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Αλβανία- Κλεισούρα: Ύποπτο για εκρηκτικά πακέτο εντοπίστηκε στο Κοιμητήριο των Ελλήνων στρατιωτών
SManalysis
Ιανουάριος 10, 2020. Echedoros
Ύποπτο πακέτο εντοπίστηκε κοντά στο Κοιμητήριο των Ελλήνων στρατιωτών στην Κλεισούρα.
Πηγές της αστυνομίας ανέφεραν ότι το πακέτο διαστάσεων 20Χ30 εκατοστά πιθανόν να περιέχει εκρηκτικά.
Η αλβανική αστυνομία έχει περιορίσει την πρόσβαση στην περιοχή και περιμένει τη ειδική υπηρεσία για να σαρώσει τη συσκευασία και αν χρειαστεί να προβεί σε ελεγχόμενη έκρηξη.
Συγχρόνως, στο Ορθόδοξο Μοναστήρι του Αγίου Ιωάννη, όπου βρίσκονται οι τάφοι των Ελλήνων στρατιωτών πού έπεσαν πολεμώντας τους Ιταλούς φασίστες, έχει γραφεί το σύνθημα « Αγαπώ την Τσαμουριά» / «I Love Çamëria».
Το σύνθημα αυτό των Αλβανοτάμηδων γράφηκε στις 28- 29 Δεκεμβρίου, αλλά αμέσως διαγράφηκε από μοναχούς.
Υπάρχουν εικασίες ότι το άτομο που έγραψε αυτό σύνθημα, να έχει αφήσει τώρα το ύποπτο πακέτο.
Σύμφωνα με το αλβανικό δημοσίευμα, το Κοιμητήριο των Ελλήνων στρατιωτών στην περιοχή, συχνά-πυκνά αποτελεί στόχο των Αλβανών και έχει προκαλέσει έντονη πολιτική και εθνική συζήτηση, όπως αναφέρεται.
Ιανουάριος 10, 2020. Echedoros
Ύποπτο πακέτο εντοπίστηκε κοντά στο Κοιμητήριο των Ελλήνων στρατιωτών στην Κλεισούρα.
Πηγές της αστυνομίας ανέφεραν ότι το πακέτο διαστάσεων 20Χ30 εκατοστά πιθανόν να περιέχει εκρηκτικά.
Η αλβανική αστυνομία έχει περιορίσει την πρόσβαση στην περιοχή και περιμένει τη ειδική υπηρεσία για να σαρώσει τη συσκευασία και αν χρειαστεί να προβεί σε ελεγχόμενη έκρηξη.
Συγχρόνως, στο Ορθόδοξο Μοναστήρι του Αγίου Ιωάννη, όπου βρίσκονται οι τάφοι των Ελλήνων στρατιωτών πού έπεσαν πολεμώντας τους Ιταλούς φασίστες, έχει γραφεί το σύνθημα « Αγαπώ την Τσαμουριά» / «I Love Çamëria».
Το σύνθημα αυτό των Αλβανοτάμηδων γράφηκε στις 28- 29 Δεκεμβρίου, αλλά αμέσως διαγράφηκε από μοναχούς.
Υπάρχουν εικασίες ότι το άτομο που έγραψε αυτό σύνθημα, να έχει αφήσει τώρα το ύποπτο πακέτο.
Σύμφωνα με το αλβανικό δημοσίευμα, το Κοιμητήριο των Ελλήνων στρατιωτών στην περιοχή, συχνά-πυκνά αποτελεί στόχο των Αλβανών και έχει προκαλέσει έντονη πολιτική και εθνική συζήτηση, όπως αναφέρεται.
Albanian Leaders Respond to Possible Threat by Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei over MEK Activities in Albania
SManalysis
Albanian President Ilir Meta and Prime Minister Edi Rama have responded to Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s implied threat against Albania for conspiring with the US against the Iranian regime.
Speaking to a gathering of regime supporters today, Khamenei possibly referred to Albania when he said that “a small and very treacherous European country and a number of Iranian mercenaries and traitors, they got together with some foreigners and tried to conspire against the Islamic republic.”
The Iranian leader might have referred to a June “human rights conference” of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (Mojahedin-e Khalq – MEK) – a political-militant organization working to topple the Iranian regime, with over 3,000 of its members sheltered in a compound in Albania after an agreement between the Albanian and US governments.
Among representatives, reportedly from 47 countries, speakers in the conference included President Trump’s lawyer and ex- Mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, former Democratic senator Joe Lieberman, Columbian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, former US Marine Corps Commander General James Conway, Lincoln Bloomfield, and British MP Matthew Offord.
Speakers in the event referred to “the regime of terror”, the “murderers in Tehran”, and called for the immediate overthrow of the current Iranian government.
President Ilir Meta condemned today’s attack by Iran on two US military bases as a “provocation” that could lead to “dangerous outcomes for the region and its stability”. Meta called on Iran to comply with international laws, and stated that Albania stand with the US and NATO against international terrorism.
In a possible response to Khamenei’s earlier comment, Meta added that “Albania is not a devilish country, but a democratic one, which has suffered under an unparalleled devilish dictatorship, therefore it holds human rights as holy.”
Prime Minister Edi Rama, who expelled the Iranian ambassador about a year ago, was also asked today on possible dangers posed to Albania by the presence of MEK members in the country. He said he was “not surprised” by Khamenei’s comments, and dismissed all concerns:
“This is not a new topic for us. We took an action that honors Albania and that is part of the strategic alliance with the US, and open the doors to a group of people whose lives were in danger. They are in Albania as a result of a humanitarian operation and not a political one.”
Rama praised Albania’s cooperation with the US on security issues. He said Albania’s contribution to the alliance with the US was not through “rockets and bombs” but through “offering humanitarian sheltering” for MEK members who are threatened by a “dictatorial regime”. Exit
Albanian President Ilir Meta and Prime Minister Edi Rama have responded to Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s implied threat against Albania for conspiring with the US against the Iranian regime.
Speaking to a gathering of regime supporters today, Khamenei possibly referred to Albania when he said that “a small and very treacherous European country and a number of Iranian mercenaries and traitors, they got together with some foreigners and tried to conspire against the Islamic republic.”
The Iranian leader might have referred to a June “human rights conference” of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (Mojahedin-e Khalq – MEK) – a political-militant organization working to topple the Iranian regime, with over 3,000 of its members sheltered in a compound in Albania after an agreement between the Albanian and US governments.
Among representatives, reportedly from 47 countries, speakers in the conference included President Trump’s lawyer and ex- Mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, former Democratic senator Joe Lieberman, Columbian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, former US Marine Corps Commander General James Conway, Lincoln Bloomfield, and British MP Matthew Offord.
Speakers in the event referred to “the regime of terror”, the “murderers in Tehran”, and called for the immediate overthrow of the current Iranian government.
President Ilir Meta condemned today’s attack by Iran on two US military bases as a “provocation” that could lead to “dangerous outcomes for the region and its stability”. Meta called on Iran to comply with international laws, and stated that Albania stand with the US and NATO against international terrorism.
In a possible response to Khamenei’s earlier comment, Meta added that “Albania is not a devilish country, but a democratic one, which has suffered under an unparalleled devilish dictatorship, therefore it holds human rights as holy.”
Prime Minister Edi Rama, who expelled the Iranian ambassador about a year ago, was also asked today on possible dangers posed to Albania by the presence of MEK members in the country. He said he was “not surprised” by Khamenei’s comments, and dismissed all concerns:
“This is not a new topic for us. We took an action that honors Albania and that is part of the strategic alliance with the US, and open the doors to a group of people whose lives were in danger. They are in Albania as a result of a humanitarian operation and not a political one.”
Rama praised Albania’s cooperation with the US on security issues. He said Albania’s contribution to the alliance with the US was not through “rockets and bombs” but through “offering humanitarian sheltering” for MEK members who are threatened by a “dictatorial regime”. Exit
Δημοσκόπηση ιδρυμάτων του Τζορτζ Σόρος για ένωση Αλβανίας και Κοσσυφοπεδίου
SManalysis
Ιανουάριος 10, 2020. Echedoros
Τίρανα.
Το Ίδρυμα Ανοικτής Κοινωνίας του Κοσσυφοπεδίου (KFOS) και το Ίδρυμα Ανοικτής Κοινωνίας της Αλβανίας (OSFA) έχουν δημοσιεύσει έρευνα που απαντά σε ορισμένα από τα θέματα που ενδιαφέρουν το Κοσσυφοπέδιο και την Αλβανία.
Ένα από τα θέματα αυτά- που πολλές φορές βρίσκεται στο προσκήνιο, είναι η ένωση του Κοσσυφοπεδίου με την Αλβανία.
Οι ερωτηθέντες στην πρωτεύουσα του Κοσσυφοπεδίου, Πρίστινα, σχετικά με την ενοποίηση με την Αλβανία, ήταν σε μεγάλο βαθμό ενάντια στην εθνική ένωση.
Παρουσιάζεται έτσι το δεδομένο ότι οι Κοσοβάροι είναι αυτοί κυρίως που δεν θέλουν την ένωση με την Αλβανία.
Διαφορετικοί πολιτισμοί και παραδόσεις
«Σε εκείνους που αντιτίθενται στην ενοποίηση σε ένα κράτος», γράφει το αλβανικό δημοσίευμα, «οι λόγοι είναι διαφορετικοί. Ο συχνότερος λόγος που ανέφεραν οι Αλβανοί στην Αλβανία και το Κοσσυφοπέδιο έχει να κάνει με την πεποίθηση ότι και τα δύο κράτη Κοσσυφοπέδιο και Αλβανία, λειτουργούν καλύτερα ξεχωριστά.
» Ένα σημαντικό μέρος εκείνων που αντιτίθενται στην ενοποίηση σε ένα κράτος πιστεύει ότι έχουν σοβαρές διαφορές στον πολιτισμό και την παράδοση.
Έτσι, σε μια ενδεχόμενη ψηφοφορία για την ένωση οι Αλβανοί στην Αλβανία θα ψήφιζαν υπέρ σε ποσοστό 59%, ενώ στο Κοσσυφοπέδιο φθάνει στο 47%», σημειώνει το δημοσίευμα.
Επιπλέον, στη δημοσκόπηση, ρωτήθηκαν εάν ήταν πρόθυμοι να πληρώσουν έναν φόρο που θα επιτρέψει την εθνική ενοποίηση.
Η προθυμία των Αλβανών της Αλβανίας φθάνει στο 29,5% να συμφωνούν σε έναν τέτοιο φόρο και 43,5% στο Κοσσυφοπέδιο.
Οι Αλβανοί στην Αλβανία πιστεύουν ότι σε ενδεχόμενη εθνική ενοποίηση, η διεθνής κοινότητα είναι ο βασικός παράγοντας που θα επιτρέψει την επιτρέψει.
Για τους Αλβανούς του Κοσσυφοπεδίου, ο κύριος παράγοντας που θα μπορούσε να συμβεί ένα τέτοιο σενάριο είναι οι ηγεσίες του Κοσσυφοπεδίου και της Αλβανίας.
Ωστόσο, οι Αλβανοί και στις δύο πλευρές συμφωνούν ότι ο διεθνής παράγοντας είναι σημαντικό εμπόδιο για την ένωση, τόσο στην Αλβανία όσο και στο Κοσσυφοπέδιο.
top-channel.tv
Ιανουάριος 10, 2020. Echedoros
Τίρανα.
Το Ίδρυμα Ανοικτής Κοινωνίας του Κοσσυφοπεδίου (KFOS) και το Ίδρυμα Ανοικτής Κοινωνίας της Αλβανίας (OSFA) έχουν δημοσιεύσει έρευνα που απαντά σε ορισμένα από τα θέματα που ενδιαφέρουν το Κοσσυφοπέδιο και την Αλβανία.
Ένα από τα θέματα αυτά- που πολλές φορές βρίσκεται στο προσκήνιο, είναι η ένωση του Κοσσυφοπεδίου με την Αλβανία.
Οι ερωτηθέντες στην πρωτεύουσα του Κοσσυφοπεδίου, Πρίστινα, σχετικά με την ενοποίηση με την Αλβανία, ήταν σε μεγάλο βαθμό ενάντια στην εθνική ένωση.
Παρουσιάζεται έτσι το δεδομένο ότι οι Κοσοβάροι είναι αυτοί κυρίως που δεν θέλουν την ένωση με την Αλβανία.
Διαφορετικοί πολιτισμοί και παραδόσεις
«Σε εκείνους που αντιτίθενται στην ενοποίηση σε ένα κράτος», γράφει το αλβανικό δημοσίευμα, «οι λόγοι είναι διαφορετικοί. Ο συχνότερος λόγος που ανέφεραν οι Αλβανοί στην Αλβανία και το Κοσσυφοπέδιο έχει να κάνει με την πεποίθηση ότι και τα δύο κράτη Κοσσυφοπέδιο και Αλβανία, λειτουργούν καλύτερα ξεχωριστά.
» Ένα σημαντικό μέρος εκείνων που αντιτίθενται στην ενοποίηση σε ένα κράτος πιστεύει ότι έχουν σοβαρές διαφορές στον πολιτισμό και την παράδοση.
Έτσι, σε μια ενδεχόμενη ψηφοφορία για την ένωση οι Αλβανοί στην Αλβανία θα ψήφιζαν υπέρ σε ποσοστό 59%, ενώ στο Κοσσυφοπέδιο φθάνει στο 47%», σημειώνει το δημοσίευμα.
Επιπλέον, στη δημοσκόπηση, ρωτήθηκαν εάν ήταν πρόθυμοι να πληρώσουν έναν φόρο που θα επιτρέψει την εθνική ενοποίηση.
Η προθυμία των Αλβανών της Αλβανίας φθάνει στο 29,5% να συμφωνούν σε έναν τέτοιο φόρο και 43,5% στο Κοσσυφοπέδιο.
Οι Αλβανοί στην Αλβανία πιστεύουν ότι σε ενδεχόμενη εθνική ενοποίηση, η διεθνής κοινότητα είναι ο βασικός παράγοντας που θα επιτρέψει την επιτρέψει.
Για τους Αλβανούς του Κοσσυφοπεδίου, ο κύριος παράγοντας που θα μπορούσε να συμβεί ένα τέτοιο σενάριο είναι οι ηγεσίες του Κοσσυφοπεδίου και της Αλβανίας.
