“The first set of funds, which opens today for Albania and concerns fundamental rights and the rule of law, must include both the rights of minorities, including the Greek ethnic minority, and especially their property rights,” stressed the Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis attending the intergovernmental conference held in Luxembourg.

As Mr. Gerapetritis noted, “this position is now a common position, a recorded common position of the 27 member states of the European Union”. “Greece will closely monitor this process and will intervene where necessary, with the hope that the other member states of the Western Balkans will also follow this path,” he added.

In particular, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis stated:

“Today is a milestone for the development of the European path of the member states of the Western Balkans. A course which started 21 years ago, with an accelerating and leading force in Greece, with the agenda of Thessaloniki.

Greece adhered to Albania’s accession process, a constructive stance, despite the crisis that has existed over the last 18 months in Euro-Albanian relations. Our position is that the first set of chapters, which opens today and concerns fundamental rights and the rule of law, should include both the rights of minorities, including the Greek national minority, especially their property rights.

And in fact this position is now a common position, a recorded common position of the 27 member states of the European Union. Greece will closely monitor this process and will intervene where necessary, with the hope that the other member states of the Western Balkans will also follow this path. In an era which is extremely fluid and unstable in our wider region, it is absolutely crucial that the European Union, the European family, deepens, grows, becomes stronger.”