Κούρτι: «Δεν αποκλείω τίποτα από δημοψήφισμα». Θα ψήφιζα την ένωση με την Αλβανία

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20 Νοεμβρίου 2021 7:43 μ.μ

Μόλις ο Πρόεδρος της Δημοκρατίας της Αλβανίας, Ιλίρ Μέτα, προκάλεσε την Ελλάδα, μέσα από την Ιστορία της Τσαμουριάς, στους τοίχους του Προεδρικού Μεγάρου, έρχεται η πρώτη αντίδραση από το Κόσοβο. Ο Κούρτι, ο οποίος έχει αποφύγει σειρά δηλώσεων για ένωση με την Αλβανία, τάχθηκε υπέρ του δημοψηφίσματος με την Αλβανία. 

Την ίδια δήλωση έκανε δύο φορές τον τελευταίο μήνα ο πρωθυπουργός της Αλβανίας Έντι Ράμα, για τον οποίο από την Ελλάδα υπήρξε αντίδραση μόνο για τον πρόεδρο Ιλίρ Μέτα. Και, μην κρίνετε τους Αλβανούς ηγέτες, μπορεί μια μέρα, να ανακοινώσουν το δημοψήφισμα, παρά το γεγονός ότι κάποιος θα πει: «είναι ανεύθυνοι, έβαλαν φωτιά στα Βαλκάνια. Αλλά θα γίνει.

Ο Πρωθυπουργός του Κοσσυφοπεδίου, Αλμπίν Κούρτι, δήλωσε στο Radio Monocole ότι στο μέλλον θα ψήφιζε υπέρ του δημοψηφίσματος για την ένωση με την Αλβανία μόνο εάν παρουσιαζόταν σε δημοκρατική μορφή.

Ωστόσο, ο Κούρτι τόνισε κατά τη διάρκεια αυτής της συνέντευξης ότι αυτή δεν είναι η προτεραιότητά του κατά τη διάρκεια αυτής της θητείας και σε οποιαδήποτε μελλοντική θητεία δεν θα απέκλειε το ενδεχόμενο ενοποίησης.

«Νομίζω ότι αν γίνονταν δύο δημοψηφίσματα, ο κόσμος θα ψήφιζε για την ένωση. Έχω εκλεγεί Πρωθυπουργός για την καταπολέμηση της διαφθοράς για τη δημιουργία θέσεων εργασίας για νέους και γυναίκες. «Αλλά στο μέλλον δεν θα το απέκλεια, ωστόσο για τη σταθερότητα στην περιοχή θα ήταν καλύτερο να ενταχθούν οι έξι βαλκανικές χώρες στην ΕΕ», είπε.

«Το Κοσσυφοπέδιο και η Αλβανία είναι δύο κράτη αλλά ένα έθνος, δεν κηρύσσουμε την ανεξαρτησία ενάντια στην Αλβανία, αλλά ενάντια στη Σερβία», είπε ο Κούρτι.

Ωστόσο, όταν ρωτήθηκε πώς θα ψήφιζε σε ένα ενδεχόμενο συνδικαλιστικό δημοψήφισμα, είπε ότι θα ψήφιζε ναι μόνο εάν η παρουσίαση του δημοψηφίσματος γίνει με δημοκρατικό τρόπο.

«Νομίζω ότι στο μέλλον, αν παρουσιαζόταν ως δημοκρατικό δημοψήφισμα, το οποίο θα διεξαχθεί με ειρηνικό τρόπο, θα ψήφιζα ναι, αλλά το επαναλαμβάνω μόνο εάν γίνει με δημοκρατικό τρόπο», είπε. 

ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΣ ΓΚΙΟΥΛΕΚΑΣ: «Η Ελλάδα χρωστάει στον Βορειοηπειρωτικό Ελληνισμό. Οφείλει να πράξει το χρέος της…»

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Άρχισαν οι πρώτες αντιδράσεις σε σχέση με την Αλβανία. Πρόκληση μέσω του ρόλου του προέδρου της Αλβανίας για το θέμα της Τσαμέριας, είχε έντονη αντίδραση από την Ελλάδα, για την οποία τα Τίρανα, όπως φαίνεται, δεν θα το πάρουν στα σοβαρά.

