Albanian Ambassador: No maritime border negotiations with Greece
08/07/2014

While it has been reported that Greek officials have confirmed the start of negotiations between the two countries about this issue, the Albanian Ambassador to Greece, Dashnor Dervishi, confirmed for Top Channel that the relations between the two countries have advanced, but there have been no negotiations.

“There are no direct negotiations about this issue. There are preparations for finding a solution. Both ministries are working for the alternatives of how consensus can be found”, Dervishi declared.

Despite the declarations of Greek officials, or news reports saying that Greece stands to the agreement signed with the Berisha government, the ambassador of Albania in Athens says that for Albania, the Constitutional Court decision is the only guide for this issue.

“It has been made clear in Athens that the decision of the Constitutional Court of Albania is unnegotiable and Athens has it clear that Albania is ready to renegotiate if all Albanian laws will be respected”, Dervishi declared.

For ambassador Dervishi, the solution of this issue will derive after Greece will revoke the law of war that they still have with Albania. He said that the Greek side has recognized that as a problem, and this is a visible progress. If yesterday this issue was simply mentioned, today it is a topic that is being discussed.

Our diplomats in Athens rejected the interpretations made to the declaration of the Greek Foreign Minister, Venizellos, for blocking Albania’s EU negotiations for the maritime agreement.

“Integration has no conditions or concessions. You don’t enter the EU with conditions”, he declared.

The ambassador who was summoned to report at the Commission of Foreign Policy confirmed that with the new government in Albania, the relations between both countries have entered the phase in which they are searching for solutions, without reserves or tabu. But the time when this will be done is still unknown”.

“I hope that the entire package of relations between Greece and Albania will be resolved and stabilized within my mandate in Greece, but I cannot say for sure if it will be realized”, the ambassador declared.