The Western Balkans and Albania belong in the heart of Europe, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Anastasios, Orthodox Archbishop of Tirana, Durres, and All Albania, in a meeting with the prelate on Tuesday.
Mitsotakis congratulated the Archbishop for his work in the country, describing him as “a bridge of conciliation between the two countries and a support for the Greek ethnic minority,” whom the Prime Minister had to postpone visiting due to the bad weather forecast.
The archbishop called on Mitsotakis to continue his reconciliation work in the Balkans and said he was “particularly happy to hear there is progress toward [EU] accession,” since the request by Albania has requested for years to join the European Union.
The issue of the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone and issues related to the Greek ethnic minority were raised by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during his meeting with his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama on Tuesday. Mitsotakis is at Tirana for the EU-Western Balkans summit.
“I believe we are close to seeing progress and a resolution of the delimitation issue of the maritime zones between us,” he said. The premier added that Greece strongly supports Albania’s European prospects, and noted the strong ties between the two countries.
On his part, Rama expressed the hope the Greek PM would soon be able to visit the Greek ethnic minority, a trip he had to postpone due to weather, and apologized to Mitsotakis for statements made during an interview to Euractiv, saying, “I saw how they were rendered, and they do not represent the situation in Greece.”
