Don’t play with fire: Serbian defense chief castigates ‘dangerous Greater Albania’ gambit

SManalysis

World May 13, Tass

Greater Albania is the pan-Albanian idea of reunifying all territories, where Albanians live or used to live


Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin © Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
MOSCOW, May 13. /TASS/. Albania’s expansionist ambitions jeopardize peace and stability in the Balkans, Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin said in an interview with TASS on Monday.

"A major threat to the Balkans right now is the creation of a Greater Albania and its attempt to gain a foothold in the territories of other states, starting with Montenegro, North Macedonia, the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, and a part of Central Serbia," Vulin said. "The only country, which opposes this, is Serbia."



Moscow says renewed pan-Albanian rhetoric unlikely to contribute to Balkan stability
According to Vulin, after North Macedonia’s accession to NATO, all Albanians will live in a single political security zone, but the Albanian prime minister expressed his wish to "erase the borders among those states where Albanians live." "And they live in four countries, and this is alarming," he said. "Moreover, the European Union and NATO are turning a blind eye to the formation of a Greater Albania."

"If someone wants to solve the Albanian national issue in the Balkans, they should also iron out the Serbian national issue," the Serbian defense minister stressed. "We cannot give the Albanians something without giving the same to the Serbs. That’s why, I take this opportunity to warn the entire world: Don’t play with fire! Don’t create a Greater Albania on Serbian soil."


Greater Albania is the pan-Albanian idea of reunifying all territories, where Albanians live or used to live. In this case, the Albanians will seek to obtain a part of Greece’s territory, half of Macedonia, all of Kosovo and some territories of southern Serbia, as well as a half of Montenegro. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier said that Moscow was concerned since the EU was passive about the initiative about the so-called Tirana platform, which is a clear call for creating a Greater Albania.



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