Ωστόσο, ο Πρόεδρος της Κοινοβουλευτικής Επιτροπής Άμυνας και Εξωτερικής Πολιτικής, Κωνσταντίνος Γκιολέκας, έχει πει την ομιλία του στη Βουλή, για την προστασία από το Σύνταγμα της χώρας, για τους Βορειοηπειρώτες, χαρακτηρίζοντάς την ως υποχρέωση του ελληνικού κράτους απέναντί ​​τους. . . 

«Άμεση εθνική και ηθική ανάγκη και επιταγή είναι η αποκατάσταση και η εκ νέου απονομή των συντάξεων στους Βορειοηπειρώτες», τόνισε ο Πρόεδρος της Επιτροπής Εθνικής Άμυνας και Εξωτερικών Υποθέσεων της Βουλής, Βουλευτής Α’ Θεσσαλονίκης Κωνσταντίνος Γκιουλέκας, απαντώντας σε σχετική ερώτηση δημοσιογράφου. 

«Η Ελλάδα χρωστάει στον Bορειοηπειρωτικό Ελληνισμό. Οφείλει να πράξει το χρέος της. Όταν οι Βορειοηπειρώτες αγωνίζονταν να κρατήσουν την ελληνικότητα και την θρησκεία τους κάτω από τις πιο σκληρές συνθήκες του καθεστώτος του Ενβέρ Χότζα, αντιμετωπίζοντας εκτελέσεις, φυλακίσεις, εξορίες, τότε κάποιοι στην Ελλάδα σφύριζαν αδιάφορα. Ήλθε η ώρα η Ελλάδα να αποκαταστήσει την βαριά αδικία σε βάρος των Βορειοηπειρωτών. 

Όπως ήλθε η ώρα να πράξει η ελληνική Πολιτεία το ίδιο και για τους ομογενείς από τις χώρες της πρώην Σοβιετικής Ένωσης», συμπλήρωσε ο Κωνσταντίνος Γκιουλέκας. Και κατέληξε, λέγοντας: «Χαίρομαι που ο Πρωθυπουργός Κυριάκος Μητσοτάκης δεσμεύτηκε προσωπικά να εκπληρώσει αυτό το χρέος».

Ο Ιλίρ Μέτα, απαντά και αγνοεί την ελληνική πρεσβεία, "δεν σου δίνω λογαριασμό"

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«Ο πρόεδρος της Αλβανίας δεν λογοδοτεί σε καμία πρεσβεία, αλλά μόνο στη Βουλή», αντιδρά η Προεδρία στα γραπτά των ελληνικών ΜΜΕ.

Ο Έλληνας πρέσβης, που είναι σχεδόν θεσμός «χωρίς τη δέουσα σημασία» στα Τίρανα, καθώς δεν υπάρχει διπλωματική επιθετικότητα, ούτε για να μείνει κοντά, αυτές τις δύσκολες μέρες, στους  Έλληνες της Βορείου Ηπείρου, Ιλίρ Μέτα αγνοεί.

19 Νοεμβρίου 2021 11:59 π.μ

Η Προεδρία αντέδρασε σχετικά με την είδηση ​​που δημοσιεύτηκε στα ελληνικά μέσα ενημέρωσης, όπου ο Πρόεδρος Ιλίρ Μέτα συμμετείχε σε έκθεση για την Τσαμέρια που διοργάνωσαν η Ακαδημία «Οι Ρίζες μας» και η κοινωνία των πολιτών.

Ο εκπρόσωπος των ΜΜΕ στην Προεδρία, Τέντι Μπλούσι, μέσω αντίδρασης αναφέρει ότι ο αρχηγός του κράτους συμμετείχε στην τελετή που πραγματοποιήθηκε έξω από τις εγκαταστάσεις του ιδρύματος, χωρίς να έχει αναλάβει να επιβεβαιώσει την ακρίβεια ή να κάνει την ερμηνεία του εκτιθέμενου υλικού. .

Μεταξύ άλλων, ανακοινώνεται ότι ο Πρόεδρος της Δημοκρατίας της Αλβανίας δεν λογοδοτεί για τις αποφάσεις και τις στάσεις του ενώπιον οποιασδήποτε πρεσβείας που είναι διαπιστευμένη στα Τίρανα, αλλά μόνο ενώπιον της Συνέλευσης της Δημοκρατίας της Αλβανίας και του αλβανικού λαού. 

