New Democracy nominated the imprisoned Freddy Beleris as a candidate for the European elections. How does this affect relations between the two states? Opinions differ. With relations between Albania and Greece at a nadir due to the conviction against Freddy Beleris, New Democracy announced Beleris as a candidate in the European elections. The news of the nomination caused renewed tension in relations between the two countries and intense debate – on both sides of the border.

Beleris, who also has Greek citizenship, ran as a candidate of the Albanian opposition in the municipal elections in Heimarra. Two days before the elections he was arrested on the charge of trying to buy eight votes.

Although imprisoned, Beleris won the election – but never took office, with the government in Athens highly critical of the Albanian government and judiciary.

The two sides of the case

Beleris is a controversial personality in Albania. In 1994, he was investigated for his alleged involvement in an attack that killed two Albanian military officers. However, no evidence was found to support the charge. A year later he was arrested and sentenced in Greece for illegal possession of weapons on the Greek-Albanian border.

For many Greeks, on the other hand, Beleris is just a victim of a series of political persecutions, but also a defender of the national interests of the Greeks in Heimarra.

Is the nomination a “big mistake”?

According to former Albanian ambassador Arben Tseikou, Mitsotakis’ decision to choose Beleris as a candidate in the European elections could have the opposite results from what the Greek prime minister hopes: “Mitsotakis is making a big mistake,” he tells DW. “This political act could backfire. There are hundreds of other honorable figures who have both Albanian and Greek citizenship and could be selected as candidates – as well as improve the ND’s electoral results more than a problematic character like Beleris.”

At the same time, SYRIZA criticized the Beleris candidacy, arguing that Mitsotakis is trying in this way to improve his political image. Panagiot Barka, a member of the Greek minority in Albania and a correspondent for the state-run Athenian-Macedonian News Agency for about 30 years, seems to agree with this, as he tells DW: “Beleris is being used by the party of the Greek prime minister as a shield, with in order to prevent the leakage of votes to the far-right parties in Greece”.

The Greek minority welcomes Beleris’ candidacy

Marin Souli from Omonia, an organization that promotes the rights of the Greek minority in Albania, sees nothing wrong with Beleris’ candidacy: “I see this candidacy as something normal in a democratic and European country like Greece. [Η υποψηφιότητα Μπελέρη] it resulted from the internal party process of proposal and selection of the New Democracy and the researches show that Mr. Beleris won by several votes,” he told DW.

The Greek political scientist Dimitris Christopoulos, however, does not agree. He believes that if Beleris was not in prison, he would never have become a candidate for the European Parliament. “The “Belerization” of Greek-Albanian relations is primarily an initiative of Athens”, he points out to DW and continues: “If we really want to understand what is happening in the region today, we must take an objective and non-national blindsight look at what is really happening in Heimarra against in the last century and especially after the end of the Cold War, Kheimarra turned into a battleground of Greek and Albanian nationalism. And we are paying the price for this situation today.”

Although Albania and Greece signed a Friendship Pact in 1996, the two NATO allies still remain, technically, in a state of war.

Legal or civil trial?

Since his arrest in Himarra last year, Beleris has denied all charges. Both Beleris and representatives of the Greek minority in Albania claimed the case was political – claims rejected by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who insists the Beleris case is purely legal.

Of course, the Greek minority disagrees. “What we say are no longer mere claims. We have facts and scientific evidence that prove that Mr. Beleris is the victim of a political process, which was invented and orchestrated by Prime Minister Rama,” says Marin Souli, who claims that the prosecution falsified documents and directly violated the law.

What is changing in Greece-Albania relations?

“The frequent emotional reactions and anything but diplomatic interventions by Athens did not benefit either Beleris or the relations between the two states,” Ambassador Tseikou observes to DW.

After Beleris’ arrest in May 2023, Athens warned that the case could affect Albania’s efforts to join the EU.

When Edi Rama was asked a few months ago about the obstacles that Greece could put on Albania’s path to the EU, the Albanian prime minister was clear: “I don’t believe that Greece’s concerns about Beleri will continue until 2030, but if that happens, then let’s not join the EU.”

DW asked Albanian Foreign Minister Igli Hassani about Greek-Albanian relations, with the Albanian politician describing them as amazing. “Greek-Albanian relations have always been impeccable,” he said. “We have been living and coexisting in the East for centuries.” Although DW reached out to both the Greek government and SYRIZA for comment, it has not received a response by the time this article is published.

Considering the bigger picture, political scientist Dimitris Christopoulos advises both sides to tread carefully: “Well-intentioned national pride can easily take on a nationalistic character and turn into intense arrogance. And none of this is a good advisor in international relations,” he emphasizes to DW. “Greece and Albania have more and much better reasons to reach a reasonable compromise on this issue and turn the page. There are far more important things to deal with in terms of their future.”

Edited by: Giorgos Passas