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| Fredi Beleri and in the background a banner of his electoral campaign for Himara (archive) |
In a rare instance of cooperation, the Albanian Democratic Party (PD) and the Socialist Party (PS) came together to address the political deadlock created over the past four months in the Albanian Parliament, seeking a solution in Brussels. The ongoing political crisis has resulted in a strained relationship between Albania and Greece, specifically concerning the "Beleri" issue, which has been a roadblock to Albania's integration into the European Union.
The latest meeting of the Stabilization and Association Committee, European Union-Albania, brought together Democrats and Socialists in a European Parliament hall, providing an opportunity for communication without tension, local media confirmed.
The echoes of the meeting were felt in Brussels, where observers urged Albanian politicians to find a common ground for dialogue and normalize the situation.
"A functional parliament is fundamental for the democratic maturation of the country before joining the European Union. While political parties have the right to have their agendas, it is essential for the parliament's functioning to continue without any obstacles in respect of democratic values," stated Alberto Cammarata.
"We know that the Albanian political scene is characterized by extreme polarization. This is not new for you. But what we see is that this is seriously affecting parliamentary activities," expressed Else Fenet.
"The issue of establishing eight parliamentary committees, which has blocked the normal functioning of the parliament for the past three months, we are ready to discuss with opposition colleagues and find a European solution," declared Majko.
Majko praised his colleague for being ready for dialogue and responded to the international colleagues' appeal for dialogue. However, he emphasized that in the past three months, they have not found the path to dialogue, and there has been no indication of the majority's willingness to engage in a conversation. Instead, there have been arrogant actions taken against the opposition," countered Bardhi.
The concerns of Albanian politicians did not carry the same weight for all Eurodeputies. When it came to personal assessments, Committee Director Manolis Kefaloianis changed his language from English to Greek, not just as a language but as an issue.
"Unfortunately, the arrest of Fredi Beleri is not an issue between two countries; it is not a bilateral matter between Greece and Albania. This is a European issue; it is an issue between the European Union and Albania."
"The Beleri issue is a matter of judicial reform and should be treated as such. The issue is not European. It will continue not to be European. We are seeing that we are joining Greece and other countries by becoming part of the European Union. The time when the government intermediated with politicized judges has ended," responded Minister Hasani.
The clash over the Beleri issue blocked the approval of the paragraph in the resolution supporting the Albanian government's preparation for opening the first group of negotiating chapters.
While the votes of Albanian parliamentarians were unanimous, euro-deputies voted against the resolution.
Gogu: Approved!
Kefaloianis: No, it is not approved because we are against it!
This vote seemed not to sit well with Socialist Toni Gogu, who, for a moment, did not hesitate to respond to his Greek counterpart, unknowingly with the microphone on, considering that vote as dishonest.