"Να πειράζω λίγο την Ελλάδα, με τσάμηδες"

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Με δύο λόγια τη συμβένι 

Ο Ιλίρ Μέτα, ο πρόεδρος της Αλβανίας, έκανε μια τελευταία μπλόφα, πριν αποχωρήσει από την προεδρία (θέμα ημερών ή στο τέλος της θητείας) περιφρονώντας την Ελλάδα για τη «Γενοκτονία της Τσαμέριας».

Ο Πρόεδρος Μέτα δήλωσε ότι δεν θα υπογράψει καμία Διεθνή Συμφωνία που παραβιάζει την Εδαφική Ακεραιότητα της Αλβανίας, όπως το Θέμα των Θαλάσσιων Συνόρων με την Ελλάδα, που αναμένεται να πάει (επ' αόριστον) στη Χάγη.

Υπενθυμίζουμε ότι κατά τις «μυστικές» συμφωνίες Ελλάδας – Αλβανίας, Κοτζιάς – Μπουσάτι, και τα δύο μέρη δεσμεύτηκαν να μην αναφέρουν ούτε τον όρο Τσαμερία από την Αλβανία, ούτε τον όρο Βόρειο Ήπειρος από την Ελλάδα. Αυτή η πολιτική συνεχίζεται επί Κυβέρνησης Μητσοτάκη, με μία αλλαγή: ο πρωθυπουργός Τσίπρας δεν επέτρεψε στην κυβέρνηση Ράμα να υιοθετήσει νόμους που τελειώνουν επί τόπου και πρακτική, «Εθνοκάθαρση Ελλήνων, ειδικά στη Χιμάρα», ενώ η κυβέρνηση Μητσοτάκη ανέχεται. το στο μέγιστο.

Είναι πολύ γνωστό ότι ο Ράμα στην περασμένη Βουλή μπλόκαρε ακόμη και την είσοδο βουλευτών από την Τσαμερία, τηρώντας τη συμφωνία, αλλά στη σημερινή Βουλή, «περιέργως από τις λίστες των δύο μεγάλων κομμάτων, SP και PD, ήταν 6 βουλευτές. περιλαμβάνονται, από τη λίστα Τσαμερία.

Η σημερινή κατάσταση, αν και το ελληνικό υπουργείο Εξωτερικών ξύπνησε για να στοχοποιήσει τα Τίρανα, μέσω πρέσβη στα Τίρανα που είναι σχεδόν ανύπαρκτη, επίσημη Αθήνα, δεν παρενόχλησε ούτε στιγμή σε δήλωσή του τον Πρωθυπουργό Ράμα, ο οποίος μόλις μέσα σε ένα μήνα, έχει κάνει δύο δηλώσεις για τη Μεγάλη Αλβανία, και καμία αντίδραση από την Αθήνα.

Αξίζει να αναφερθεί το γεγονός ότι η λεγόμενη «Δημοκρατία της Τσαμερίας», μέλη της οποίας εμφανίζονται στα αλβανικά ΜΜΕ, έχει προσχωρήσει στο κάλεσμα για μια Μεγάλη Αλβανία, σε μια περίοδο ενοποίησης Τιράνων - Πρίστινα, περιμένοντας το φαινόμενο του ντόμινο, ενώ για οι βορειοηπειρώτες, Ελλάδα, δεν δίνονται ούτε διαβατήρια ούτε φλουριά, φτάνοντας στο πιο καυτό σημείο των συγκρούσεων της ελληνικής κυβέρνησης με τα φόρουμ των Βορειοηπειρωτών.

Τέλος, αυτό που ήταν σημαντικό αξίζει να πούμε: Στην Αλβανία υπάρχει μια κυβέρνηση ιρεντιστών, με τον λεγόμενο Στρατό της Δημοκρατίας της Τσαμερίας, ο οποίος πλέον δεν είναι οργανωμένος όπως παλιά στην Ολλανδία, αλλά αποτελεί προέκτασή του, δραστηριοποιείται στην Αλβανία και εν τω μεταξύ, η Αθήνα, αφήνει τους Βορειοηπειρώτες αδερφούς της στη λάσπη, για να απευθυνθούν στην Αλβανία, υποστήριξη για την ένταξη της, στην Ενωμένη Ευρώπη.

