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| Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Edi Rama discussing while at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Brussels, December, 2023 |
Greece will not agree to the future stages of Albania's accession process unless there is a clear move for Fredi Beleri to assume his duties as the mayor of Himara, Greek government sources reiterated.
According to Greek media, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated Greece's stance today at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Brussels, stating that the issue of Fredi Beleri taking office and his right to a fair trial is not a bilateral issue between Greece and Albania but a matter of respect for the rule of law, which is the "crown jewel" of EU membership, local media say.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on the sidelines of the EU-Western Balkans Summit, held a brief discussion with the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama.
In light of Prime Minister Mitsotakis's presence at the EU-Western Balkans Summit, government sources said, "Greece's firm position is to support the European perspective of the Western Balkans as an investment in the stability, development, and prosperity of the region.
This, of course, is conditional, meaning that candidate countries meet the requirements and implement the required reforms. It is a difficult and challenging process that depends on the performance of the candidate countries themselves. And, in any case, a fundamental prerequisite is the respect for fundamental European values and reforms related to the rule of law and, in particular, the protection of human rights, including minority rights."
Regarding the accession process of Albania, the same sources stated that Greece's position is clear and has been explained to the Albanian side. Greece will not accept the accession process if there is no progress in the issue of the elected mayor of Himara, Fredi Beleri.
As they emphasized, "Greece agreed to send the EU's letter to Tirana for the first step of the start of negotiations, but with the condition that in the next phase of the process, there is a clear move for Beleri to undertake his duties and respect his right to a fair trial, as well as the presumption of innocence. Otherwise, Greece will not accept the future stages of the accession process."
Clear messages from Athens to the Albanian side and EU leaders were sent hours after the public stance of Olaf Solz, who sought to proceed with... "abbreviated procedures" for Albania's accession and whether it is possible to bypass the veto right available to member states.