Ωστόσο, οι Αλβανοί και στις δύο πλευρές συμφωνούν ότι ο διεθνής παράγοντας είναι σημαντικό εμπόδιο για την ένωση, τόσο στην Αλβανία όσο και στο Κοσσυφοπέδιο.
top-channel.tv
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Αλί Χαμενεΐ : «Μια μικρή και διαβολική ευρωπαϊκή χώρα»- επιτέθηκε στην Αλβανία…
SManalysis
Ιανουάριος 8, 2020. Echedoros
Σε ομιλία του μετά την πυραυλική επίθεση σε δύο αμερικανικές στρατιωτικές βάσεις στο Ιράκ, ο ανώτατος ηγέτης του Ιράν Αλί Χαμενεΐ, μαζί με κατηγορίες εναντίον των ΗΠΑ, στιγμάτισε την Αλβανία στα μάτια των Ιρανών.
Ο Αλί Χαμενεΐ μίλησε για «μια πολύ μικρή αλλά πολύ κακή ευρωπαϊκή χώρα, όπου οι Αμερικανοί συνεργάζονται με Ιρανούς προδότες εναντίον της Ισλαμικής Δημοκρατίας».
Ο Χαμενεΐ αναφέρθηκε στους Μουτζαχεντίν, ενώ η Αλβανία είναι η μοναδική χώρα στην Ευρώπη που τους φιλοξενεί.
«Αν και ανέφερε το όνομα της χώρας μας», γράφει το αλβανικό δημοσίευμα, «αναφέρεται ακριβώς στην Αλβανία.
Κεντρικό θέμα της ομιλίας του ήταν, φυσικά, οι κατηγορίες και προειδοποιήσεις εναντίον των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών και άλλων συμμαχικών κρατών:
«Είναι μια πολύ μικρή αλλά πολύ κακή ευρωπαϊκή χώρα, όπου τα αμερικανικά στοιχεία συνεργάζονται με Ιρανούς προδότες και σχεδιάζουν κατά της Ισλαμικής Δημοκρατίας. Και το σχέδιό που είχαν ήταν σαφές, με διαμαρτυρίες που λαμβάνουν χώρα στο Ιράν, αφού ορισμένοι από αυτούς τους προδότες ήρθαν στο Ιράν για να διαμαρτυρηθούν. Οι εχθροί, οι πράκτορες άρχισαν να εφαρμόζουν το σχέδιο να σαμποτάρουν, να σκοτώνουν και να καταστρέφουν την κυβέρνησή μας και το σύνταγμά μας».
Ο ανώτατος ηγέτης του Ιράν τόνισε ότι η χώρα ήταν έτοιμη για αυτά τα σχέδια και προειδοποίησε ότι ο εχθρός προσπαθεί να τους κάνει να αμφιβάλλουν για την αμυντική δύναμη της χώρας.
«Ο εχθρός είναι η Αμερική και το Σιωνιστικό καθεστώς και δεν πρέπει να κάνουμε λάθη στη χώρα μας», είπε προσθέτοντας ότι οι Ιρανοί πρέπει να γίνουν ισχυροί στρατιωτικά και οικονομικά, ώστε ο εχθρός να μην μπορεί να τους βλάψει.
Το σχετικό βίντεο μεταφράστηκε στα αγγλικά και μεταδόθηκε από το Al Jazeera.
Ιανουάριος 8, 2020. Echedoros
Σε ομιλία του μετά την πυραυλική επίθεση σε δύο αμερικανικές στρατιωτικές βάσεις στο Ιράκ, ο ανώτατος ηγέτης του Ιράν Αλί Χαμενεΐ, μαζί με κατηγορίες εναντίον των ΗΠΑ, στιγμάτισε την Αλβανία στα μάτια των Ιρανών.
Ο Αλί Χαμενεΐ μίλησε για «μια πολύ μικρή αλλά πολύ κακή ευρωπαϊκή χώρα, όπου οι Αμερικανοί συνεργάζονται με Ιρανούς προδότες εναντίον της Ισλαμικής Δημοκρατίας».
Ο Χαμενεΐ αναφέρθηκε στους Μουτζαχεντίν, ενώ η Αλβανία είναι η μοναδική χώρα στην Ευρώπη που τους φιλοξενεί.
«Αν και ανέφερε το όνομα της χώρας μας», γράφει το αλβανικό δημοσίευμα, «αναφέρεται ακριβώς στην Αλβανία.
Κεντρικό θέμα της ομιλίας του ήταν, φυσικά, οι κατηγορίες και προειδοποιήσεις εναντίον των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών και άλλων συμμαχικών κρατών:
«Είναι μια πολύ μικρή αλλά πολύ κακή ευρωπαϊκή χώρα, όπου τα αμερικανικά στοιχεία συνεργάζονται με Ιρανούς προδότες και σχεδιάζουν κατά της Ισλαμικής Δημοκρατίας. Και το σχέδιό που είχαν ήταν σαφές, με διαμαρτυρίες που λαμβάνουν χώρα στο Ιράν, αφού ορισμένοι από αυτούς τους προδότες ήρθαν στο Ιράν για να διαμαρτυρηθούν. Οι εχθροί, οι πράκτορες άρχισαν να εφαρμόζουν το σχέδιο να σαμποτάρουν, να σκοτώνουν και να καταστρέφουν την κυβέρνησή μας και το σύνταγμά μας».
Ο ανώτατος ηγέτης του Ιράν τόνισε ότι η χώρα ήταν έτοιμη για αυτά τα σχέδια και προειδοποίησε ότι ο εχθρός προσπαθεί να τους κάνει να αμφιβάλλουν για την αμυντική δύναμη της χώρας.
«Ο εχθρός είναι η Αμερική και το Σιωνιστικό καθεστώς και δεν πρέπει να κάνουμε λάθη στη χώρα μας», είπε προσθέτοντας ότι οι Ιρανοί πρέπει να γίνουν ισχυροί στρατιωτικά και οικονομικά, ώστε ο εχθρός να μην μπορεί να τους βλάψει.
Το σχετικό βίντεο μεταφράστηκε στα αγγλικά και μεταδόθηκε από το Al Jazeera.
Greek PM Misses Chance to Capitalize on Iran Crisis at Trump Meeting
SManalysis
By Philip Chrysopoulos -Jan 8, 2020
The meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday has left many Greeks uncertain whether the much-advertised event will be beneficial for Greece in regard to Turkey’s recent continuous provocations.
The current hostilities between the U.S. and Iran appeared to be a bonafide opportunity for the Greek PM to offer his full support for a possible confrontation — and receive similar support in turn against Turkey‘s territorial claims.
Iran has already launched missile attacks against American bases in Iraq.
Yet the Greek leader seems to have failed to take advantage of the Iran crisis and obtain full U.S. support against Ankara’s continued expansionist actions.
In the event that the United States and Iran do engage in open military conflict, Greece’s crucial strategic role in NATO, and the important U.S. and NATO naval facilities at Souda Bay on Crete, could be a great tool in shifting Trump’s seeming tolerance towards Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s expansionist aims.
Souda Bay is the largest and most prominent naval base for the Unites States and NATO in the entire Eastern Mediterranean. It features the only deepwater port in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, making it suitable for maintaining the largest aircraft carriers.
In October, the Mitsotakis government agreed to a set of amendments to the existing 1990 Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement (MDCA) which would allow the U.S. to expand the Souda Bay naval facility and establish even more bases in Greece. This way, Greece would support even larger U.S. and NATO operations in the Mediterranean and Middle East.
Leveraging this agreement on expanding the presence of U.S. military bases in Greece, Mitsotakis could have used the Iran card to ask Trump to explicitly condemn the Turkey-Libya agreement on maritime boundaries, which Athens sees as illegal and destabilizing.
The Greek premier did ask for a condemnation during yesterday’s question period with the press. However, Trump refrained from answering, and there seemed to have been no use of the agreement to forward Mitsotakis’ position.
Perhaps Mitsotakis should have insisted. He could have stressed the importance of being a trusted U.S. ally during a time when there is general disapproval for the killing of Qasem Soleimani by the U.S. Army and the condemnation of the escalation of war rhetoric from Trump.
He could have stressed that Erdogan has called the Soleimani killing an “assassination” and not an act of self-defense, as Trump has insisted it was.
Also, Mitsotakis did not exactly speak of Greece’s military support in case the two countries go to war. His statement “We’re allies with the U.S., and we stand by our allies,” was not binding but rather just more diplomatic talk. After all, the Tehran government has already announced that any country which supported the United States in case of war would be attacked by Iran as well.
But seen through a different lens, the Iran crisis could actually mean that the timing for Mitsotakis was unfavorable. At this very moment, Trump’s mind is more on what to do with Iran and how to handle the issue of the impeachment drama. So Turkey’s deal with Libya on maritime borders would most likely be the last thing on his mind at the present moment.
Also, one should keep in mind that Turkey is surely moving away from the West. So it would be too optimistic for Athens to believe that any diplomatic talk coming from the U.S. would deter Erdogan from causing trouble in the Eastern Mediterranean anyway.
However, President Trump’s signing of the Eastern Mediterranean bill into law on December 20, which recognizes significant U.S. security interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the upgrade of the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed in Athens in October, are both acts that show that Greece is very likely to get the support it needs from Washington against Turkey’s provocations.
No matter what the unpredictable American President refrained from saying yesterday.
By Philip Chrysopoulos -Jan 8, 2020
The meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday has left many Greeks uncertain whether the much-advertised event will be beneficial for Greece in regard to Turkey’s recent continuous provocations.
The current hostilities between the U.S. and Iran appeared to be a bonafide opportunity for the Greek PM to offer his full support for a possible confrontation — and receive similar support in turn against Turkey‘s territorial claims.
Iran has already launched missile attacks against American bases in Iraq.
Yet the Greek leader seems to have failed to take advantage of the Iran crisis and obtain full U.S. support against Ankara’s continued expansionist actions.
In the event that the United States and Iran do engage in open military conflict, Greece’s crucial strategic role in NATO, and the important U.S. and NATO naval facilities at Souda Bay on Crete, could be a great tool in shifting Trump’s seeming tolerance towards Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s expansionist aims.
Souda Bay is the largest and most prominent naval base for the Unites States and NATO in the entire Eastern Mediterranean. It features the only deepwater port in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, making it suitable for maintaining the largest aircraft carriers.
In October, the Mitsotakis government agreed to a set of amendments to the existing 1990 Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement (MDCA) which would allow the U.S. to expand the Souda Bay naval facility and establish even more bases in Greece. This way, Greece would support even larger U.S. and NATO operations in the Mediterranean and Middle East.
Leveraging this agreement on expanding the presence of U.S. military bases in Greece, Mitsotakis could have used the Iran card to ask Trump to explicitly condemn the Turkey-Libya agreement on maritime boundaries, which Athens sees as illegal and destabilizing.
The Greek premier did ask for a condemnation during yesterday’s question period with the press. However, Trump refrained from answering, and there seemed to have been no use of the agreement to forward Mitsotakis’ position.
Perhaps Mitsotakis should have insisted. He could have stressed the importance of being a trusted U.S. ally during a time when there is general disapproval for the killing of Qasem Soleimani by the U.S. Army and the condemnation of the escalation of war rhetoric from Trump.
He could have stressed that Erdogan has called the Soleimani killing an “assassination” and not an act of self-defense, as Trump has insisted it was.
Also, Mitsotakis did not exactly speak of Greece’s military support in case the two countries go to war. His statement “We’re allies with the U.S., and we stand by our allies,” was not binding but rather just more diplomatic talk. After all, the Tehran government has already announced that any country which supported the United States in case of war would be attacked by Iran as well.
But seen through a different lens, the Iran crisis could actually mean that the timing for Mitsotakis was unfavorable. At this very moment, Trump’s mind is more on what to do with Iran and how to handle the issue of the impeachment drama. So Turkey’s deal with Libya on maritime borders would most likely be the last thing on his mind at the present moment.
Also, one should keep in mind that Turkey is surely moving away from the West. So it would be too optimistic for Athens to believe that any diplomatic talk coming from the U.S. would deter Erdogan from causing trouble in the Eastern Mediterranean anyway.
However, President Trump’s signing of the Eastern Mediterranean bill into law on December 20, which recognizes significant U.S. security interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the upgrade of the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed in Athens in October, are both acts that show that Greece is very likely to get the support it needs from Washington against Turkey’s provocations.
No matter what the unpredictable American President refrained from saying yesterday.
Council of Europe Rapporteur to Albania Speaks of ‘Worrying’ Extradition of Harun Celik and Human Rights Violations
SManalysis
From: Alice Elizabeth Taylor
Andrej Hunko, Rapporteur to Albania for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has given exclusive comments to Exit on the “worrying extradition” of Harun Celik from Albania to Turkey.
“We took notice of the worrying extradition of Mr Harun Celik and we will closely follow the situation. According to the CoE European Convention on Extradition, there shall be no extradition on political offences.”
He added that under the CoE Human Rights Convention, member states have to ensure that human rights of all persons on their territory will be respected.
“An extradition to a state where a fair trial is at least doubtful is not in line with these responsibilities,” he explained, meaning that the actions of Albanian authorities could find them in violation of not just one convention they are signatory to, but two.
He continued that while they do not have ongoing communication with Albanian authorities, there is an ongoing debate in the CoE’s committees and they will publish an assessment of the matter in a report.
Hunko said that he is very concerned about the methods which Turkey is using to get people extradited from other countries. He highlighted instances in Moldova where teachers were deported in 2018. The European Court of Human Rights ruled that the extradition was violating the Convention and sentenced Moldova to pay some EUR 25,000 for each person deported.
Even if the deportation was due to legal issues as the authorities have claimed, they would still be violating his human rights under the Human Rights Convention.
Earlier this week, lawyers of Celik sent an official letter to the Ministry of the Interior and the State Police in Albania requesting information regarding his situation.
In the letter, they asked the authorities if Celik’s departure from Albania is expulsion or was due to interference from Turkey.
Celik was arrested five months ago and imprisoned awaiting trial. During this time he asked for political asylum but was denied by prison authorities. Instead of facing trial in Albania, he was sent back to Turkey at the alleged request of the Turkish government where he believes his life is in danger.
His lawyer Alban Bengasi said that even for an act of deportation, an administrative act such as an exclusion order must be brought against him. Under Albanian law, the person concerned has the right to challenge the decision in administrative court before the action is executed
Celik is alleged to be a ‘Gulenist’- a member of an organisation that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claims were behind the failed 2016 coup attempt. Since then he has enacted an international crackdown on anyone he believes is linked to the movement. Some 150,000 civil servants, police officers, soldiers, judges, teachers, and academics have been suspended, imprisoned or hauled before the courts, along with thousands of journalists.
