Decision on relations between Athens and Tirana prompted by the arrest of Heimarra mayoral candidate, a Greek expatriate Dionysus-Freddy Beleris, two 24 hours before municipal elections in a neighboring country. OUR Kyriakos Mitsotakis sent a message to Tirana what if Albania wants to get closer to the EU, he must ensure free municipal elections and immediately release those whom he imprisoned.

“We do not accept discounts under the rule of law”

Vasilis Nedos

No respect for her Greek national minority and his political and property rights, the door to the EU will remain closed to Albania, is a clear message sent from Athens to Tirana after the arrest and detention of Himarra mayoral candidate and Greek expatriate Dionysus-Freddy Beleris by Albanian authorities on seemingly pretext charges just two days before municipal elections in a neighboring country. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was the first to send this message, who personally informed the president of the Commission about the event, specifying that “Albania must understand that Greece and the EU are not going to make allowances for the rule of law and the protection of the rights of the Greek national minority.”

And then he said directly that “if Albania wants to get closer to the EU, it is obliged to ensure free and fair municipal elections and immediately release those whom it imprisoned so that they can participate in the electoral process.” It is worth noting that the issue of the arrest of the mayoral candidate (who was visited yesterday afternoon in the Avlona prison by the Greek Ambassador to Tirana Konstantina Kamitsi) is being treated by the Albanian political leadership as a non-election issue. which was reflected in the statements of Prime Minister Edi Rama and Foreign Minister Olta Jachka. On behalf of the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias contacted Mr. Rama yesterday morning, and earlier a briefing was held. The Greek Ambassador to Tirana also informed her colleagues from the EU. in the Albanian capital on the case.

From Athens, it is emphasized that Albania’s path to the EU is through respect for the minority and its political and property rights.

It is known that the arrested mayoral candidate is closer to the faction of Sali Berishi, however, a wider Heimarra area is a field of rivalry between Albanian political forces and related economic interests, as it is the heart of a rapidly growing Albanian Riviera with the potential for great tourism development in the coming years. Recall that relations between Athens and Tirana in the past also experienced a serious crisis due to the attempt of the Albanian state to seize property belonging to representatives of the Greek national minority.

From Athens, through all diplomatic channels, it is noted that what is presented as an alleged violation of Albanian law is nothing more than targeted and covert political persecution, which is recorded immediately before municipal elections and is a flagrant violation of all concepts of Albanian law. law supremacy. All this is happening while in the last few days there seems to have been some exchange of correspondence between the Albanian Foreign Ministry and the President of the neighboring country on the topic EEZ demarcation. From Athens, Mr. Rama views these actions as part of a political game.

The atmosphere was already tense, the arrest made it explosive.

Stavros Jima

The arrest by the Albanian police at midnight Thursday in Heimarra of the mayoral candidate from the Greek minority in tomorrow’s municipal elections, Fredi Beleri, is turning into a bilateral diplomatic episode. He was detained until late at night at the Avlona police station and was reportedly expected to appear in court today on charges of “vote buying”.

On the Albanian side, an attempt was made to depoliticize the issue: Prime Minister Rama and Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhaka took the arrest to a purely judicial level, recommending patience while waiting for information to be made public. However, everything shows that on the occasion of the Heymarr episode, Athens and Tyrant again enter the constellation of aggravation of relations between them, at a time when they represented an image of calm.

Specific information about the reasons for the detention was not disclosed until the evening. What is certain is that Beleris was arrested by the police at his restaurant in Heimarra, where, according to reports in the Albanian press, an undercover policeman who was allegedly approached by the residents of Beleris to buy his vote came to the restaurant to make deals, and employees intervened. Albanian police who arrested the mayoral candidate and one of his associates.

This was preceded by a flurry of publications and personal attacks aimed at politically and morally discrediting Beleris by Prime Minister Rama himself. In fact, on the eve of his arrest, at a public campaign rally in Tirana, he threatened his associates (and not him, as the electronic version of “K” reported due to the writer’s incorrect information) that the day after the elections he would “personally pay off” along with them.

The arrest of Beleris showed that the “battle of Heimarr” is of great interest in Sunday’s municipal elections in Albania and is expected to be tough. The atmosphere was already tense, and the arrest of Beleris made it explosive. Now no one can predict what might happen until Sunday evening or even the next day.

“Battle of Heimarra” at the center of municipal elections in Albania. Historical, geographical and geopolitical significance of the city and powerful economic interests.

Because even if an expatriate candidate is elected, minorities fear that Rama is ready to activate plan b to expel him from the mayor’s office, using justice again.

But why such a furious reaction aimed at preventing the election of a member of the Greek minority, a citizen of Albania, as the mayor of Heimarra? And why are they not embarrassed by nominations, including minority ones, to Dropolis or Finiki? This is where history, geography, geopolitics and, finally, powerful economic (tourist) interests come into the equation. Heimarra was the eternal stronghold of Hellenism and has always been a bone of contention between Hellenism and Albanian nationalism. Its mountain mass, along with the island of Corfu opposite, from its place, observe the “Straits of Corfu”, the sea channel from the Adriatic Sea to the Ionian Sea and vice versa. In addition, Heimarra has a natural appearance and “watches” the most important navigational passage of Otranto, that is, up and down the Adriatic to the Central Mediterranean.

Two points of high geostrategic importance, potential checkpoints with a Greek population in a sensitive area for both countries created and still create a feeling of insecurity among the Albanians. Hence the reason for the “crossing of Corfu”, that is, for which both Agio Saranda and Heimarra were not included in the so-called minority zones.

Fears intensified

Thus, against the backdrop of the geopolitical picture, Albanian concerns about Himarra intensified in the post-Hoxha era when the borders were opened, at a time when the border map of the Balkans seemed to be beginning to be redrawn.

In Heimarra, while the remaining expatriates were claiming their property, rights and traditions after the fall of the communist regime, there was growing suspicion in the political and intellectual elite of Tirana of the “unrecognized views” of the Greek minority. From time to time, Greek emigrants denounced the methods of the Albanian government to seize their land so that they would be forced to leave it and thus change the composition of the Heymarra population in favor of the Albanians. Even today, the controversy continues with occasional clashes, incidents aimed at preventing demolitions, and another such battle is essentially fought on Sunday at the ballot box between candidates and voters. Because anyone who has “their” mayor also has a very powerful weapon. What will fall out of the urn tomorrow evening is unknown. There are even concerns about whether the vote will pass and how.