Dinner at Mitsotakis without the representatives of Tirana - how the arrest of the mayor of Himara spoiled relations between Albania and Greece

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will host the leaders of the Western Balkans in Athens tomorrow, but neither Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama nor President Bajram Begaj will attend the working dinner, which is dedicated to the European future of the region, as well as energy security in the Balkans and Southeastern Europe. Relations between Greece and Albania have been in a "minus phase" for several months due to the arrest of the representative of the Greek minority, the Mayor of the town of Himara in the south of Albania, Alfred Beleri, on the eve of the local elections in May this year, on charges of vote buying. As analysts from Tirana say for Kosovo Online, the relations have not been permanently damaged, but they will not be easily repaired.

The dinner at Mansion "Maximos" in Athens will be attended by the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, the President of Montenegro Jakov Milatovic, the Prime Minister of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovaceski, the President of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borjana Kristo, and the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti. Apart from them, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, will be there along with the host Mitsotakis.

Mitsotakis did not send the invitation to participate to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, as was expected, but to the President of that country, Bajram Begaj. However, Begaj replied in a diplomatic tone that he could not come because of his previously planned obligations.

Those familiar with the situation, however, say that the absence of the Albanian representatives from the meeting of regional leaders in Greece is the culmination of the crisis in relations between the two countries, which has been ongoing since May of this year, and the arrest of Beleri. Greek officials have spoken several times in a harsh tone about this move by the official Tirana. Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giorgos Gerapetritis, said recently that Albania "shot itself in the foot" with that arrest. Protests were also held in Himara due to the arrest of Beleri, in which the mayors of Athens and Thessaloniki also participated.

Rama soon replied that Greek officials should respect the law and said that they could not oppose the decisions of the courts of a democratic state. He indicated that he was "seriously concerned" by the manner in which this issue was escalating and added that he had been shocked by a protest of such a nature, as he added, "unprecedented in the history of Europe."

Analyst and journalist from Tirana, Ben Andoni believes that the crisis between Albania and Greece is temporary, but that it will not be easy to re-establish good relations.

"It will take them a relatively long time. The 'Beleri' case showed not only the immaturity of the Albanian judiciary but also political "amateurism", as well as improper protagonism of the Government. When you think that there are several dozen accusations by the opposition for irregularities in the last local elections and that almost no one was arrested, it makes you think that they should have been careful about arresting Beleri," Andoni says.

Andoni adds that on the other hand, the campaign for the local elections led by the Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama in Himara showed that the Albanian state exerted a great influence on the elections.

"Rama's rhetoric was clearly intrusive and unacceptable; he could simply deal with his candidate's projects. I believe that the Greek state will overcome this situation with its experience and prudence, although it will ask for concessions from Albania, which we hope will not be burdensome," Andoni points out.

Andoni adds that the relations between Albania and Greece have been burdened by many issues before, many of which have not been resolved even today.

"Of course, the most sensitive of all is the Law on Maritime Boundaries, which, paradoxically, was not even discussed during the dictatorship. The Albanian heads of diplomacy, who spent nine months negotiating the continental shelf, and those who dealt with economic zones for only six months, should also be blamed.  It took 40 years of negotiations for the Italo-Greek economic zones. Referral to the International Court of Justice seems like a solution, but rushing it seems unreasonable to me. Meanwhile, Albania has an opportunity after the 'Beleri' case to buy time for relations with Greece concerning sea borders, but also to take a realistic look at his views and the chaos of his politicians," Andoni says.

When it comes to the continuation of European integration, Andoni estimates that Greece will certainly be one of the last EU countries to support Albania's EU membership.

"Greece will always find problems in our relations and will be one of the last countries that will support our membership with an open heart. I think that Albania should not miss a single moment to show its integrity, not only to Greece but also to anyone," Andoni concludes.

Analyst Gjergj Zefi also points out that the relations between Albania and Greece have gone through a difficult path in the past.

"They are dominated by irrationality and the mentality of the past. Mutual accusations for no real reason. Even the Beleri case is an unnecessary excuse. During the government of Edi Rama, Greek-Albanian relations ceased to be state ones and became personalized. When there was Tsipras, for whom it must be said that he is a non-nationalist politician, Edi Rama did not build any bridge of rapprochement but made small provocations such as the mosque on the Acropolis. After Mitsotakis came to the head of the Greek Government, Rama immediately called him his great friend and announced that relations strengthened," Zefi says.

Zefi assesses that Beleri is a "provincial victim of the game of two people".

"But the drama here is that relations between states have been completely destroyed because they have turned into personal relations between people. Apart from Rama and Mitsotakis, there are no meetings of ministers, academics, and institutions, and unfortunately, no journalists. In short, we have no relationship with Greece," Zefi points out.

Zefi adds that Albania and Greece are neighbors and that they have countless issues that need to be resolved.

"But we must start from those issues that brought the relationship between the two countries to absurdity. What is important is the re-establishment of the relationship between the countries that existed in reality from the time of the Renaissance, the Greek Revolution, and later. The relationship that makes Albanians and Greeks close friends also in state terms as they are in reality too. There will always be problems between Greece and Albania, as it is normal, there are such problems everywhere. But what is important is their solution. If a toxic relationship is attempted, it will naturally produce depression and crisis. If chosen by logic and a smile, and above all goodwill, a positive climate will always prevail," Zefi says.

Zefi is of the opinion that the relaxation of relations between Tirana and Athens should begin with the release of Beleri and that Albania should not question its path to the EU.

"He is in prison because of the reasons of Rama and Mitsotakis. Beleri is artificial and not a state issue. There was no conflict between the minority and Albanians in Himara. The path to the EU is not endangered by Beleri or Omonoia but by Edi Rama and his Government. On the other hand, Athens should no longer use Himara, because it has lost a lot on the tactical side. This policy has also harmed Athens. The Greeks have the right to be proud of the growth of Albania because they contributed by helping the Albanians when they were in trouble, waiting and caring for them. And official Athens, which tried to change the ethnic and religious substrate, failed spectacularly. It should not use the issue of Himara as a currency for negotiations with the EU. If there are problems, solve them properly, neighbors solve disputes among themselves." Zefi concludes.