Erdogan has also demanded the expulsion of so-called Gulenists from a number of countries around the world.
Turkey does not provide passports or ID cards to citizens that it considers being supporters of the Gulen Movement, leaving many to flee to the West using false documents.
The Democratic Party have called for an investigation into the circumstances of his removal from Albania by the President, the Ombudsman and the Prosecution and called the incident a “kidnapping”.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Edi Rama did not respond to questions sent by Exit relating to the matter.
From: Alice Elizabeth Taylor
Andrej Hunko, Rapporteur to Albania for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has given exclusive comments to Exit on the “worrying extradition” of Harun Celik from Albania to Turkey.
“We took notice of the worrying extradition of Mr Harun Celik and we will closely follow the situation. According to the CoE European Convention on Extradition, there shall be no extradition on political offences.”
He added that under the CoE Human Rights Convention, member states have to ensure that human rights of all persons on their territory will be respected.
“An extradition to a state where a fair trial is at least doubtful is not in line with these responsibilities,” he explained, meaning that the actions of Albanian authorities could find them in violation of not just one convention they are signatory to, but two.
He continued that while they do not have ongoing communication with Albanian authorities, there is an ongoing debate in the CoE’s committees and they will publish an assessment of the matter in a report.
Hunko said that he is very concerned about the methods which Turkey is using to get people extradited from other countries. He highlighted instances in Moldova where teachers were deported in 2018. The European Court of Human Rights ruled that the extradition was violating the Convention and sentenced Moldova to pay some EUR 25,000 for each person deported.
Even if the deportation was due to legal issues as the authorities have claimed, they would still be violating his human rights under the Human Rights Convention.
Earlier this week, lawyers of Celik sent an official letter to the Ministry of the Interior and the State Police in Albania requesting information regarding his situation.
In the letter, they asked the authorities if Celik’s departure from Albania is expulsion or was due to interference from Turkey.
Celik was arrested five months ago and imprisoned awaiting trial. During this time he asked for political asylum but was denied by prison authorities. Instead of facing trial in Albania, he was sent back to Turkey at the alleged request of the Turkish government where he believes his life is in danger.
His lawyer Alban Bengasi said that even for an act of deportation, an administrative act such as an exclusion order must be brought against him. Under Albanian law, the person concerned has the right to challenge the decision in administrative court before the action is executed
Celik is alleged to be a ‘Gulenist’- a member of an organisation that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claims were behind the failed 2016 coup attempt. Since then he has enacted an international crackdown on anyone he believes is linked to the movement. Some 150,000 civil servants, police officers, soldiers, judges, teachers, and academics have been suspended, imprisoned or hauled before the courts, along with thousands of journalists.
Erdogan has also demanded the expulsion of so-called Gulenists from a number of countries around the world.
Turkey does not provide passports or ID cards to citizens that it considers being supporters of the Gulen Movement, leaving many to flee to the West using false documents.
The Democratic Party have called for an investigation into the circumstances of his removal from Albania by the President, the Ombudsman and the Prosecution and called the incident a “kidnapping”.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Edi Rama did not respond to questions sent by Exit relating to the matter.
Serbian Minority Demands Serbian Language School in Albania
SManalysis
From: Exit
Pavlo Jakoja, the president of the ‘Moraça-Rozafa’ association has demanded that a Serbian-language school is opened in Shkodra. He estimated that there are 27,500 Serb-Montenegrins in Albania.
The statement came on the date of Orthodox Christmas, 7 January, and while governments of Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia have launched the “Balkan mini Schengen” initiative.
In the last census in Albania from 2011 only 366 people declared themselves as Montenegrin. Whilst many members of ethnic minorities boycotted the census, there is no reliable information on the exact number of Serbian minority in Albania. The next census is scheduled for 2021.
When challenged on the number he stated by journalists, Jakoja said that minorities are scared and do not declare. He did not indicate whether there had been any incidents against Serbian minority members in Albania.
Albania recognizes 8 ethnic minorities: Greek, Macedonian, Aromanian, Roma, Egyptian, Montenegrin, Bosnian, Serbian and Bulgarian.
Art.13 of the Law 96/2017 on Protection of Minorities stipulates that the Albanian government can decide on opening public schools for minorities in their language upon demand by the community. Courses in their native languages are currently provided to Greek and Macedonian minorities in some Albanian public schools.
Jakoja also weighed in on the ‘mini-Schengen’ stating that those who avoid cross-border cooperation do not consider the European perspective of the region.
From: Exit
Pavlo Jakoja, the president of the ‘Moraça-Rozafa’ association has demanded that a Serbian-language school is opened in Shkodra. He estimated that there are 27,500 Serb-Montenegrins in Albania.
The statement came on the date of Orthodox Christmas, 7 January, and while governments of Albania, Serbia and North Macedonia have launched the “Balkan mini Schengen” initiative.
In the last census in Albania from 2011 only 366 people declared themselves as Montenegrin. Whilst many members of ethnic minorities boycotted the census, there is no reliable information on the exact number of Serbian minority in Albania. The next census is scheduled for 2021.
When challenged on the number he stated by journalists, Jakoja said that minorities are scared and do not declare. He did not indicate whether there had been any incidents against Serbian minority members in Albania.
Albania recognizes 8 ethnic minorities: Greek, Macedonian, Aromanian, Roma, Egyptian, Montenegrin, Bosnian, Serbian and Bulgarian.
Art.13 of the Law 96/2017 on Protection of Minorities stipulates that the Albanian government can decide on opening public schools for minorities in their language upon demand by the community. Courses in their native languages are currently provided to Greek and Macedonian minorities in some Albanian public schools.
Jakoja also weighed in on the ‘mini-Schengen’ stating that those who avoid cross-border cooperation do not consider the European perspective of the region.
Iran defies Trump's wrath with retaliatory missile attacks
SManalysis
Stephen Collinson Profile
Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN
Trump on striking cultural sites: I like to obey the law
(CNN)Iran's defiant volley of ballistic missile attacks on Iraqi bases hosting American forces significantly quickened a cycle of escalation that threatens to erupt into a full blown war with the United States.
In effect, Iran called President Donald Trump's bluff, dismissing his warnings that it should not respond to his own massively provocative move of killing the Islamic Republic's top general.
Iran's attack appeared to shatter the talking points of Trump's political allies that his targeted strike against Qasem Soleimani had reestablished deterrence. Far from stopping a war as Trump promised, last week's attack may have started one.
While the missile strikes represented rare direct fire between Iran and the US, they were not as potent as they might have been given Soleimani's talismanic importance to the Iranian regime. If Trump interprets them that way, it could open an avenue to limit the escalation of the current crisis.
Iran attacks two Iraqi bases housing US forces in 'revenge' for Soleimani's death
Iran attacks two Iraqi bases housing US forces in 'revenge' for Soleimani's death
The question now, is how the President, torn between a hatred of looking weak and a new Middle Eastern war he vowed to avoid but seems to have blustered his way into, will react?
If neither side blinks, America could be on the brink of its first hot war with revolutionary Iran after 40 simmering years of proxy conflicts, bitter rhetoric and short-lived diplomatic thaws.
Or each of the foes could consider their honor preserved after several days of inflammatory exchanges and step back from the cusp of a confrontation that is threatening to spin out of control. Such a step back would not quell tension. It would likely see Iran seek to oust the US from the region and Washington redouble political, economic and diplomatic pressure on Tehran. But it might stop short of the shooting war both sides insist that they don't want.
If it is to be war, it would be one of Trump's own making, and a product of a brash, threatening leadership style carved from an "America First" disdain for traditional US diplomacy by an emotional President who acts on instinct rather than strategy.
It would match Trump -- and his hollowed out national security team, purged of moderating forces who might have stopped him short of this point -- against Iran's theocratic rulers.
It now seems as though Trump's hardline policy towards America's 40-year foe -- triggered by his withdrawal from an Obama-era nuclear deal -- is close to reaching an inevitable result.
The administration says that its "maximum pressure" policy and punishing economic warfare is designed to force Iran back to nuclear talks and to quit its regional misbehavior. It seems to have had the opposite effect.
A war with Iran could further tear the fabric of American political life, amid Trump's impeachment battle, and rebound on the President as he seeks a second term in November's election.
It could set the Middle East ablaze even more so than the Iraq War, unleash assaults by Iranian proxies on American targets and allies and halt the fight against ISIS. Given opposition to Trump's harsh Iran policy among traditional allies, America could find it fighting such a battle alone.
How will Trump respond?
Trump now appears to have two options.
First, he can follow through on his own threats and take another step in the escalatory cycle with what he warned might be disproportionate military force. In this scenario, and given that Iran fired missiles at Americans from its own territory, it seems inevitable the US would target Iranian soil. Islamic Republic pride might dictate another move towards full-on war.
"If Iran does anything that they shouldn't be doing, they're going to be suffering the consequences, and very strongly," the President told reporters in the Oval Office Tuesday.
Esper says US isn't looking 'to start a war with Iran, but we are prepared to finish one'
Esper says US isn't looking 'to start a war with Iran, but we are prepared to finish one'
Much will depend on how the United States evaluates Iran's attacks on the al-Asad air base west of Baghdad and in Erbil in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq.
Trump could chose to accept Iran's play as its calibrated response to Soleimani's killing and hold back the wrath of the US military. While Tehran did directly fire on American troops, it could have taken steps that were more likely to result in mass US casualties.
But Trump never turns the other cheek. His mantra is when you are attacked, hit back harder -- a philosophy that seems to have informed the stunning shot at Soleimani, which surprised even some members of his own administration.
"Trump has already set a standard that he's going to do a massive retaliation. If he fails to do that I think he looks weak," one source who recently spoke to the President told CNN's Jim Acosta.
A possible pause
Yet the most grave moment of a presidency awash in shallow political controversies also tugs Trump in another direction.
The President's instinct is to withdraw American troops from harm's way everywhere. He sees deployments overseas as a waste of money. He promised the political base to which he remains unfailingly loyal that he was different than predecessors who foundered on foreign entanglements, especially in Iraq.
"We don't want to be there forever; we want to be able to get out. I didn't want to be there in first place, to be honest," Trump said, working through his conflict in the Oval Office.
Defying some expectations, the United States did not immediately retaliate Tuesday.
"Now is the time for patience and restraint," a senior administration official said.
The President seemed to radiate relief that no Americans were killed in the attacks, despite reports of Iraqi casualties.
"All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning," Trump tweeted.
Confirmation that no Americans died could offer Trump running room to avoid large-scale reprisal strikes against Iran.
The evolving US justification for killing Iran's top general
The evolving US justification for killing Iran's top general
The President decided against making an Oval Office address to the nation on Tuesday night after news broke of Iran's attacks. This potentially wise move spared him from immediately investing prestige in a course of action.
Perhaps the pause will give Trump time to reflect.
Retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, a CNN military analyst, counseled restraint, passing on a lesson imprinted on the nation's recent history.
"It's very easy to fall into a war and start a war, it's a lot more difficult to extract ourselves from one," Hertling said.
The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, on Tuesday urged Trump to step back from confrontation before it is too late
"We are at a critical juncture where we still have an opportunity to be responsible and pursue diplomatic channels," Menendez said in a statement.
"The American people are not interested in getting involved in yet another endless war in the Middle East with no clear goal or strategy."
Political consequences
A key question in the coming days is whether a divide-and-rule President can unite the nation behind him if the situation deteriorates further.
Already there are serious rumblings on Capitol Hill about the administration's refusal to reveal the intelligence that Trump says proves Soleimani was planning "imminent" attacks.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that the intelligence was "more than razor thin" but also argued that Soleimani's "time was due" -- appearing to indicate that his record was as important as his intent.
The debate about timing might seem irrelevant given that there is no doubt that Soleimani was a sworn enemy of the United States with American blood on his hands.
But if the administration used inadequate intelligence as an excuse to eliminate him as part of an ideological Iran policy, it will beg the question of whether the cost justified the risk.
Iran is also playing politics
In coordinating its response to Soleimani's killing, Iran took a noticeably political approach -- seeming to consciously pile political pressure on the President, perhaps in the belief he doesn't want to go down in history for starting a war.
The al-Asad air base was familiar to him — it was where he touched down during his only trip to Iraq in December 2018.
The Iranians also stressed, amid a barrage of bellicose commentary possibly aimed at a domestic audience, that their response was proportionate and not intended to spark a war.
"We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression," Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted, in what was possibly a veiled offer of an informal truce.
Days after a senior State Department official told reporters that -- by killing Soleimani -- the US was talking to the regime in Tehran in language it understands, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei seemed to slip into Trump-speak in a statement.
"I said during a speech at the time (of Barack Obama's presidency) that the time for hit-and-run is over. If you hit, you get hit back," the Ayatollah said in an undated video released in Tehran
Stephen Collinson Profile
Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN
Trump on striking cultural sites: I like to obey the law
(CNN)Iran's defiant volley of ballistic missile attacks on Iraqi bases hosting American forces significantly quickened a cycle of escalation that threatens to erupt into a full blown war with the United States.
In effect, Iran called President Donald Trump's bluff, dismissing his warnings that it should not respond to his own massively provocative move of killing the Islamic Republic's top general.
Iran's attack appeared to shatter the talking points of Trump's political allies that his targeted strike against Qasem Soleimani had reestablished deterrence. Far from stopping a war as Trump promised, last week's attack may have started one.
While the missile strikes represented rare direct fire between Iran and the US, they were not as potent as they might have been given Soleimani's talismanic importance to the Iranian regime. If Trump interprets them that way, it could open an avenue to limit the escalation of the current crisis.
Iran attacks two Iraqi bases housing US forces in 'revenge' for Soleimani's death
Iran attacks two Iraqi bases housing US forces in 'revenge' for Soleimani's death
The question now, is how the President, torn between a hatred of looking weak and a new Middle Eastern war he vowed to avoid but seems to have blustered his way into, will react?
If neither side blinks, America could be on the brink of its first hot war with revolutionary Iran after 40 simmering years of proxy conflicts, bitter rhetoric and short-lived diplomatic thaws.
Or each of the foes could consider their honor preserved after several days of inflammatory exchanges and step back from the cusp of a confrontation that is threatening to spin out of control. Such a step back would not quell tension. It would likely see Iran seek to oust the US from the region and Washington redouble political, economic and diplomatic pressure on Tehran. But it might stop short of the shooting war both sides insist that they don't want.
