TIRANA, August 15 – In a long reaction of Prime Minister Edi Rama carried by local media on Tuesday, he expressed his surprise at how senior representatives of the Greek government organized a protest on Monday afternoon in Himare, where the release of the elected mayor of this municipality Fredi Beleri was requested.
“In my memory, there is no other case, when the elected officials of a democratic state organize a protest in another democratic state against the authorities of this state. Not only that, but where they appear as protestors against the decisions of the respective courts of the state in which they are protesting, absolutizing the ethnic affiliation of the subject of the protest over any legal norm, legal standard and democratic logic,” said Rama.
He said that the request “Free Beleri and full stop!” it is meaningless when all three levels of the judiciary have been expressed about it. “Does the Greek nationality give the Albanian citizen accused by SPAK and kept in custody by the country’s courts a different status from 48 other Albanian citizens with Albanian nationality, including some mayors of my party, who today are detained under the charges of the same body, with identical decisions of the same courts?!”
Rama appreciated the relations with Prime Minister Mitsotakis and the work done with him, but expressed concern that turning a matter of justice into a matter of minority may have consequences.
“I am not only very sorry, but also seriously concerned. Because this step could bring about the regressive consequence of rekindling the flag of nationalism, and negative mutual feelings, something that not only me and the Albanian government, but also the prime minister and the Greek government do not want at all,” said Rama
PM Rama said that he does not see any other solution except for the new justice system, which Greece has supported, to do its work undisturbed. /argumentum.al
