FLASH
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In an interview with Greek media , Prime Minister Edi Rama spoke about relations between Albania and Greece, which he said were bad for a while, but are now good. However, the head of the Albanian government emphasizes that relations between the two countries can be much better.
"Relations are good now, there is always room to be much better. They were bad for a while, because of an issue that was very important for the Greek side, but that was just one of many issues for us," Rama said.
How would you describe Greek-Albanian relations today? Because we are speaking here today after months of turbulence caused by the Fredi Beleri affair.
Rama: Relations are good now. There is always room to be even better. They were bad for a while, because of an issue that was very important for the Greek side, but it was just one of many issues for us. But, yes, we are good now.
It has been almost four and a half years since Greece and Albania agreed to take our maritime dispute to The Hague. And yet a compromise has still not been found. Why is it taking so long?
Rama: That's because something else prevented it. We have an expression, that for one flea we burn the whole quilt… I think the momentum was lost, because we made a very good start when Kyriakos came to power. It was a very good start. We had a common perspective on the long history and the importance of our relationship, and of course we wanted to move forward on some unresolved issues. We give a lot of weight to ending this absurd law on war between us. Because, you know, legally we are at war.
But this law was repealed by Karolos Papoulias in 1987.
Rama: No, it's not canceled, but it should be canceled. What actually happened was that we signed a treaty of friendship. Yes, but the law is still on paper. So, we have a treaty that makes us very close friends, while legally we are at war. This is the somewhat schizophrenic relationship that we have as neighbors.
You mentioned the state of war in response to a question about The Hague. Do you handle both issues together?
Rama: No. What we have discussed, and what your Prime Minister and I have said from the beginning, is that we need to clear all the loose issues from the past, and this is one of them. The state of war is really important for us. The definition of the maritime zone is a separate issue. And we need to resolve it.
Is there a set time limit for compromise?
Rama: It's about both sides sitting down and working together and not allowing themselves to be distracted by the things that have held us hostage for so long.
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