If it is to be war, it would be one of Trump's own making, and a product of a brash, threatening leadership style carved from an "America First" disdain for traditional US diplomacy by an emotional President who acts on instinct rather than strategy.
It would match Trump -- and his hollowed out national security team, purged of moderating forces who might have stopped him short of this point -- against Iran's theocratic rulers.
It now seems as though Trump's hardline policy towards America's 40-year foe -- triggered by his withdrawal from an Obama-era nuclear deal -- is close to reaching an inevitable result.
The administration says that its "maximum pressure" policy and punishing economic warfare is designed to force Iran back to nuclear talks and to quit its regional misbehavior. It seems to have had the opposite effect.
A war with Iran could further tear the fabric of American political life, amid Trump's impeachment battle, and rebound on the President as he seeks a second term in November's election.
It could set the Middle East ablaze even more so than the Iraq War, unleash assaults by Iranian proxies on American targets and allies and halt the fight against ISIS. Given opposition to Trump's harsh Iran policy among traditional allies, America could find it fighting such a battle alone.
How will Trump respond?
Trump now appears to have two options.
First, he can follow through on his own threats and take another step in the escalatory cycle with what he warned might be disproportionate military force. In this scenario, and given that Iran fired missiles at Americans from its own territory, it seems inevitable the US would target Iranian soil. Islamic Republic pride might dictate another move towards full-on war.
"If Iran does anything that they shouldn't be doing, they're going to be suffering the consequences, and very strongly," the President told reporters in the Oval Office Tuesday.
Esper says US isn't looking 'to start a war with Iran, but we are prepared to finish one'
Esper says US isn't looking 'to start a war with Iran, but we are prepared to finish one'
Much will depend on how the United States evaluates Iran's attacks on the al-Asad air base west of Baghdad and in Erbil in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq.
Trump could chose to accept Iran's play as its calibrated response to Soleimani's killing and hold back the wrath of the US military. While Tehran did directly fire on American troops, it could have taken steps that were more likely to result in mass US casualties.
But Trump never turns the other cheek. His mantra is when you are attacked, hit back harder -- a philosophy that seems to have informed the stunning shot at Soleimani, which surprised even some members of his own administration.
"Trump has already set a standard that he's going to do a massive retaliation. If he fails to do that I think he looks weak," one source who recently spoke to the President told CNN's Jim Acosta.
A possible pause
Yet the most grave moment of a presidency awash in shallow political controversies also tugs Trump in another direction.
The President's instinct is to withdraw American troops from harm's way everywhere. He sees deployments overseas as a waste of money. He promised the political base to which he remains unfailingly loyal that he was different than predecessors who foundered on foreign entanglements, especially in Iraq.
"We don't want to be there forever; we want to be able to get out. I didn't want to be there in first place, to be honest," Trump said, working through his conflict in the Oval Office.
Defying some expectations, the United States did not immediately retaliate Tuesday.
"Now is the time for patience and restraint," a senior administration official said.
The President seemed to radiate relief that no Americans were killed in the attacks, despite reports of Iraqi casualties.
"All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning," Trump tweeted.
Confirmation that no Americans died could offer Trump running room to avoid large-scale reprisal strikes against Iran.
The evolving US justification for killing Iran's top general
The evolving US justification for killing Iran's top general
The President decided against making an Oval Office address to the nation on Tuesday night after news broke of Iran's attacks. This potentially wise move spared him from immediately investing prestige in a course of action.
Perhaps the pause will give Trump time to reflect.
Retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, a CNN military analyst, counseled restraint, passing on a lesson imprinted on the nation's recent history.
"It's very easy to fall into a war and start a war, it's a lot more difficult to extract ourselves from one," Hertling said.
The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, on Tuesday urged Trump to step back from confrontation before it is too late
"We are at a critical juncture where we still have an opportunity to be responsible and pursue diplomatic channels," Menendez said in a statement.
"The American people are not interested in getting involved in yet another endless war in the Middle East with no clear goal or strategy."
Political consequences
A key question in the coming days is whether a divide-and-rule President can unite the nation behind him if the situation deteriorates further.
Already there are serious rumblings on Capitol Hill about the administration's refusal to reveal the intelligence that Trump says proves Soleimani was planning "imminent" attacks.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that the intelligence was "more than razor thin" but also argued that Soleimani's "time was due" -- appearing to indicate that his record was as important as his intent.
The debate about timing might seem irrelevant given that there is no doubt that Soleimani was a sworn enemy of the United States with American blood on his hands.
But if the administration used inadequate intelligence as an excuse to eliminate him as part of an ideological Iran policy, it will beg the question of whether the cost justified the risk.
Iran is also playing politics
In coordinating its response to Soleimani's killing, Iran took a noticeably political approach -- seeming to consciously pile political pressure on the President, perhaps in the belief he doesn't want to go down in history for starting a war.
The al-Asad air base was familiar to him — it was where he touched down during his only trip to Iraq in December 2018.
The Iranians also stressed, amid a barrage of bellicose commentary possibly aimed at a domestic audience, that their response was proportionate and not intended to spark a war.
"We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression," Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted, in what was possibly a veiled offer of an informal truce.
Days after a senior State Department official told reporters that -- by killing Soleimani -- the US was talking to the regime in Tehran in language it understands, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei seemed to slip into Trump-speak in a statement.
"I said during a speech at the time (of Barack Obama's presidency) that the time for hit-and-run is over. If you hit, you get hit back," the Ayatollah said in an undated video released in Tehran
Greek, Italian, Turkish and Albanian Footballers Raise Money for Albanian Quake Victims
SManalysis
By Nick Kampouris -Jan 7, 2020
The Air Albania stadium in Tirana. File Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Veteran footballers from Greece, Italy, Albania and Turkey will play on January 10 in Albania to raise money for the victims of the devastating quake which shook the country on November 26, 2019.
The friendly game will be held at the Air Albania Stadium in Tirana, where the longtime players from the nations of Albania, Greece, Turkey and Italy will give their best performance for the best possible cause.
Among the players who will play in the charity game will be Gianluca Zambrotta and Simone Perrotta, both of whom are 2006 world champions with Italy; Hasan Sas, who was a protagonist when Turkey finished third in the World Cup of 2002; and of course, ex Inter player George Karagounis, European champion with Greece in 2004, when the country won the Euro.
The game has been organized with the full support of the Albanian Football Federation.
A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit Western Albania in November, killing dozens of people and causing widespread structural damage in the cities of Durres (Dyrrachium) and Tirana.
By Nick Kampouris -Jan 7, 2020
The Air Albania stadium in Tirana. File Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Veteran footballers from Greece, Italy, Albania and Turkey will play on January 10 in Albania to raise money for the victims of the devastating quake which shook the country on November 26, 2019.
The friendly game will be held at the Air Albania Stadium in Tirana, where the longtime players from the nations of Albania, Greece, Turkey and Italy will give their best performance for the best possible cause.
Among the players who will play in the charity game will be Gianluca Zambrotta and Simone Perrotta, both of whom are 2006 world champions with Italy; Hasan Sas, who was a protagonist when Turkey finished third in the World Cup of 2002; and of course, ex Inter player George Karagounis, European champion with Greece in 2004, when the country won the Euro.
The game has been organized with the full support of the Albanian Football Federation.
A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit Western Albania in November, killing dozens of people and causing widespread structural damage in the cities of Durres (Dyrrachium) and Tirana.
"If United States make a move, we will bomb Israel and Dubai"
SManalysis
Iran has threatened to bomb Israel and Dubai if the United States retaliates for its ballistic missile strike at two Iraqi bases housing US troops
SOURCE: TANJUG WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020
'We are warning all American allies, who gave their bases to its terrorist army, that any territory that is the starting point of aggressive acts against Iran will be targeted,' Iranian National Guard said.
The Iranian Guard has also threatened to bomb Haifa in Israel and Dubai in the Emirates, the Daily Mail reported.
Iran has fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops in a revenge attack for the U.S. drone strike that killed a top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.
Iran has threatened to bomb Israel and Dubai if the United States retaliates for its ballistic missile strike at two Iraqi bases housing US troops
SOURCE: TANJUG WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020
'We are warning all American allies, who gave their bases to its terrorist army, that any territory that is the starting point of aggressive acts against Iran will be targeted,' Iranian National Guard said.
The Iranian Guard has also threatened to bomb Haifa in Israel and Dubai in the Emirates, the Daily Mail reported.
Iran has fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops in a revenge attack for the U.S. drone strike that killed a top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.
Media: Darko Kovacevic has been shot at
SManalysis
Greek media report that the celebrated Serbian football player and until recently Sports Director of the Serbian Football Federation Darko Kovacevic was shot at
SOURCE: B92 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020
Former Serbia striker Darko Kovacevic was shot at on Tuesday evening outside his home in the Athens suburb of Glyfada, the Athens News Agency (ANA) reported, along with prototheme.gr web portal.
The gunman's burning car was found near the airport.
Kovacevic suffered a knee injury and was taken to a local hospital.
The "to10.gr" portal reveals details of the attack and states that it is "a miracle that Kovacevic survived this attack".
The attacker had reportedly ambushed Kovacevic in front of his home, intercepting him.
Kovacevic was not killed, as he took to the ground, deceiving the attacker who thought he had successfully completed his task, the portal said.
The motive for the attack is still unknown.
Greek media report that the celebrated Serbian football player and until recently Sports Director of the Serbian Football Federation Darko Kovacevic was shot at
SOURCE: B92 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020
Former Serbia striker Darko Kovacevic was shot at on Tuesday evening outside his home in the Athens suburb of Glyfada, the Athens News Agency (ANA) reported, along with prototheme.gr web portal.
The gunman's burning car was found near the airport.
Kovacevic suffered a knee injury and was taken to a local hospital.
The "to10.gr" portal reveals details of the attack and states that it is "a miracle that Kovacevic survived this attack".
The attacker had reportedly ambushed Kovacevic in front of his home, intercepting him.
Kovacevic was not killed, as he took to the ground, deceiving the attacker who thought he had successfully completed his task, the portal said.
The motive for the attack is still unknown.
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Οποιαδήποτε διαίρεση του Κοσσυφοπεδίου, ή στη Νοτιοανατολική Ευρώπη, η Ελλάδα, παίρνει τη Βόρεια Ήπειρο
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The president of PFA and the Prime Minister of Greece at the Blair House in Washington DC
Η ημερήσια διάταξη της Βόρειας Ηπείρου στην Ουάσινγκτον επανενεργοποιήθηκε ταχέως. Η ελληνική κυβέρνηση συναντιέται με τους ηγέτες της ΠανΗπειρώτικη Ομοσπονδίας των ΗΠΑ, σε μια περίοδο που αναμένονται εξελίξεις στα Νοτιοδυτικά Βαλκάνια.
Ένα σαφές μήνυμα από το Λευκό Οίκο στην Ουάσινγκτον μας μεταφέρεται μέσω των φωτογραφιών που παρουσιάζω σε κάθε τραπέζι των διαπραγματεύσεων μεταξύ της Ελλάδας και των ΗΠΑ, συμπεριλαμβανομένου του Προέδρου της ΠανΗπειρώτικη Ομοσπονδίας , Νίκο Γκατζογιάννης.
Ο Νίκο Γκατζογιάννης, πρώην δημοσιογράφος της New York Times και διπλωματικός σύμβουλος του πρώην Πρωθυπουργού Κωστίνος Μητσοτάκη το 1990-94, ενεργός χαρακτήρας στο ζήτημα της Βόρειας Ηπείρου, συνοδεύει τον Πρωθυπουργό Μιτσοτάκη σε συναντήσεις με τον Υπουργό Εξωτερικών Μάικ Πομπέο , στο Λευκό Οίκο με τον Πρόεδρο Τρούμπ, α αλλά και στο Ατλαντικό Συμβούλιο, θέτοντας την κορυφαία διπλωματική ατζέντα της Βόρειας Ηπείρου.
Είναι για πρώτη φορά μια τέτοια ταχεία και σαφής επανενεργοποίηση της ΠανΗπειρώτικη Ομοσπονδίας των Η.Π.Α.. με την ελληνική κυβέρνηση, η οποία μας θυμίζει το 1993, όταν ο πρώην Πρωθυπουργός Κωνσταντίνος Μητσοτάκης επέβαλε 6 προϋποθέσεις στην Αλβανία για τη Βόρειο Ήπειρο ή Θέστε διαφορετικά: "Αυτό που απαιτείται από την Αλβανία για το Κοσσυφοπέδιο, θα ζητήσει και η Ελλάδα για τη Βόρεια Ήπειρο".
Ωστόσο, για τους Έλληνες της Αλβανίας, ο Πρωθυπουργός Μιτσοτάκι επανέλαβε στην Ουάσινγκτον, δίνοντας ένα άλλο μήνυμα στα Τίρανα, να επιδείξει προσοχή για το δικαίωμα της αυτοδιάθεσης των Ελλήνων, της περιουσίας τους και όλων των δικαιωμάτων που συναντούν, επαναλαμβάνοντας ότι ο δρόμος προς την Ευρώπη της Αλβανίας είναι δύσκολος χωρίς να πληρούνται αυτοί οι όροι.
The president of PFA and the Prime Minister of Greece at the Blair House in Washington DC
Η ημερήσια διάταξη της Βόρειας Ηπείρου στην Ουάσινγκτον επανενεργοποιήθηκε ταχέως. Η ελληνική κυβέρνηση συναντιέται με τους ηγέτες της ΠανΗπειρώτικη Ομοσπονδίας των ΗΠΑ, σε μια περίοδο που αναμένονται εξελίξεις στα Νοτιοδυτικά Βαλκάνια.
Ένα σαφές μήνυμα από το Λευκό Οίκο στην Ουάσινγκτον μας μεταφέρεται μέσω των φωτογραφιών που παρουσιάζω σε κάθε τραπέζι των διαπραγματεύσεων μεταξύ της Ελλάδας και των ΗΠΑ, συμπεριλαμβανομένου του Προέδρου της ΠανΗπειρώτικη Ομοσπονδίας , Νίκο Γκατζογιάννης.
