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| Coastal map of Albania |
The Albanian government's decision to transfer to the Ministry of Tourism a significant land area of the Vlora-Saranda coastline has caused reactions by the the Greek Foreign Ministry. Through a statement published on Tuesday, The official Athens "expressed deep concern about the recent decision of the Albanian Government to give in an arbitrarily manner to the Ministry of Tourism some land parcels who are owned by Greek citizens." The Greek Foreign Ministry said that "this decision is in contravention of the European Convention on Human Rights and the decisions of the Albanian courts." The statement further follows that "the respective draft decision and the draft law lead to a flagrant violation of human rights, including property rights Greek minority in Albania .
Such actions are not in line with Albania's declared European aspirations and are in contravention with its obligations, says the statement of Greek diplomacy.The Albanian Foreign Ministry has not yet reacted to the latest stance of the Greek diplomat. The Albanian Government transferred 41 land parcels on management responsibilities to the Ministry of Tourism, cadastral areas belonging to the Vlora-Sarandë coastline in order to use them for the sustainable development of tourism.
According to point 2 of the decision taken on November 21, but published these days in the Official Journal, the Ministry of Tourism is prohibited to change the destination of owned properties. The decision also provides that "the Ministry of Tourism is prohibited to alienate or treat the surfaces in use to third parties, other than projects with the priority of developing the tourism areas."
The list of properties attached to the Government Decision includes state-owned, privately-owned, and privately-owned land in approximately 1 thousand acres in some of the areas known for great tourist value from Vlora to Ksamil. The process follows a major plan for the Albanian coastal area approved by the Albanian government.