Greek F-16 Fighter Jet Crashes in the Peloponnese – Pilot Safe

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By GR

Patricia Claus

November 18, 2021

An F-16 aircraft in flight. An F-16 fighter jet belonging to the Greek Air Force crashed on Wednesday on takeoff at Andravida Air Force Base; the pilot is safe. Photo: pxfuel/ Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License

A Greek F-16 fighter jet crashed as it was prepared to land at a military airport on the Peloponnesian peninsula on Thursday afternoon; its pilot is safe, as he managed to eject seconds before the crash.

Occurring in Andravida, around 3:30 pm, as part of a test flight, the F-16 belonging to the Greek Air Force crashed at the military airport in its approach to land. At the present time, rescue crews are rushing to the scene of the accident, while the causes of the crash are not yet clear.

The pilot of the aircraft was transferred to a military hospital in the capital Athens for precautionary checks.

Apart from French-made 40 Mirage 2000 warplanes, Greece operates a large number of American-made warplanes including over 150 F-16 jets and more than 30 updated F-4s.

Andravida Air Base is a military airport operated by the Hellenic Air Force in Elis, Greece, housing the 117th Combat Wing (117 Πτέρυγα Μάχης, 117 ΠΜ), and the Air Force’s Air Tactics Center (Κέντρο Αεροπορικής Τακτικής, ΚΕΑΤ).

Construction of the base began in 1955, with the first air detachment established there in June 1960. In March 1961, the detachment was transformed into the 117th Combat Group (117 Σμηναρχία Μάχης), comprising the F-84F-equipped 339th Fighter-Bomber Squadron.

In May 1969, the unit was upgraded to a full combat wing, and chosen to receive into service the F-4E Phantom fighters. This necessitated extensive reconstruction and upgrading of the existing facilities, and in 1973, 339th Squadron had to be relocated to the nearby Araxos Air Base. Among other infrastructure changes, a third runway and a weather radar were added by 1978.

The first F-4E aircraft arrived in April 1974, and deliveries were completed by the end of the year, allowing for the equipment of two squadrons: the returning 339th Squadron, now designated “339th All-Weather Squadron”, took up an interceptor role, and the 338th Fighter-Bomber Squadron. These two squadrons remain at Andravida under 117th CW to this day.

In 1975, the Weapons-Tactics School (Σχολείο Όπλων Τακτικής, ΣΟΤ) was established at Andravida, providing advanced courses on air tactics and electronic warfare. In addition, the 368th Applied Training Flight, of four Lockheed T-33, was formed at Andravida in December 1976 and operated until March 1989.

In 1983, the Weapons-Tactics School, along with the rest of the Air Force’s various advanced schools, which until then were scattered among a number of air bases and operated under different directorates, were consolidated in a single unit, the Air Tactics Center, a combat wing-level unit also based at Andravida.

Διάβημα της Αθήνας στα Τίρανα: Ο Αλβανός πρόεδρος πήγε σε έκθεση για τη δήθεν «γενοκτονία των τσάμηδων»

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Proto Thema

19/11/2021, 08:29 81

Προκλητικός, ο Ιλίρ Μέτα ξεναγήθηκε ανάμεσα σε χάρτες και φωτογραφίες που μιλούν ακόμη και για υποτιθέμενη κατοχή αλβανικών εδαφών από την Ελλάδα!

Έντονη είναι η αντίδραση της Ελλάδας προς την Προεδρία της Αλβανικής Δημοκρατίας μέσω διαβήματος σχετικά με προκλητική «έκθεση» στην οποία παρουσιάζονται φωτογραφίες και χάρτες με αντικείμενα την δήθεν «γενοκτονία των τσάμηδων» αλλά και την «κατοχή αλβανικών εδαφών από την Ελλάδα».

Συγκεκριμένα, σύμφωνα με διπλωματικές πηγές η Ελληνική Πρεσβεία στα Τίρανα πραγματοποίησε έντονο διάβημα διαμαρτυρίας και ζήτησε άμεσα εξηγήσεις από το γραφείο του Αλβανού Προέδρου Ιλίρ Μέτα, σχετικά με την εν λόγω έκθεση. Σημειώνεται ότι ο Αλβανός Πρόεδρος Ilir Meta ξεναγήθηκε στην εν λόγω έκθεση από τους διοργανωτές.