Ο Νίκο Γκατζογιάννης, πρώην δημοσιογράφος της New York Times και διπλωματικός σύμβουλος του πρώην Πρωθυπουργού Κωστίνος Μητσοτάκη το 1990-94, ενεργός χαρακτήρας στο ζήτημα της Βόρειας Ηπείρου, συνοδεύει τον Πρωθυπουργό Μιτσοτάκη σε συναντήσεις με τον Υπουργό Εξωτερικών Μάικ Πομπέο , στο Λευκό Οίκο με τον Πρόεδρο Τρούμπ, α αλλά και στο Ατλαντικό Συμβούλιο, θέτοντας την κορυφαία διπλωματική ατζέντα της Βόρειας Ηπείρου.
Είναι για πρώτη φορά μια τέτοια ταχεία και σαφής επανενεργοποίηση της ΠανΗπειρώτικη Ομοσπονδίας των Η.Π.Α.. με την ελληνική κυβέρνηση, η οποία μας θυμίζει το 1993, όταν ο πρώην Πρωθυπουργός Κωνσταντίνος Μητσοτάκης επέβαλε 6 προϋποθέσεις στην Αλβανία για τη Βόρειο Ήπειρο ή Θέστε διαφορετικά: "Αυτό που απαιτείται από την Αλβανία για το Κοσσυφοπέδιο, θα ζητήσει και η Ελλάδα για τη Βόρεια Ήπειρο".
Ωστόσο, για τους Έλληνες της Αλβανίας, ο Πρωθυπουργός Μιτσοτάκι επανέλαβε στην Ουάσινγκτον, δίνοντας ένα άλλο μήνυμα στα Τίρανα, να επιδείξει προσοχή για το δικαίωμα της αυτοδιάθεσης των Ελλήνων, της περιουσίας τους και όλων των δικαιωμάτων που συναντούν, επαναλαμβάνοντας ότι ο δρόμος προς την Ευρώπη της Αλβανίας είναι δύσκολος χωρίς να πληρούνται αυτοί οι όροι.
Monday, January 6, 2020
Έκκληση ιερέα από τις Δρυμάδες για καταστροφή εκκλησίας από το καθεστώς Ράμα
SManalysis
Ιανουάριος 6, 2020. Echedoros
Για δεύτερη φορά, οι εκκλησίες στο χωριό Δρυμάδες της περιφέρειας Χειμάρρας έχουν γίνει στόχος για την αύξηση των εντάσεων μεταξύ των Ελλήνων Ορθοδόξων πιστών της Χειμάρρας και των αλβανικών αρχών.
Η αντίδραση προήλθε από τον ιερέα στους Δρυμάδες παπα- Τζίμο, που γυρίζοντας από τον αγιασμό των υδάτων την ημέρα των Θεοφανείων, είδε να καταστρέφεται ο καθεδρικός ναός της Εκκλησίας του Αγίου Σπυρίδωνα από εργάτες μιας ολιγαρχικής εταιρείας που δουλεύει στους Δρυμάδες, με τα χρήματα των Αλβανών φορολογουμένων.
Σύμφωνα με τις καταγγελίες του παπα Τζίμου, που ανάρτησε βίντεο στα μέσα κοινωνικής δικτύωσης, γίνεται σαφές ότι μέρος της εκκλησίας έχει κατεδαφιστεί και η εκκλησία είναι πλέον ανίκανη να ασκήσει τη λειτουργία της για τους κατοίκους των Δρυμάδων, ενώ κατηγόρησε το αλβανικό καθεστώς και την κυβέρνηση του Έντι Ράμα.
Ο Παπα Τζίμος έκανε έκκληση στους κατοίκους των Δρυμάδων και της Χειμάρρας να οργανωθούν και να προστατεύσουν τα ακίνητά τους, τα σπίτια και τις εκκλησίες τους, καθώς σήμερα έγινε στόχος όπως φάνηκε είναι η αποδυνάμωση του πληθυσμού της Χειμάρρας από τους ολιγάρχες σφετεριστές και κλέφτες.
Είναι η δεύτερη φορά που οι εκκλησίες στους Δρυμάδες της Χειμάρρας γίνονται αντικείμενα βανδαλισμού από την αλβανική κυβέρνηση που εκπροσωπείται από τους υπαλλήλους της, οι οποίοι κατεδαφίζουν τις εκκλησίες με διάφορες προφάσεις.
Φαίνεται με σαφήνεια ότι κρατικοί κύκλοι στο όνομα των δημόσιων επενδύσεων απειλούν τη σταθερότητα με την καταστροφή της θρησκευτικής αρμονίας στην Αλβανία, γράφει ο Σταύρος Μάρκος στο SManalysis.
Ιανουάριος 6, 2020. Echedoros
Για δεύτερη φορά, οι εκκλησίες στο χωριό Δρυμάδες της περιφέρειας Χειμάρρας έχουν γίνει στόχος για την αύξηση των εντάσεων μεταξύ των Ελλήνων Ορθοδόξων πιστών της Χειμάρρας και των αλβανικών αρχών.
Η αντίδραση προήλθε από τον ιερέα στους Δρυμάδες παπα- Τζίμο, που γυρίζοντας από τον αγιασμό των υδάτων την ημέρα των Θεοφανείων, είδε να καταστρέφεται ο καθεδρικός ναός της Εκκλησίας του Αγίου Σπυρίδωνα από εργάτες μιας ολιγαρχικής εταιρείας που δουλεύει στους Δρυμάδες, με τα χρήματα των Αλβανών φορολογουμένων.
Σύμφωνα με τις καταγγελίες του παπα Τζίμου, που ανάρτησε βίντεο στα μέσα κοινωνικής δικτύωσης, γίνεται σαφές ότι μέρος της εκκλησίας έχει κατεδαφιστεί και η εκκλησία είναι πλέον ανίκανη να ασκήσει τη λειτουργία της για τους κατοίκους των Δρυμάδων, ενώ κατηγόρησε το αλβανικό καθεστώς και την κυβέρνηση του Έντι Ράμα.
Ο Παπα Τζίμος έκανε έκκληση στους κατοίκους των Δρυμάδων και της Χειμάρρας να οργανωθούν και να προστατεύσουν τα ακίνητά τους, τα σπίτια και τις εκκλησίες τους, καθώς σήμερα έγινε στόχος όπως φάνηκε είναι η αποδυνάμωση του πληθυσμού της Χειμάρρας από τους ολιγάρχες σφετεριστές και κλέφτες.
Είναι η δεύτερη φορά που οι εκκλησίες στους Δρυμάδες της Χειμάρρας γίνονται αντικείμενα βανδαλισμού από την αλβανική κυβέρνηση που εκπροσωπείται από τους υπαλλήλους της, οι οποίοι κατεδαφίζουν τις εκκλησίες με διάφορες προφάσεις.
Φαίνεται με σαφήνεια ότι κρατικοί κύκλοι στο όνομα των δημόσιων επενδύσεων απειλούν τη σταθερότητα με την καταστροφή της θρησκευτικής αρμονίας στην Αλβανία, γράφει ο Σταύρος Μάρκος στο SManalysis.
Almost 1000 Albanians Sought Asylum in Ireland in 2019
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From: Exit
Almost 1000 Albanians Sought Asylum in Ireland in 2019
965 Albanians applied for asylum in Ireland in 2019, ranking first on the list of countries with the most asylum seekers in the country.
Irish Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan told The Irish Times in January 2020 that the number of Albanian illegal immigrants has been high and continues to rise.
In 2014, 99 asylum applications were registered; in 2015 214 applications were registered; in 2016, 222 applications were registered; in 2017, 282 applications were registered – more than any other country except Syria.
Irish authorities explained that Albanians enter Ireland with fake travel documents and then seek asylum.
Ireland has launched an investigation into an Albanian international criminal gang believed to be involved in drug and human trafficking. One of the group’s top leaders was arrested by Irish police during the last months of 2019 and an important investigation is ongoing.
They say that discouraging policies undertaken by Albania, increased controls by airlines and border police have had their first effects by reducing the number of asylum applications in October 2019, yet the number for the year as a whole remains at an all-time high.
Albania is considered as a safe country of origin and therefore asylum applicants must prove they face imprisonment, risk of torture, injury, or death if they were to return to the country.
From: Exit
Almost 1000 Albanians Sought Asylum in Ireland in 2019
965 Albanians applied for asylum in Ireland in 2019, ranking first on the list of countries with the most asylum seekers in the country.
Irish Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan told The Irish Times in January 2020 that the number of Albanian illegal immigrants has been high and continues to rise.
In 2014, 99 asylum applications were registered; in 2015 214 applications were registered; in 2016, 222 applications were registered; in 2017, 282 applications were registered – more than any other country except Syria.
Irish authorities explained that Albanians enter Ireland with fake travel documents and then seek asylum.
Ireland has launched an investigation into an Albanian international criminal gang believed to be involved in drug and human trafficking. One of the group’s top leaders was arrested by Irish police during the last months of 2019 and an important investigation is ongoing.
They say that discouraging policies undertaken by Albania, increased controls by airlines and border police have had their first effects by reducing the number of asylum applications in October 2019, yet the number for the year as a whole remains at an all-time high.
Albania is considered as a safe country of origin and therefore asylum applicants must prove they face imprisonment, risk of torture, injury, or death if they were to return to the country.
OUTLOOK 2020 Albania
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OUTLOOK 2020 Albania The coastal city of Durres was among the areas worst hit by the November 2019 earthquake.
By bne IntelliNews January 6, 2020
The biggest question facing Albania in 2020 is whether EU countries will set a date for the start of accession talks at the EU Council summit in May 2020.
Albania, along with North Macedonia, failed to obtain a date to start EU accession talks during the previous EU summit in October 2019, due to the veto by French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron talked of a rethink of the enlargement process, but other EU member states have been pushing for a green light at the next summit.
Judicial, administration and electoral reforms are the priorities for the country in its EU accession path. The country is also required to strengthen the fight against crime, corruption and drug trafficking.
Another failure to secure a date to start talks would have negative political repercussions at home and most likely set back the reform process.
Albania is due to hold a regular election in 2021, but the main opposition Democratic Party is pressing for a snap general election as the way out of the political crisis in the country. Opposition MPs handed over signed statements in February 2019 giving up their parliamentary seats and demanding a fresh election. However, Prime Minister Eli Rama’s Socialists won a majority of seats in the last election, and is unlikely to call a snap election.
The country also faces a constitutional crisis over appointments of judges in the Constitutional Court.
Post-earthquake reconstruction
2020 will be a year of post-earthquake reconstruction, after the country was hit by a strong quake on November 26, killing 51 people and leaving thousands without homes.
The quake has thrown out economic projections for 2020, as the government starts to rebuild infrastructure in affected areas which include the country’s main port city Durres.
Even before the quake, the Albanian government was forecasting that the country’s economic growth will decelerate slightly to 4.1% in 2020, from 4.3% projected for 2019. The Albanian economy expanded strongly by 4.1% and 3.8% in 2018 and 2017, respectively.
In their latest projections, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast 3.9% economic growth in Albania in 2020, while the European Commission projects the Albanian economy will expand by 3.7% in 2020.
Economic activities are expected to rebound in the next two years on the back of a continuing solid increase in household spending. Risks to this forecast are mainly on the downside due to the deteriorating external environment and the tense political climate in the country. The conclusion of large energy projects is expected to result in a moderation of construction-related imports and an expansion of domestic energy production capacities.
As a result, the current account deficit is expected to gradually contract to some 5% of GDP by the end of 2021, covered predominantly by FDI inflows. However, downside risks arise from slow growth in Albania’s key trading partners in the EU, especially Italy. According to Raiffeisen, domestic political disputes could weigh on the economy, while the financial effects of the earthquake on the economy are not yet clear.
Inflation is expected to increase by 2% in 2019 and to speed up to 2.4% in 2020, following an inflation of 2% in 2018.
Counting the cost
Albania was planning a budget deficit of 1.6% of GDP in 2020, the lowest in the last two decades, following a planned gap of 1.9% of GDP in 2019.
When the parliament endorsed the budget in December, Prime Minister Edi Rama said the main parameters would remain as planned. However, Tirana is still assessing the reconstruction costs following the deadly earthquake in November 2019 that left thousands of people homeless.
“Reconstruction of damaged dwellings is foreseen to start shortly after the estimation of damages by end of January 2020. The government will start to reconstruct with an amount of $200mn but predicts to allocate up to 0.4% of GDP,” said Raiffeisen in a note on Albania.
“The budget deficit is contained with an estimated value of 0.5% of GDP till October 2019 and even though the expenses are usually postponed for the year end we do not expect a budget deficit higher than 2% of GDP. But for the next year [2020], we predict expansion of the budget deficit to 2.2% or higher to cover the financial effects of the natural disaster.”
According to Finance Minister Anita Denaj, assessments are underway and the final cost of reconstruction will not be known until the third week in January, ahead of a planned donor conference.
The government has already allocated ALL20bn for reconstruction, but more will be needed, Denaj said in an interview with Euronoews Albania. The amount “will be supported by an increased amount of financing from borrowing, but aiming nevertheless to maintain fiscal parameters, depending on Albania’s economic development,” Denaj said in the interview.
According to the 2020 budget, money will be allocated to support government-initiated reforms promoting economic growth, employment, improving the quality of services to citizens and the EU integration process. Priority sectors were education, health, agriculture and infrastructure, which are important to stimulate potential growth in the economy.
Total revenues for 2020 are projected at ALL502.6bn (€4.1bn), 6.2% higher than the expected revenues in 2019, while budget costs are projected at ALL532bn, or about 29.7% of GDP, 5.1% higher y/y.
According to the European Commission, Albania’s budget execution improved in the second half of 2019, with both revenue and expenditure broadly in line with the plan. A budget deficit below 2% of GDP is expected by the end of 2019. In the absence of additional measures, the deficit is forecast to hover around 1.5% of GDP in the medium-term.
The main fiscal risks stem from the possible further accumulation of payment arrears and from the materialisation of contingent liabilities from public-private partnerships (PPPs).
The government expects that by the end of 2020 Albania’s public debt will drop to 62.2% of GDP, from 64% of GDP in 2019, and will decline further below 60% of GDP in 2021. However, the European Commission said that although Albania’s debt ratio is set to remain on a declining path, it is projected to remain relatively high, at around 62% of GDP in 2021.
In August 2019, Moody's Investors Service affirmed its B1 long-term foreign and local currency issuer ratings. S&P rates Albania at B+/B'.
The last time Albania issued a Eurobond was in October 2018. The seven-year Eurobond worth €500mn will be used to repurchase €200mn of the outstanding €450mn Eurobond due in 2020 and to cover the budget deficit.
