Greece sends demarche to Albania

ATHENS -- The Greek government has announced that a demarche had been delivered to the Albanian foreign minister because of attacks against members of the Greek minority.

It was stated that the Greek ambassador in Tirana forwarded the protest note because of the attacks Albanians staged against Greeks in southern Albania after the stadium incident in Belgrade.
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Albanian authorities are asked to condemn the incidents that occurred near the border between the two countries.

The Greek ambassador also asked Albania to undertake all necessary measures in order to find, arrest and punish those responsible, as well as to protect the ethnic Greek minority ahead of the upcoming celebration of Greek Independence Day, October 28.

"The ambassador conveyed Greece's enormous concern because of such attacks on peaceful Greek minority, which represents an obstacle to the European perspective of Albania," the statement added.

The ministry in Athens also warns that "attacks of extremists and nationalists certainly weaken the European perspective of the country" and "awaken memories of the past of the Balkans that all countries in the region need to leave behind for the benefit of the common European future."

As the Greek media reported earlier this week around 100 people carrying Albanian flags and banners with nationalist messages arrived in the village of the Dervician in the district of Gjirokaster and demolished stores and cars before they were stopped by the police.

The violence broke out a few hours after the football match in Belgrade was abandoned on Tuesday night because of incidents sparked by a drone flown over the pitch, with a map of Greater Albania attached to it - showing Albania expanded to include parts of Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Greece.