Οι φωτογραφίες, οι οποίες έχουν αναρτηθεί στην εξωτερική περίφραξη του Αλβανικού προεδρικού μεγάρου, συνοδεύονται από κατηγορίες εναντίον της χώρας μας σχετικά με την «γενοκτονία των τσάμηδων», καθώς και από χάρτες που εμφανίζουν το μεγαλύτερο μέρος της Ελλάδας ως «κατεχόμενα Αλβανικά εδάφη».

Όπως αναφέρει το himara.gr η έκθεση διοργανώθηκε από το Ίδρυμα «Cameria Hasan Tahsini» και την Ακαδημία «Albanian Roots», σε συνεργασία με την έκθεση «Ιστορική Εθνοπολιτισμική Επισκόπηση Πελασγίας – Ηπείρου – Θεσπρωτίας -Τσαμουριάς».

Channel migrants are set to be flown to ALBANIA to a new asylum centre at cost of £100,000-a-head a year as French deny agreeing to stop all crossings

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Ministers are discussing opening asylum centre in Albania and hope it would act as a deterrent to Migrants

The likelihood of sealing a deal with Tirana were now 'looking good', a UK government source said

It comes after Home Secretary Priti Patel vowed earlier this week to stop '100 per cent' of Channel crossings 

By DAVID BARRETT, HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT FOR THE DAILY MAIL and HARRY HOWARD FOR MAILONLINE 

PUBLISHED: 00:22 GMT, 18 November 2021 | UPDATED: 09:05 GMT, 18 November 2021

Channel migrants who reach Britain could be fast-tracked to an off-shore processing centre in Albania, it was reported last night.

Ministers are discussing opening an asylum centre in the eastern European country, which they believe would act as a deterrent for migrants crossing from northern France.

Anyone seeking asylum in Britain after arriving by illegal routes, such as in dinghies and small boats, would be flown out to the new centre within seven days, the Times said.

However, the project would cost the British taxpayer £100,000 per migrant for flights and accommodation.

'Off shore processing is our best hope now, as nothing else is working,' an unnamed minister told the newspaper.

Earlier reports of plans for offshore processing centres including using disused oil rigs in the North Sea - which were mooted last year - ultimately proved fruitless.

But the likelihood of sealing a deal with Tirana were now 'looking good', a UK government source said, despite Albanian foreign minister Olta Xhacka rubbishing the idea just last month.

The latest development in the migrant crisis comes after Home Secretary Priti Patel vowed earlier this week to stop '100 per cent' of Channel crossings from France. 

But her claim that she had agreed the plan with French counterpart Gerald Darmanin was then contradicted by Paris yesterday. 

On Tuesday, around 80 migrants were pictured climbing into inflatable dinghies in northern France before they were pushed into the sea and began their journey to Britain. 

A total of 1,185 people crossed the channel last Thursday, eclipsing the previous daily high of 853. Overall this year, there have been more than 20,000 crossings.

In response to news about the plan to open an asylum centre in Albania, a Home Office spokesman said: 'Migrants making these dangerous crossings are putting their lives at risk and it is vital we do everything we can to prevent them and break the business model of the criminal gangs exploiting people.

What happens to migrants after they have arrived in the UK? 

Migrants who have been picked up after landing or intercepted at sea are taken to a Border Force processing centre, such as Tug Haven near Dover. 

Here arrivals are triaged to identify any medical needs or vulnerabilities, fed and checked to see if they have a criminal record. Adults have an initial interview before being sent to accommodation centres across Britain, paid for by UK taxpayers and provided by private contractors. 

The migrants are given £37.75 per week for essentials like food, clothes and toiletries while they wait for a decision on their asylum application. If the claim is rejected they face deportation back to their home country. 

Kent County Council normally takes unaccompanied children into its care, although other local authorities are also involved in this programme. 

'People should claim asylum in the first safe country they arrive in, and as part of our response it is important we have a maritime deterrent in the channel and work with international partners to put an end to these dangerous journeys.'

When the plans were first reported by The Sun last month, the Albanian prime minister's official spokesman branded the reports as 'absolutely untrue'.   

The news comes after it was suggested in March that asylum seekers who cross the Channel illegally to reach Britain could be sent to a third country such as Turkey. 

Other options on the table were islands off the coast of Scotland, the Isle of Man, or Gibraltar. 

At the time, charities branded the proposals 'inhumane', while an immigration expert said that whilst there was no law prohibiting such a move, there was 'bound to be a court case about it'. 