OUTLOOK 2020 Albania The coastal city of Durres was among the areas worst hit by the November 2019 earthquake.
By bne IntelliNews January 6, 2020
The biggest question facing Albania in 2020 is whether EU countries will set a date for the start of accession talks at the EU Council summit in May 2020.
Albania, along with North Macedonia, failed to obtain a date to start EU accession talks during the previous EU summit in October 2019, due to the veto by French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron talked of a rethink of the enlargement process, but other EU member states have been pushing for a green light at the next summit.
Judicial, administration and electoral reforms are the priorities for the country in its EU accession path. The country is also required to strengthen the fight against crime, corruption and drug trafficking.
Another failure to secure a date to start talks would have negative political repercussions at home and most likely set back the reform process.
Albania is due to hold a regular election in 2021, but the main opposition Democratic Party is pressing for a snap general election as the way out of the political crisis in the country. Opposition MPs handed over signed statements in February 2019 giving up their parliamentary seats and demanding a fresh election. However, Prime Minister Eli Rama’s Socialists won a majority of seats in the last election, and is unlikely to call a snap election.
The country also faces a constitutional crisis over appointments of judges in the Constitutional Court.
Post-earthquake reconstruction
2020 will be a year of post-earthquake reconstruction, after the country was hit by a strong quake on November 26, killing 51 people and leaving thousands without homes.
The quake has thrown out economic projections for 2020, as the government starts to rebuild infrastructure in affected areas which include the country’s main port city Durres.
Even before the quake, the Albanian government was forecasting that the country’s economic growth will decelerate slightly to 4.1% in 2020, from 4.3% projected for 2019. The Albanian economy expanded strongly by 4.1% and 3.8% in 2018 and 2017, respectively.
In their latest projections, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast 3.9% economic growth in Albania in 2020, while the European Commission projects the Albanian economy will expand by 3.7% in 2020.
Economic activities are expected to rebound in the next two years on the back of a continuing solid increase in household spending. Risks to this forecast are mainly on the downside due to the deteriorating external environment and the tense political climate in the country. The conclusion of large energy projects is expected to result in a moderation of construction-related imports and an expansion of domestic energy production capacities.
As a result, the current account deficit is expected to gradually contract to some 5% of GDP by the end of 2021, covered predominantly by FDI inflows. However, downside risks arise from slow growth in Albania’s key trading partners in the EU, especially Italy. According to Raiffeisen, domestic political disputes could weigh on the economy, while the financial effects of the earthquake on the economy are not yet clear.
Inflation is expected to increase by 2% in 2019 and to speed up to 2.4% in 2020, following an inflation of 2% in 2018.
Counting the cost
Albania was planning a budget deficit of 1.6% of GDP in 2020, the lowest in the last two decades, following a planned gap of 1.9% of GDP in 2019.
When the parliament endorsed the budget in December, Prime Minister Edi Rama said the main parameters would remain as planned. However, Tirana is still assessing the reconstruction costs following the deadly earthquake in November 2019 that left thousands of people homeless.
“Reconstruction of damaged dwellings is foreseen to start shortly after the estimation of damages by end of January 2020. The government will start to reconstruct with an amount of $200mn but predicts to allocate up to 0.4% of GDP,” said Raiffeisen in a note on Albania.
“The budget deficit is contained with an estimated value of 0.5% of GDP till October 2019 and even though the expenses are usually postponed for the year end we do not expect a budget deficit higher than 2% of GDP. But for the next year [2020], we predict expansion of the budget deficit to 2.2% or higher to cover the financial effects of the natural disaster.”
According to Finance Minister Anita Denaj, assessments are underway and the final cost of reconstruction will not be known until the third week in January, ahead of a planned donor conference.
The government has already allocated ALL20bn for reconstruction, but more will be needed, Denaj said in an interview with Euronoews Albania. The amount “will be supported by an increased amount of financing from borrowing, but aiming nevertheless to maintain fiscal parameters, depending on Albania’s economic development,” Denaj said in the interview.
According to the 2020 budget, money will be allocated to support government-initiated reforms promoting economic growth, employment, improving the quality of services to citizens and the EU integration process. Priority sectors were education, health, agriculture and infrastructure, which are important to stimulate potential growth in the economy.
Total revenues for 2020 are projected at ALL502.6bn (€4.1bn), 6.2% higher than the expected revenues in 2019, while budget costs are projected at ALL532bn, or about 29.7% of GDP, 5.1% higher y/y.
According to the European Commission, Albania’s budget execution improved in the second half of 2019, with both revenue and expenditure broadly in line with the plan. A budget deficit below 2% of GDP is expected by the end of 2019. In the absence of additional measures, the deficit is forecast to hover around 1.5% of GDP in the medium-term.
The main fiscal risks stem from the possible further accumulation of payment arrears and from the materialisation of contingent liabilities from public-private partnerships (PPPs).
The government expects that by the end of 2020 Albania’s public debt will drop to 62.2% of GDP, from 64% of GDP in 2019, and will decline further below 60% of GDP in 2021. However, the European Commission said that although Albania’s debt ratio is set to remain on a declining path, it is projected to remain relatively high, at around 62% of GDP in 2021.
In August 2019, Moody's Investors Service affirmed its B1 long-term foreign and local currency issuer ratings. S&P rates Albania at B+/B'.
The last time Albania issued a Eurobond was in October 2018. The seven-year Eurobond worth €500mn will be used to repurchase €200mn of the outstanding €450mn Eurobond due in 2020 and to cover the budget deficit.
Trying to destroy the Church of St. Spiridon in Drymades, in the Theophanes Day, blessed cross
A year ago, in the Church of Saint Spiridon, the Greek flag was placed and a slogan demanding unification with Greece ... Analytical sources show that Albanian nationalism has political backing, wanting to strain and show strength even against religious beliefs and nationals sentiments of Himara.
For the second time, the Churches of Drymades of Himara Region have been targeted to increase tensions between Greek Orthodox believers of Himara and Albanian authorities.
The reaction came from Drymades 'priest, Papa Tsimoz, after coming from the theophany of the Cross in the water, seen destroying the cathedral of St. Spyridon Church, some workers of an oligarchs firm working in Drymades, from Albanian taxpayers' money. .
According to a devastating reaction from Priest, Papa Tzimos, shared on social media, it seems clear that part of the church has been demolished and the Church is now unable to practice its liturgy for Drymade residents, while he has strongly accused the government Albanian Goverment.
Meanwhile, Papa Tzimos, the priest, has called on the residents of Drymades and Himara to organize and protect their properties, homes and churches, as they are today's target for disintegrating the population of Himara, from oligarchic usurpers and thieves.
It is the second time that the Churches in Drymades of Himara are vandalized by the Albanian government represented by its employees, who are demolishing the Churches in the name of old arrangements and old houses.
It seems clear from a brief analysis of property and territory robbery, house burglary, that someone is calling for increased tension in Himara, and this again comes from state circles which, in the name of public investment, are threatening the stability and destruction of Religious Harmony. in Albania.
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ALBANIAN MAFIA Albanian drug lords are trafficking kids into Britain where they’re forced into slavery in UK’s £5BILLION cocaine market
SManalysis
Mandy Appleyard
6 Jan 2020, The Sun
FORCED by a violent father into begging on the streets at 11, trafficked into Britain by Albanian gangs at 15 to endure slave labour, mugged then put into a children’s home – Samet Mata’s short life has been more traumatic than most people can imagine.
Now 18 and facing deportation back to his native Albania, Samet arrived in Bristol by lorry three years ago after being trafficked into Britain to work in one of the modern-day slavery industries.
Samet Mata with his foster dad John Stokes - Samet now faces deportation to Albania after a gang trafficked him into Britain as a slave
Samet Mata with his foster dad John Stokes - Samet now faces deportation to Albania after a gang trafficked him into Britain as a slaveCredit: change.org
His fortunes changed when he managed to escape the people smugglers and eventually found safe haven with a loving foster family.
But not all the young Albanians arriving here are so fortunate.
Countless youngsters have fallen into a grisly life of crime.
Smuggled slaves
Albanians being smuggled into Britain before being caught in Gent, Belgium
Albanians being smuggled into Britain before being caught in Gent, BelgiumCredit: AFP
Klevis Drazhi was made to sell drugs by the Albanian Mafia after he came to the UK illegally in the back of a lorry
Klevis Drazhi was made to sell drugs by the Albanian Mafia after he came to the UK illegally in the back of a lorryCredit: City of London Police
Endrit Vishaj entered the UK illegally aged 16, hidden on a lorry that took him to the Midlands.
Now, 18, he is serving a four year and four month jail sentence for dealing cocaine.
He was caught in a car park driving a BMW in which the police found two kilos of high quality cocaine worth £200,000 in a carrier bag with £55,500 cash - as well as his £1,000 fee for the job.
Similarly, Klevis Drazhi, 20, was caught with 11 wraps of cocaine in London and jailed for 18 months, claiming he was coerced into supplying drugs by a member of the Albania mafia after illegally entering the UK on the back of a lorry.
Alfred Hamzaj, 22, was jailed for eight months for dealing in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, after being caught with four kilos of cannabis.
He said he had fallen into crime after losing his job at a hand car wash because of his illegal immigration status.
Increasing numbers of Albanians just like these young men are smuggled illegally into the UK with the promise of earning thousands of pounds from selling and running drugs for gangs.
Cocaine cash
Albanian gangsters post pictures of their ill-gotten gains on social media
Albanian gangsters post pictures of their ill-gotten gains on social media
Shockingly, some parents in Albania are arranging for their teenage sons to be trafficked to Britain so they can join organised crime gangs controlling large tranches of the cocaine market here.
Tamara Barnett, from the Human Trafficking Foundation, says: “There is a real sense of hopelessness in Albania.
"One in two women experiences domestic violence, and violence against children is very high.
“The family might be involved, wanting to use their child to earn money, or they might want to give that child better opportunities overseas but then it all goes wrong when they get here.”
Court records show teenage Albanians who mostly entered the UK hidden in lorries have been prosecuted in towns and cities across the country after being caught with drugs worth as much as £200,000.
According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), Albania is the biggest single foreign source for people trafficking into the UK.
Some 947 cases were referred to it in 2018 - a rise of more than 50 per cent since 2015.
International law enforcement specialist Steve Harvey says the majority of Albanian boys and young men are trafficked with the complicity of their parents and the promise of big sums of money by the traffickers.
“The traffickers and exploiters promise them money, a lot of money, and they promise them a job or when the boys are minors, they promise them accommodation, or clothes, so things that they need to have,” an anonymous source told a Home Office inquiry.
In some cases family members are directly responsible for the recruitment and exploitation of male trafficking victims.
Some are smuggled here on lorries, many secure fake passports and come in by car or ferry.
Albanian Mafia
One London-based Albanian gang called the 'Hellbanianz' have shared pictures of their guns online
One London-based Albanian gang called the 'Hellbanianz' have shared pictures of their guns online
They've also unashamedly shown off their performance cars bought with blood money
7
They've also unashamedly shown off their performance cars bought with blood moneyCredit: Instagram
Police sources have warned that Albanians illegally flooding into the UK have provided a ready-made workforce for crime groups.
Known as the Mafia Shqiptare, the groups work by their traditional codes of "besa" - to keep promises - and "kanun" - the ancient blood feud laws.
Dozens of Albanian drug lords have been arrested and jailed across Britain in recent years.
Albanians now make up the second highest total of foreign nationals in UK jails at 760,433 of who are in for drugs offences - just a handful behind Poland on 787 - despite only tens of thousands living in the UK compared to almost a million Polish people.
Hardened gangs, often armed with guns, promote their lifestyle to teenagers in Albania.
They include the Hellbanianz street gang of Albanian boys in south London.
They use social media to entice new recruits, sending messages boasting of their success with money, flash cars, fat cigars, women and jewellery.
Every week Albanian gang masters make local newspaper headlines after being caught dealing drugs, smuggling huge shipments of cocaine direct from Europe.
The drug is at its cheapest since the 1990s and purer than it has been for a decade.
Thousands of Albanians arrived in the UK in the late 1990s and early 2000s, many of them claiming to be Kosovan.
Many took jobs as door staff in London's sex and vice trade then took over prostitution rackets, moving into smuggling people, guns and drugs into the UK.
They also began dealing cannabis, growing potent strains of the drug here using slave labour.
'His dreams are shattered'
Samet Mata now awaits deportation to Albania - where it's feared his traffickers will prey on him once again
Samet Mata now awaits deportation to Albania - where it's feared his traffickers will prey on him once againCredit: change.org
Now they have penetrated the UK's £5billion cocaine trade by building direct ties with suppliers in Latin America.
Some Albanian families send their children to the UK and overseas for the best of reasons: they want to give them the chance of a decent education and future.
But this has created a lucrative trade for smuggling gangs who can charge families up to £15,000 to get their children into the UK.
One 23-year-old Albanian paid €5,000 to be smuggled into the UK where he wanted to study and find a job.
Unable to survive financially, he started selling cannabis and small quantities of cocaine for a gang but was caught and deported back to Albania.
Now with a criminal record and limitations on his right to travel, the future looks bleak.
By contrast, Samet Mata has managed to forged a new life here in the UK after the neglect, beatings and abuse of his childhood in Albania, though he does suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Now studying carpentry at college, he is living a better life than he ever knew in his homeland.
Yet because he is now 18, the Home Office intends to deport Samet back to Albania.
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His foster father John Stokes has taken in more than 60 children in 30 years at his home in South Gloucestershire and is spearheading a national campaign to stop Samet being forced back to Albania.
“Since Samet came here to join our family, he’s really thrived," he says.
“Tragically, his dreams are now shattered. It is a desperate situation. If he goes back to Albania, he will fall straight back into the hands of those who trafficked him here to work in the first place.
“He’ll either end up being sent to work as a slave somewhere else, or worse, disappear because there will be no one looking out for him."
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Albanian cocaine gangs flaunt Lamborghinis and wads of cash in rap video
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Mandy Appleyard
6 Jan 2020, The Sun
FORCED by a violent father into begging on the streets at 11, trafficked into Britain by Albanian gangs at 15 to endure slave labour, mugged then put into a children’s home – Samet Mata’s short life has been more traumatic than most people can imagine.
Now 18 and facing deportation back to his native Albania, Samet arrived in Bristol by lorry three years ago after being trafficked into Britain to work in one of the modern-day slavery industries.
