Albanian PM Rama in landmark visit to Serbia

8 November 2014 | 10:18 | FOCUS News Agency

Belgrade. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama will make a landmark visit to Belgrade on Monday, the first of its kind in 68 years and seen as a step towards calming tensions in the region, AFP reported.
Initially planned for October 22, the visit was postponed for three weeks following violence a week earlier that interrupted a football match between Serbia and Albania.
That incident spiralled into a political crisis and was followed by mutual accusations between Belgrade and Tirana, showing the fragility of their bilateral relations.
However faced with EU determination to push Serbia and Albania to normalise their relations, the two EU-aspirant nations tried to calm the situation.
Rama and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic agreed, in a telephone conversation, on the landmark visit despite "obvious disagreements."
Belgrade will welcome Rama in the hope that his visit will lead to "open talks" that will turn the page in relations between the two countries, a Serbian government source told AFP.
"We are seeing this as a new chapter to be opened in the relations between Serbia and Albania and towards cooperation with the joint goal to preserve stability in the Balkans," the source said.
Tirana hopes Rama's visit will put an end to the political-sport crisis that erupted after the football match, a qualifier for the 2016 European championships.
The match in Belgrade on October 14 was halted after home fans invaded the pitch and attacked Albania players after a pro-Albanian flag was carried over the stadium by a drone.
The match was goalless when it was abandoned as Albania players fled to the changing rooms as irrate fans invaded the pitch.
The provocative flag included a map of 'Greater Albania' incorporating parts of Serbia.
Albania insists it is now necessary to make efforts to improve the fragile relations in the Balkans.
"The time has come to turn the page and not to fall in a trap of the politics that has held us hostage for a long time," Rama said several days ahead of his visit.
"The interest of our countries is to move on, to work together for the prosperity of our region... Europe is our joint destination, we want to be part of the European family," he said.
Albania was granted a EU candidate status earlier this year, while Serbia in January launched accession talks with Brussels.
Rama's visit is an occasion that should be grabbed, both Albanian and Serbian analysts agree.