Pavlopoulos: Albania undermines its path to the EU over its relations with Pristina (Blic, ANA, RTS)
Daily Blic reports that Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said that Albania undermines its own process of joining the European Union with "attitudes of international opportunism, as seen in relations between Tirana and Pristina," and said that Greece would not remain with "folded hands" before such actions.
Pavlopoulos sent a message to Albania from Corfu Island, where he attended a commemoration in honour of the first governor of modern Greece, Ioannis Kapodistrias, ANA reports.
"Ioannis Kapodistrias is a model of a great leader not only for Greece, but for the whole of Europe, a model that, among other things, has two characteristics: a vision and full respect for international law. That inspires us the Greeks, but should also inspire those who have ambitions to join the EU, and this is especially important for our neighbour Albania," the Greek president said.
He described Albania as a friendly country with which Greece has always been in good relations and whose path to the EU it supports.
"However, the attitudes of international opportunism, such as those we are seeing developing lately between Tirana and Pristina, unfortunately undermine the (Albanian) accession course," Pavlopoulos said, pointing out that Albania was responsible for this.
"We will not remain with our hand folded before such attitudes. We owe it to Greece and Europe," the Greek president said, according to the Greek agency.
Pavlopoulos sent a message to Albania on the occasion of the usurpation of the property of the Greek national minority in Saranda, where Albanian authorities illegally demolish their property, but also about the announcement of Pristina-Tirana cooperation, RTS reported.