On Wednesday, new research from the British Refugee Council revealed that nearly two thirds of migrants who cross the Channel to reach the UK are originally from the Middle East.    

More than 61 per cent of those who make the dangerous journey across the 21 mile straight Calais to Dover are nationals from countries such as Iran and Iraq.

The highest number of migrants arriving in small boats are from Iran, with 3,187 Iranian nationals reaching UK shores from January last year to May this year. 

This accounts for 26 per cent of all arrivals in small boats over this period.

Figures also show 2,185 people from Iraq crossed the Channel over the same period. 

The figure makes up around 17 per cent of the 12,195 migrants who arrived in the UK in small boats in 2020 and at the start of this year.

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard the Dungeness Lifeboat following a small boat incident in the Channel +3

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard the Dungeness Lifeboat following a small boat incident in the Channel

Other Middle Eastern nationalities in the top 10 countries of people who arrived in small boats include war-torn nations such as Syria and Yemen, along with oil rich Kuwait.  

From non-Middle Eastern countries, the largest number of arrivals came from Sudan, in north-east Africa. Around eight per cent of small boat arrivals were from Vietnam, while around six per cent of people arrived from Eritrea and one per cent from Ethiopia.

All of the nations in the top 10, which make up 91 per cent of arrivals on UK shores, are countries were human rights abuses and persecution are common, according to the British Refugee Council. 

The top ten nationalities of migrants arriving on small boats to the UK 

According to figures obtained by the British Refugee council, migrants arriving in the UK in small boats between January 2020 and May 2021 were from: 

Iran: 26 per cent

Iraq 17 per cent

Sudan 11 per cent

Syria: 10 per cent

Vietnam 8 per cent

Eritrea: 6 per cent

Afghanistan 5 per cent

Kuwait 5 per cent

Yemen 2 per cent

Ethiopia 1 per cent

Other: 9 per cent  

The research came after MailOnline journalists witnessed the moment that two 50ft long inflatable dinghies loaded with up to 40 migrants each leave northern France on Tuesday morning. 

At dawn. dog walkers and a jogger watched in amazement as the two separate groups, who had been hiding overnight in the sand dunes, ran to the water's edge with their giant boats.

Smuggler minders waded in to the sea as the migrants climbed aboard for the dangerous trip to Britain but they did not make the journey with them.  

Despite the ongoing crossings and the lack of progress in stopping them, Ms Patel had claimed she had agreed with French interior minister Gerald Darmanin agreed to work to prevent '100 per cent of crossings' of the Channel.   

The Home Office issued a joint statement from the pair which said they had agreed measures to 'stop the dangerous crossings' of the 'deadly route'.

But the French embassy in London said the 100% figure 'should not be presented as an agreed figure'.

Ms Patel and Mr Darmanin held talks on Monday night with the UK and France involved in a long-running row over how to address the problem of migrants seeking to cross the Channel.

The 'joint statement' issued afterwards said: 'Both the Home Secretary and interior minister agreed to strengthen operational cooperation further.

'More must be done to stop the dangerous crossings.

'They agreed to accelerate the delivery of the commitments made in the joint agreement of July 2021 to deliver on their joint determination to prevent 100% of crossings and make this deadly route unviable.'

But the French embassy said on Twitter: 'For the record, the 100% figure was not agreed between the Home Secretary and French interior minister @GDarmanin and should not be presented as an agreed commitment: it is not.

'And it is not part of the joint statement.'

However, in a press conference on October 9, Mr Darmanin said that with the correct resources and the support of the British authorities, 100 per cent should be able to be reached.   

Milo about the new affair: "It will fall apart like a tower of cards"

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Montenegrin Special State Prosecutor's Office formed a case and launched an investigation into allegations related to the international money laundering scandal

SOURCE: SPUTNIK WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | 17:25

In it, the Albanian oil tycoon Rezart Taçi mentioned the President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic.

Taçi mentioned Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic in the context of international money laundering and suspicious payments in connection with Italian citizens Francesco Zuma and Fabbri Petrucelli, RTCG reports.

Investigation into laundering 22 million euros

"More information and data cannot be disclosed in order to protect the interests of the criminal proceedings," reads the response sent to RTCG by special prosecutor Sanja Jovićević.

