FLASH
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Mitsotakist's place to run for Beleri in the European elections has caused a stir in the Western media. American television "ABC News" writes that with this move, Athens is further exacerbating relations with Tirana...
The ruling party in Greece has decided on its list of candidates for MEP, a politician condemned by its ethnic minority in Albania, increasing even more the tensions between the two countries.
Fredi Beleri was elected mayor of the city of Himara in Southern Albania last year, but was arrested for vote-buying and failed to take the oath. He was then sentenced to two years in prison in March.
The politician has denied the charges against him and the Greek government called his detention unjust, threatening to block Albania's bid to join the European Union.
The ruling New Democracy party made the surprise announcement late Monday, allowing Beler to run in elections to be held between June 6-9 in the 27 member states. Greeks are expected to vote on June 9.
"The battle I'm fighting is not personal. It's a battle for the rule of law and democracy," Beleri reacted on Facebook on Tuesday.
"It is a battle for the values embraced by the West and Europe and which must be respected by those who want to join the great European family", he further stated.
Six countries in the Western Balkans region – Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – are at different stages in the EU membership process. Croatia was the last EU member state to join in 2013.
Western concerns about regional stability caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine have added urgency to the accession process.
Greece and Albania, a former communist country and a current NATO member, have a historically strained relationship.
Athens has accused Tirana of moving too slowly to restore the rights of its more than 100,000 ethnic Greek citizens after the fall of communist rule in the early 1990s. Many members of the minority have worked in Greece and hold dual citizenship. / Adapted "Pamphlet" from "ABC News"
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