Zaimi: Greece has the largest number of Albanian immigrants; Rama visited them ahead of elections

According to Gerta Zaimi, editor-in-chief of the Albanian Post portal, the visit of Edi Rama to Athens, where he met only with the Albanian diaspora and not with Greek officials, was organized in anticipation of the upcoming election year in Albania, and this visit is one of several planned by Rama in various countries to engage with the diaspora.

"According to what we know as journalists, next on the list are Milan, Munich, London – cities in countries with a significant number of Albanians. Italy might be the second country after Greece in terms of the number of Albanian immigrants. There is also a large number of Albanians in England and Germany. So, Rama is visiting four important cities in countries where the Albanian diaspora is concentrated – Greece, Italy, Germany, and England. There is nothing unusual about the head of government or state meeting with the diaspora when they are present in large numbers," Zaimi told Kosovo Online.

She says that there are demands to allow the diaspora to vote in Albanian elections and that it is important to involve the diaspora in politics, considering they live in various countries.

"The Albanian diaspora formed in the last 30 years, after the fall of communism, is huge, and Greece undoubtedly has the largest number of Albanian immigrants. It is clear that Rama cannot tour all the countries where Albanians live because they are everywhere. Personally, wherever I have traveled, I have met Albanians. In any case, there is nothing special about this because it is entirely normal, especially before elections, for heads of government or state to visit the diaspora in countries where it is important to understand their interests and needs," Zaimi said.