A court in Palermo is investigating whether Taçi and several Italian citizens laundered more than 22 million euros. "When we heard that an Albanian businessman was mentioned, we asked our colleagues from Italy to send us the verdict of the court in Palermo. Of course, I was focused on Albania since Rezart Taçi and other people are very famous in Albania. Milo Djukanovic's brother's bank is also mentioned. and a trip from Tirana to Podgorica and back. This is a court decision, and I am still waiting for the whole document on this case, because it mentions many influential people from Albania as well as Montenegro", said Albanian journalist Timi Samardziu, who was the first to come across information about this case.

The First Bank denied media allegations in connection with this affair, which, as they say, "cause damage to its shareholders".

President of Montenegro, Milo Djukanović, said that he would gladly respond to the call of the Special State Prosecutor's Office regarding the allegations that the Albanian oil tycoon mentioned him in the context of international money laundering and suspicious payments.

Djukanovic: I will gladly respond to the call of the prosecution

"Like you, I am informed that the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) has formed a case. I am looking forward to it and I am looking forward to the efficient conduct of the SDT as always. I will gladly respond to the call of every state body because I want to set an example of how to act if we sincerely want to establish an effective rule of law in our country", Djukanovic said.

He added that more or less everything has been said on this topic.

"It was announced from the Office of the President that this is a completely fabricated affair, that I do not know who the persons are, nor have I ever had any contact with those persons in any way. Like you, I read the reaction of the bank mentioned. I've also heard of the bank reaction which said that it had never had any business relationship and that these people were not its clients", Djukanovic said.

He believes that this is a complete forgery.

"It is no surprise. These falsifications have multiplied both in political life and in the media, where attempts are being made to divert attention from important issues by continuously creating scandals. To divert attention from what are real political and social problems, because we have dysfunctional and inefficient government," he said.

He added that instead of the public focusing on preventing the collapse of Montenegro, it is trying to have fun creating new scandals.

"I have no problem with that because I know how I worked and it only takes a few days for those scandals to fall apart like a tower of cards," Djukanovic said. He pointed out that today no one mentions Pandora papers anymore, nor will this affair be mentioned.

"What I want to share and what I sincerely regret is that we do not take up the opportunity to learn something from the rich repertoire of fabricated scandals, even from public service”, he said.

Through the interpretation of one media within the public service, the alleged ownership relationship and the influence of the president of the state on the functioning of a commercial bank have now become entangled.

"Just browse through your computer to simply find out everything you are interested in. There you will find that I left politics three times, that I formed companies wanting to do something else, you will find that I bought shares in one bank, that the company sold its shares, how much it earned, you will find how much I paid taxes, that I shut down that company and that I have no connection with that bank for eight years. But it is much more interesting to engage in "intrigue" against the president of one's country," he said.

He pointed out that it was part of the Balkan interpretation of media freedom.

"We see how we enjoy the benefits of a change of government. Every day we also see how we enjoy the Balkan experience of media freedom," he said. He added that he hoped that these were inevitable steps for Montenegro to reach the required level of civic culture, "to learn that our right to free expression does not consume our right to insult people, invent and construct."

"I hope we will learn those lessons as well. I certainly remember, and I try to use such opportunities to help people understand better," Djukanovic concluded, RTCG reports.

Western Balkans in trouble: Why the EU should make a new offer to the region

SManalysis

The EU currently lacks tools to make a real difference to stability in the Western Balkans. But it can create these tools if it musters the political will.

Vessela Tcherneva @vtcherneva on Twitter

Deputy Director

Head, ECFR Sofia

A white pigeon flies by a mural of former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic vandalized with white paint in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021. Policemen were deployed Tuesday at the site of a large wall painting in Belgrade of convicted Bosnian Serb wartime commander Ratko Mladic which rights activists wanted to remove. The gathering, which was to coincide with the international day of anti-Fascism and anti-Semitism, was banned by the police which said that they were preventing possible clashes between the activists and the right-wing nationalists who consider the Serb general a hero. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

The mural of former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic vandalized with white paint in Belgrade, Serbia, Nov. 10, 2021Image bypicture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS | Darko Vojinovic ©

Tensions have grown in recent months in the Western Balkans, and the coming weeks look difficult across the region. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the leader of Bosnian Serbs, Milorad Dodik, is threatening to lead his party out of the country’s delicately constructed state institutions. In North Macedonia, the prime minister, Zoran Zaev, has resigned. In Montenegro, members of the governing coalition are at loggerheads. In Kosovo, the Serb Srpska Lista party is talking about quitting state institutions. And in Serbia itself, all manner of ills abound, most currently protests around a Belgrade mural of Ratko Mladic.