Samet Mata with his foster dad John Stokes - Samet now faces deportation to Albania after a gang trafficked him into Britain as a slave
Samet Mata with his foster dad John Stokes - Samet now faces deportation to Albania after a gang trafficked him into Britain as a slaveCredit: change.org
His fortunes changed when he managed to escape the people smugglers and eventually found safe haven with a loving foster family.
But not all the young Albanians arriving here are so fortunate.
Countless youngsters have fallen into a grisly life of crime.
Smuggled slaves
Albanians being smuggled into Britain before being caught in Gent, Belgium
Albanians being smuggled into Britain before being caught in Gent, BelgiumCredit: AFP
Klevis Drazhi was made to sell drugs by the Albanian Mafia after he came to the UK illegally in the back of a lorry
Klevis Drazhi was made to sell drugs by the Albanian Mafia after he came to the UK illegally in the back of a lorryCredit: City of London Police
Endrit Vishaj entered the UK illegally aged 16, hidden on a lorry that took him to the Midlands.
Now, 18, he is serving a four year and four month jail sentence for dealing cocaine.
He was caught in a car park driving a BMW in which the police found two kilos of high quality cocaine worth £200,000 in a carrier bag with £55,500 cash - as well as his £1,000 fee for the job.
Similarly, Klevis Drazhi, 20, was caught with 11 wraps of cocaine in London and jailed for 18 months, claiming he was coerced into supplying drugs by a member of the Albania mafia after illegally entering the UK on the back of a lorry.
Alfred Hamzaj, 22, was jailed for eight months for dealing in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, after being caught with four kilos of cannabis.
He said he had fallen into crime after losing his job at a hand car wash because of his illegal immigration status.
Increasing numbers of Albanians just like these young men are smuggled illegally into the UK with the promise of earning thousands of pounds from selling and running drugs for gangs.
Cocaine cash
Albanian gangsters post pictures of their ill-gotten gains on social media
Albanian gangsters post pictures of their ill-gotten gains on social media
Shockingly, some parents in Albania are arranging for their teenage sons to be trafficked to Britain so they can join organised crime gangs controlling large tranches of the cocaine market here.
Tamara Barnett, from the Human Trafficking Foundation, says: “There is a real sense of hopelessness in Albania.
"One in two women experiences domestic violence, and violence against children is very high.
“The family might be involved, wanting to use their child to earn money, or they might want to give that child better opportunities overseas but then it all goes wrong when they get here.”
Court records show teenage Albanians who mostly entered the UK hidden in lorries have been prosecuted in towns and cities across the country after being caught with drugs worth as much as £200,000.
According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), Albania is the biggest single foreign source for people trafficking into the UK.
Some 947 cases were referred to it in 2018 - a rise of more than 50 per cent since 2015.
International law enforcement specialist Steve Harvey says the majority of Albanian boys and young men are trafficked with the complicity of their parents and the promise of big sums of money by the traffickers.
“The traffickers and exploiters promise them money, a lot of money, and they promise them a job or when the boys are minors, they promise them accommodation, or clothes, so things that they need to have,” an anonymous source told a Home Office inquiry.
In some cases family members are directly responsible for the recruitment and exploitation of male trafficking victims.
Some are smuggled here on lorries, many secure fake passports and come in by car or ferry.
Albanian Mafia
One London-based Albanian gang called the 'Hellbanianz' have shared pictures of their guns online
One London-based Albanian gang called the 'Hellbanianz' have shared pictures of their guns online
They've also unashamedly shown off their performance cars bought with blood money
7
They've also unashamedly shown off their performance cars bought with blood moneyCredit: Instagram
Police sources have warned that Albanians illegally flooding into the UK have provided a ready-made workforce for crime groups.
Known as the Mafia Shqiptare, the groups work by their traditional codes of "besa" - to keep promises - and "kanun" - the ancient blood feud laws.
Dozens of Albanian drug lords have been arrested and jailed across Britain in recent years.
Albanians now make up the second highest total of foreign nationals in UK jails at 760,433 of who are in for drugs offences - just a handful behind Poland on 787 - despite only tens of thousands living in the UK compared to almost a million Polish people.
Hardened gangs, often armed with guns, promote their lifestyle to teenagers in Albania.
They include the Hellbanianz street gang of Albanian boys in south London.
They use social media to entice new recruits, sending messages boasting of their success with money, flash cars, fat cigars, women and jewellery.
Every week Albanian gang masters make local newspaper headlines after being caught dealing drugs, smuggling huge shipments of cocaine direct from Europe.
The drug is at its cheapest since the 1990s and purer than it has been for a decade.
Thousands of Albanians arrived in the UK in the late 1990s and early 2000s, many of them claiming to be Kosovan.
Many took jobs as door staff in London's sex and vice trade then took over prostitution rackets, moving into smuggling people, guns and drugs into the UK.
They also began dealing cannabis, growing potent strains of the drug here using slave labour.
'His dreams are shattered'
Samet Mata now awaits deportation to Albania - where it's feared his traffickers will prey on him once again
Samet Mata now awaits deportation to Albania - where it's feared his traffickers will prey on him once againCredit: change.org
Now they have penetrated the UK's £5billion cocaine trade by building direct ties with suppliers in Latin America.
Some Albanian families send their children to the UK and overseas for the best of reasons: they want to give them the chance of a decent education and future.
But this has created a lucrative trade for smuggling gangs who can charge families up to £15,000 to get their children into the UK.
One 23-year-old Albanian paid €5,000 to be smuggled into the UK where he wanted to study and find a job.
Unable to survive financially, he started selling cannabis and small quantities of cocaine for a gang but was caught and deported back to Albania.
Now with a criminal record and limitations on his right to travel, the future looks bleak.
By contrast, Samet Mata has managed to forged a new life here in the UK after the neglect, beatings and abuse of his childhood in Albania, though he does suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Now studying carpentry at college, he is living a better life than he ever knew in his homeland.
Yet because he is now 18, the Home Office intends to deport Samet back to Albania.
NEWS
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COMMENT
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ODD LANG SYNE Most bizarre New Year traditions from partying in graveyards to hurling sofas
His foster father John Stokes has taken in more than 60 children in 30 years at his home in South Gloucestershire and is spearheading a national campaign to stop Samet being forced back to Albania.
“Since Samet came here to join our family, he’s really thrived," he says.
“Tragically, his dreams are now shattered. It is a desperate situation. If he goes back to Albania, he will fall straight back into the hands of those who trafficked him here to work in the first place.
“He’ll either end up being sent to work as a slave somewhere else, or worse, disappear because there will be no one looking out for him."
Play Video
Albanian cocaine gangs flaunt Lamborghinis and wads of cash in rap video
Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
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Don't play this game if you are under 40 years old
VIKINGS: FREE ONLINE GAME
Sponsored Links.
The Must-Play Empire Game of the Year
GREPOLIS - FREE ONLINE GAME
New WiFi Booster Stops Expensive Internet in Albania
WIFI SUPERBOOSTER
Sponsored Links.
Ky është ‘superushqimi’ për të nxjerrë jashtë të gjitha helmet e trupit!
ELEMINON PARAZITË
People from Albania cannot believe these flight prices
TRIPS SHOP
Sponsored Links.
Ky është superushqimi për të nxjerrë jashtë të gjitha helmet e trupit!
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HELLO!Adele shows off weight loss on beach during holiday with Harry Styles
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BALL ACHEDr Pimple Popper removes man's '3rd testicle' after growth developed between legs
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Living in Albania? These Are the Richest and Poorest Countries in Europe 2018
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Προσυνέδριο «Βόρειος Ήπειρος – Ώρα Μηδέν» | 10.01.2020
SManalysis
Σας καλούμε στο προσυνέδριο με θέμα «Βόρειος Ήπειρος – Ωρα Μηδέν», «Η δημογραφική αποψίλωση, ο εποικισμός και η αρπαγή των ελληνικών περιουσιών ως ζητήματα Εθνικής Ασφάλειας» που διοργανώνει το συμβούλιο του ελληνικού παραρτήματος Βορειοηπειρωτών του Ρεπουμπλικανικού Κόμματος των ΗΠΑ στην Ελλάδα.
Σας καλούμε στις 10 Ιανουαρίου 2020 και ώρα 3:00 μ.μ. – 9:00 μ.μ. στην Λέσχη Αξιωματικών Ενόπλων Δυνάμεων Αθηνών (ΛΑΕΔ) (Ρηγίλλης 1, Αθήνα )
Σας καλούμε στο προσυνέδριο με θέμα «Βόρειος Ήπειρος – Ωρα Μηδέν», «Η δημογραφική αποψίλωση, ο εποικισμός και η αρπαγή των ελληνικών περιουσιών ως ζητήματα Εθνικής Ασφάλειας» που διοργανώνει το συμβούλιο του ελληνικού παραρτήματος Βορειοηπειρωτών του Ρεπουμπλικανικού Κόμματος των ΗΠΑ στην Ελλάδα.
Σας καλούμε στις 10 Ιανουαρίου 2020 και ώρα 3:00 μ.μ. – 9:00 μ.μ. στην Λέσχη Αξιωματικών Ενόπλων Δυνάμεων Αθηνών (ΛΑΕΔ) (Ρηγίλλης 1, Αθήνα )
Sunday, January 5, 2020
Βαρθολομαίος σε Σέρβους: Η μητέρα εκκλησία αγαπά και τα αχάριστα παιδιά της-”Οι Ρώσοι έφεραν το σχίσμα στην Ουκρανία”
SManalysis
2 Ιανουαρίου 2020, Penta
Διαβεβαιώσεις έδωσε ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης σε συνέντευξη του στον σερβικό ιστότοπο «kurir.rs» για το κατά πόσο το θέμα του Μαυροβουνίου μπορεί να αποτελέσει “νέο ουκρανικό”.
Ο Πατριάρχης Βαρθολομαίος μίλησε ανοιχτά για την υποστήριξη του στον αγώνα της Σερβικής Ορθοδόξου Εκκλησίας στο Μαυροβούνιο, για τους λόγους της αυτοκεφαλίας στην Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία της Ουκρανίας, για τον Πατριάρχη Παύλο, για την υποστήριξη του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου στη Σερβία σε σχέση με το Κοσσυφοπέδιο κ.α.
“Το Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο και εγώ, όσον αφορά το Κοσσυφοπέδιο, θα είμαστε πάντοτε στη Σερβική πλευρά, να είσαστε σίγουροι. Θα υπενθυμίσω ότι ο ελληνικός λαός βοήθησε πάντα τους Σέρβους αδελφούς από το Κοσσυφοπέδιο και τα Μετόχια” σχολίασε αρχικά.
Όπως αναφέρει το σερβικό ιστολόγιο η συνέντευξη παραχωρήθηκε στο γραφείο του στο κτίριο του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου στην Κωνσταντινούπολη, με την φωνή του μοεζίνη να ακούγεται από ένα κλειστό παράθυρο. Πάνω από τον πατριάρχη βρίσκεται η μεγάλη εικόνα του Αγίου Προφήτη Ηλία, από δεξιά του είναι μια κοινή φωτογραφία με τον Πάπα Φραγκίσκο και αριστερά με τον Τούρκο Πρόεδρο Ρετζέπ Ταγίπ Ερντογάν. Έχει επίσης μια εικόνα του Κεμάλ Ατατούρκ,
Αναφερόμενος στη σχέση του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου με την Σερβική Εκκλησία ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης τόνισε πως “το Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο, ως μητέρα εκκλησία, αγαπά πάντα τα παιδιά της, όπως κάθε μητέρα αγαπά τα παιδιά της. Αυτό σημαίνει ότι όλες οι εκκλησίες έχουν λάβει την αυτοκεφαλία, την πνευματική τους γέννηση, από το Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο. Έχουμε δώσει στην Σερβική Εκκλησία μια αυτοκεφαλία και πάντα αγαπάμε και φροντίζουμε το SPC ως μητέρα που νοιάζεται για τα παιδιά της. Και όταν κάποια παιδιά μερικές φορές δεν ακούνε τη μητέρα τους, ή στην περίπτωση αυτή τη μητέρα εκκλησία, αυτή εξακολουθεί να αγαπά τα αχάριστα παιδιά της”.
Διευκρίνισε πως στην SOC “υπάρχουν επίσκοποι οι οποίοι είναι κατά κάποιο τρόπο αχάριστοι στο Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο για όλα όσα έχει κάνει. Εμείς, ως μητέρα εκκλησία, λυπούμαστε για το γεγονός ότι κάποιοι επίσκοποι στην SOC δεν δέχονται κάποια πράγματα, αλλά ως μητέρα εκκλησία, σαν τους γονείς τους, τους συγχωρούμε και τους λέμε και πριν από τα Χριστούγεννα ότι τους αγαπάμε, ότι οι πόρτες είναι ανοιχτές και ότι η ευλογία μου είναι σχετική και για αυτούς και για το σύνολο του Σέρβικου λαού. Το μήνυμά μου είναι ότι η μητέρα της εκκλησίας συνεχίζει να αγαπά τα αχάριστα παιδιά της”.
Για την κατάσταση στο Μαυροβούνιο μετά την έγκριση του νομοσχεδίου για τη θρησκεία, το οποίο προβλέπει επίσης την κατάσχεση περιουσίας του SOC, ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης ήταν κατηγορηματικός:
“Υποστηρίζω απολύτως τον μητροπολίτη Αμφιλόχιο, του οποίου το αίτημα έγραψα σε επιστολή προς τον Πρόεδρο του Μαυροβουνίου, Milo Djukanovic, προτρέποντάς τον να μην λάβει περαιτέρω μέτρα για την υιοθέτηση και την εφαρμογή νόμων σχετικά με τις θρησκευτικές κοινότητες. Αυτός ο νόμος δεν είναι απλός. Όσον αφορά το Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο, η μόνη κανονική εκκλησία στο Μαυροβούνιο είναι ο Μητροπολίτης της Ορθοδόξου Εκκλησίας του Μαυροβουνίου και της Σερβίας και ο μοναδικός κανονικός αρχιεπίσκοπος στο Μαυροβούνιο είναι ο Μητροπολίτης Αμφιλοχίος”.
Σε ερώτηση αν υπάρχει η δυνατότητα για τη λεγόμενη “Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία του Μαυροβουνίου” να λάβει αυτοκεφαλία απάντησε: “Ο Miras Dedeic δεν μπορεί να πάρει ποτέ αυτοκεφαλία για την ψεύτικη του εκκλησία. Για εμάς, ο Ντέντεϊτς είναι απλώς ένας ιερέας που εκδιώχθηκε από την εκκλησία. Επαναλαμβάνω, ποτέ δεν θα δώσουμε αυτοκεφαλία στο λεγόμενο CPC”.
