event he was also asked about the Beleri case and the issues raised by Greece by Johannes Lindner, one of the directors of the Jacques Delors Center at the Hertie School of Governance specializing in European economic and fiscal policy issues.

During the debate, Igli Hassani reiterated that the case of the elected mayor of Heimarra is purely a matter of the Albanian justice system, which operates to protect citizens and in fact based on European standards, as he underlined. He thus emphasized that the political power cannot intervene and that this has been the position of the Albanian government from the first day: “no interference” in justice.

He also shot arrows at countries that try to reduce “bilateral” or “historical” issues to European ones, blocking the path of candidate countries for membership, when the question should be their support. In this case, the support of Albania on its way to the EU.