Συμπλήρωσε δε όταν ρωτήθηκε επιπροσθέτως τι θα γίνει αν κάποιος άλλος έρθει στην πρώτη γραμμή αυτής της εκκλησίας ή οι Μαυροβούνιοι ζητήσουν αυτοκεφαλία: “Όχι, όχι και όχι! Η εκκλησία στο Μαυροβούνιο είναι η Σερβική Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία και δεν θα υπάρξει καμία αλλαγή”.
Πάντως για το ουκρανικό προηγούμενο επανέλαβε:
“Το ζήτημα της ουκρανικής εκκλησίας είναι ένα πολύ απλό θέμα και αυτή η στάση δεν θα αλλάξει καθόλου. Ακριβώς όπως η αυτοκεφαλία έγινε δεκτή από Σέρβους, Έλληνες, Τσέχους, Αλβανούς και άλλους, ήλθε ο χρόνος και για τους Ουκρανούς να την λάβουν. Με όλους τους κανόνες δικαιούνταν να λάβουν εκκλησία. Ακριβώς όπως ο καθένας”
Στο ρώτημα γιατί λοιπόν αυτό δεν συνέβη νωρίτερα απάντησε:
“Όταν η Ουκρανία έγινε ανεξάρτητο κράτος το 1991, αμέσως οι Ουκρανοί ιερείς και επίσκοποι πλησίασαν τους Ρώσους ζητώντας τους να τους δώσουν αυτοκεφαλία. Οι Ρώσοι δεν τους έδωσαν και είπαν ότι δεν θα τους έδιναν καθόλου. Ακόμη και η απάντησή τους ήταν να απορρίψουν τον Μητροπολίτη Φιλάρετο μόνο και μόνο επειδή το ζήτησε. Οι Ρώσοι έχουν υπογράψει μια αναφορά εναντίον αυτών των επισκόπων που αναζητούν αυτοκεφαλία. Περίμεναν πολύ και τώρα γύρισαν στη μητέρα εκκλησία
Σχετικά με το αν όλο αυτό δεν οδηγεί σε σχίσμα στην Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης εξέφρασε την άποψη πως “ ο Μητροπολίτης Φιλάρετος, τον οποίο οι Ρώσοι αποκαλούν αυτοανακηρυγμένο μητροπολίτη, είναι ένας άνθρωπος που είναι απόλυτα σεβαστός και αγαπημένος από τον λαό και ένας τεράστιος αριθμός ενοριών έμεινε δίπλα του και η ρωσική πλευρά δεν έκανε τίποτα επι 30 χρόνια για να θεραπεύσει αυτό το σχίσμα στην Ουκρανία. Και πού είναι η αγάπη στο σχίσμα; Δεν υπάρχει. Είναι οι Ρώσοι που έκαναν το σχίσμα, όχι το Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο ή οι Ουκρανοί, όπως λένε τώρα. Έτσι, οι Ρώσοι έκαναν ένα σχίσμα και για 30 χρόνια δεν έκαναν κανένα βήμα για να το θεραπεύσουν”.
Επανέλαβε πως η ουκρανική Εκκλησία ήταν πάντοτε υπό τη δικαιοδοσία του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου.
Ιδιαίτερα ενδιαφέρουσα ήταν η απάντησή του στο ερώτημα για τη σχέση του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου με την Καθολική Εκκλησία.
“Έχουμε καλή συνεργασία και διεξάγουμε έναν θεολογικό διάλογο σε παγκόσμια κλίμακα στον οποίο συμμετέχουν όλες οι εκκλησίες και συμμετέχει και η δική σας Σερβική Εκκλησία. Συνεργαζόμαστε ιδιαίτερα με τον Πάπα στον τομέα της προστασίας του περιβάλλοντος. Είμαστε οι πρώτοι που ξεκινήσαμε αυτό ως ένα σημαντικό θέμα και ο πάπας μας ακολουθεί. Θα ήθελα να υπογραμμίσω ότι το 2016 διοργανώσαμε μια Σύνοδο στην Κρήτη στο οποίο συμμετείχε και η SOC και στο πλαίσιο αυτής της συνέλευσης αποφασίστηκε να συνεχιστεί ο θεολογικός διάλογος με την Ρωμαιοκαθολική Εκκλησία με σκοπό την ένωση των δύο εκκλησιών – των Ορθοδόξων και των Ρωμαιοκαθολικών. Όλες οι ορθόδοξες εκκλησίες, συμπεριλαμβανομένου του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου, συμμετέχουν σε αυτόν τον διάλογο”.
2 Ιανουαρίου 2020, Penta
Διαβεβαιώσεις έδωσε ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης σε συνέντευξη του στον σερβικό ιστότοπο «kurir.rs» για το κατά πόσο το θέμα του Μαυροβουνίου μπορεί να αποτελέσει “νέο ουκρανικό”.
Ο Πατριάρχης Βαρθολομαίος μίλησε ανοιχτά για την υποστήριξη του στον αγώνα της Σερβικής Ορθοδόξου Εκκλησίας στο Μαυροβούνιο, για τους λόγους της αυτοκεφαλίας στην Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία της Ουκρανίας, για τον Πατριάρχη Παύλο, για την υποστήριξη του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου στη Σερβία σε σχέση με το Κοσσυφοπέδιο κ.α.
“Το Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο και εγώ, όσον αφορά το Κοσσυφοπέδιο, θα είμαστε πάντοτε στη Σερβική πλευρά, να είσαστε σίγουροι. Θα υπενθυμίσω ότι ο ελληνικός λαός βοήθησε πάντα τους Σέρβους αδελφούς από το Κοσσυφοπέδιο και τα Μετόχια” σχολίασε αρχικά.
Όπως αναφέρει το σερβικό ιστολόγιο η συνέντευξη παραχωρήθηκε στο γραφείο του στο κτίριο του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου στην Κωνσταντινούπολη, με την φωνή του μοεζίνη να ακούγεται από ένα κλειστό παράθυρο. Πάνω από τον πατριάρχη βρίσκεται η μεγάλη εικόνα του Αγίου Προφήτη Ηλία, από δεξιά του είναι μια κοινή φωτογραφία με τον Πάπα Φραγκίσκο και αριστερά με τον Τούρκο Πρόεδρο Ρετζέπ Ταγίπ Ερντογάν. Έχει επίσης μια εικόνα του Κεμάλ Ατατούρκ,
Αναφερόμενος στη σχέση του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου με την Σερβική Εκκλησία ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης τόνισε πως “το Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο, ως μητέρα εκκλησία, αγαπά πάντα τα παιδιά της, όπως κάθε μητέρα αγαπά τα παιδιά της. Αυτό σημαίνει ότι όλες οι εκκλησίες έχουν λάβει την αυτοκεφαλία, την πνευματική τους γέννηση, από το Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο. Έχουμε δώσει στην Σερβική Εκκλησία μια αυτοκεφαλία και πάντα αγαπάμε και φροντίζουμε το SPC ως μητέρα που νοιάζεται για τα παιδιά της. Και όταν κάποια παιδιά μερικές φορές δεν ακούνε τη μητέρα τους, ή στην περίπτωση αυτή τη μητέρα εκκλησία, αυτή εξακολουθεί να αγαπά τα αχάριστα παιδιά της”.
Διευκρίνισε πως στην SOC “υπάρχουν επίσκοποι οι οποίοι είναι κατά κάποιο τρόπο αχάριστοι στο Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο για όλα όσα έχει κάνει. Εμείς, ως μητέρα εκκλησία, λυπούμαστε για το γεγονός ότι κάποιοι επίσκοποι στην SOC δεν δέχονται κάποια πράγματα, αλλά ως μητέρα εκκλησία, σαν τους γονείς τους, τους συγχωρούμε και τους λέμε και πριν από τα Χριστούγεννα ότι τους αγαπάμε, ότι οι πόρτες είναι ανοιχτές και ότι η ευλογία μου είναι σχετική και για αυτούς και για το σύνολο του Σέρβικου λαού. Το μήνυμά μου είναι ότι η μητέρα της εκκλησίας συνεχίζει να αγαπά τα αχάριστα παιδιά της”.
Για την κατάσταση στο Μαυροβούνιο μετά την έγκριση του νομοσχεδίου για τη θρησκεία, το οποίο προβλέπει επίσης την κατάσχεση περιουσίας του SOC, ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης ήταν κατηγορηματικός:
“Υποστηρίζω απολύτως τον μητροπολίτη Αμφιλόχιο, του οποίου το αίτημα έγραψα σε επιστολή προς τον Πρόεδρο του Μαυροβουνίου, Milo Djukanovic, προτρέποντάς τον να μην λάβει περαιτέρω μέτρα για την υιοθέτηση και την εφαρμογή νόμων σχετικά με τις θρησκευτικές κοινότητες. Αυτός ο νόμος δεν είναι απλός. Όσον αφορά το Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο, η μόνη κανονική εκκλησία στο Μαυροβούνιο είναι ο Μητροπολίτης της Ορθοδόξου Εκκλησίας του Μαυροβουνίου και της Σερβίας και ο μοναδικός κανονικός αρχιεπίσκοπος στο Μαυροβούνιο είναι ο Μητροπολίτης Αμφιλοχίος”.
Σε ερώτηση αν υπάρχει η δυνατότητα για τη λεγόμενη “Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία του Μαυροβουνίου” να λάβει αυτοκεφαλία απάντησε: “Ο Miras Dedeic δεν μπορεί να πάρει ποτέ αυτοκεφαλία για την ψεύτικη του εκκλησία. Για εμάς, ο Ντέντεϊτς είναι απλώς ένας ιερέας που εκδιώχθηκε από την εκκλησία. Επαναλαμβάνω, ποτέ δεν θα δώσουμε αυτοκεφαλία στο λεγόμενο CPC”.
Συμπλήρωσε δε όταν ρωτήθηκε επιπροσθέτως τι θα γίνει αν κάποιος άλλος έρθει στην πρώτη γραμμή αυτής της εκκλησίας ή οι Μαυροβούνιοι ζητήσουν αυτοκεφαλία: “Όχι, όχι και όχι! Η εκκλησία στο Μαυροβούνιο είναι η Σερβική Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία και δεν θα υπάρξει καμία αλλαγή”.
Πάντως για το ουκρανικό προηγούμενο επανέλαβε:
“Το ζήτημα της ουκρανικής εκκλησίας είναι ένα πολύ απλό θέμα και αυτή η στάση δεν θα αλλάξει καθόλου. Ακριβώς όπως η αυτοκεφαλία έγινε δεκτή από Σέρβους, Έλληνες, Τσέχους, Αλβανούς και άλλους, ήλθε ο χρόνος και για τους Ουκρανούς να την λάβουν. Με όλους τους κανόνες δικαιούνταν να λάβουν εκκλησία. Ακριβώς όπως ο καθένας”
Στο ρώτημα γιατί λοιπόν αυτό δεν συνέβη νωρίτερα απάντησε:
“Όταν η Ουκρανία έγινε ανεξάρτητο κράτος το 1991, αμέσως οι Ουκρανοί ιερείς και επίσκοποι πλησίασαν τους Ρώσους ζητώντας τους να τους δώσουν αυτοκεφαλία. Οι Ρώσοι δεν τους έδωσαν και είπαν ότι δεν θα τους έδιναν καθόλου. Ακόμη και η απάντησή τους ήταν να απορρίψουν τον Μητροπολίτη Φιλάρετο μόνο και μόνο επειδή το ζήτησε. Οι Ρώσοι έχουν υπογράψει μια αναφορά εναντίον αυτών των επισκόπων που αναζητούν αυτοκεφαλία. Περίμεναν πολύ και τώρα γύρισαν στη μητέρα εκκλησία
Σχετικά με το αν όλο αυτό δεν οδηγεί σε σχίσμα στην Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης εξέφρασε την άποψη πως “ ο Μητροπολίτης Φιλάρετος, τον οποίο οι Ρώσοι αποκαλούν αυτοανακηρυγμένο μητροπολίτη, είναι ένας άνθρωπος που είναι απόλυτα σεβαστός και αγαπημένος από τον λαό και ένας τεράστιος αριθμός ενοριών έμεινε δίπλα του και η ρωσική πλευρά δεν έκανε τίποτα επι 30 χρόνια για να θεραπεύσει αυτό το σχίσμα στην Ουκρανία. Και πού είναι η αγάπη στο σχίσμα; Δεν υπάρχει. Είναι οι Ρώσοι που έκαναν το σχίσμα, όχι το Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο ή οι Ουκρανοί, όπως λένε τώρα. Έτσι, οι Ρώσοι έκαναν ένα σχίσμα και για 30 χρόνια δεν έκαναν κανένα βήμα για να το θεραπεύσουν”.
Επανέλαβε πως η ουκρανική Εκκλησία ήταν πάντοτε υπό τη δικαιοδοσία του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου.
Ιδιαίτερα ενδιαφέρουσα ήταν η απάντησή του στο ερώτημα για τη σχέση του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου με την Καθολική Εκκλησία.
“Έχουμε καλή συνεργασία και διεξάγουμε έναν θεολογικό διάλογο σε παγκόσμια κλίμακα στον οποίο συμμετέχουν όλες οι εκκλησίες και συμμετέχει και η δική σας Σερβική Εκκλησία. Συνεργαζόμαστε ιδιαίτερα με τον Πάπα στον τομέα της προστασίας του περιβάλλοντος. Είμαστε οι πρώτοι που ξεκινήσαμε αυτό ως ένα σημαντικό θέμα και ο πάπας μας ακολουθεί. Θα ήθελα να υπογραμμίσω ότι το 2016 διοργανώσαμε μια Σύνοδο στην Κρήτη στο οποίο συμμετείχε και η SOC και στο πλαίσιο αυτής της συνέλευσης αποφασίστηκε να συνεχιστεί ο θεολογικός διάλογος με την Ρωμαιοκαθολική Εκκλησία με σκοπό την ένωση των δύο εκκλησιών – των Ορθοδόξων και των Ρωμαιοκαθολικών. Όλες οι ορθόδοξες εκκλησίες, συμπεριλαμβανομένου του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου, συμμετέχουν σε αυτόν τον διάλογο”.
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