With the exception of the Macedonian case, the common thread running through all these issues is that of the Serbian government’s meddling in its neighbours’ affairs through Serb minorities’ political representation. This has become a pattern of behaviour by Belgrade, one with reflections of the 1990s. “The task of this generation of politicians is to create the Serbian world, that is, to unite Serbs wherever they live”, announced Serbian interior minister Aleksandar Vulin in July. The recurring theme among Serb politicians across the region is the call for emancipation from the post-Yugoslav wars settlement. Together with high public support in the region for authoritarian regimes, and for Russia and China, a poisonous mixture is brewing.

Serbia is effectively a captured state – “our hard-won freedom from Milosevic is lost”, one local observer told me recently. It has an “unreplaceable government” despite free (but not fair) elections; it is mired by high-level corruption; and its media environment has deteriorated further. According to media analysts, between July 2020 and the end of June 2021, representatives of the ruling majority received as much as 93 per cent of the television airtime on programming covering political actors, while the opposition was present in the remaining 7 per cent of time. In September alone the president, Aleksandar Vucic, appeared – at length – on television on no fewer than 37 occasions, some broadcasts lasting two or three hours a time. And this extends beyond the obvious realm of politics and hard news: one recent study investigated Serbian Telecom’s purchase of the rights to show English Premier League football games in countries across the region – a move made, in the author’s view, to “lock Balkan audiences into their channels with its anti-Western narratives, which correspond with the country’s growing ties to the likes of China, Russia and Hungary”.

Russia and China are employing corruption as way of influencing state institutions in the region. As US president Joe Biden has stated repeatedly, authoritarian states use “strategic corruption” as a means of coercion, by undermining the social contract and public trust in institutions – and making bad governance in the region even worse. For ordinary Balkans citizens, corruption remains the third most important problem in their country, after unemployment and the economic situation. Fighting corruption and organised crime has become the raison d’être for opposition parties across the region, regardless of their ideology, as captured states encroach on media, justice, the economy, and public services such as healthcare. As a result, emigration from the Western Balkans only continues to grow.

It is evident that the EU enlargement process is stuck and will remain so for some time. Joining the European Union was once meant to resolve, among other things, the issues of poor governance that plague the Western Balkans, as well as to confirm the uneasy peace settled a quarter of a century ago. But significant numbers of EU member states are now visibly unwilling to even make reference to enlargement in official EU Council papers. Recent member state vetoes on accession talks demonstrate the EU’s unwillingness and inability to integrate the Western Balkans – and it seems that both citizens and politicians in the region have got the message. The 2021 Balkan Barometer showed that one-third of Serbians, Bosnians, and Macedonians do not expect accession to happen at all. In that vacuum, nationalist ideas and other powers easily sweep in. And surveys conducted by ECFR this summer confirm that people in Serbia have a strongly negative view of the EU. They largely see the EU’s political system as broken and its response to the pandemic as incompetent. And they hold their own country’s leadership in higher esteem, while viewing Russia and China as key allies, with 94 per cent and 91 per cent support, respectively.

In this context, what can the EU do differently? And what should it be trying to achieve?

In a highly contested geopolitical environment, technical processes alone will no longer suffice. The EU cannot simply augment the accession negotiations (by, for example, extending single market access) and hope that the dynamics will change. It will need to become much more political. To pull the region more tightly into a European orbit, it could use an existing regional cooperation format, such as the Berlin Process. Access to the single market could be part of its agenda. But so too should be a path towards Western Balkans states finally concluding political agreements to resolve longstanding points of contention – such as those that continue to stymie the Kosovo-Serbia relationship, or Bosnia’s relations with Serbia and Croatia. States that make such progress should receive access to European funds in exchange.

In a highly contested geopolitical environment, technical processes alone will no longer suffice.

The EU should move to incorporate Western Balkans countries into its Green New Deal, opening up opportunities for them to modernise their infrastructure and make stronger progress on decarbonising their economies. Diversification of energy sources will also help them become less dependent on third parties such as Russia for their energy supply, and would diminish, if not eliminate, corruption from the energy sector.

The lack of sharp instruments for the EU to draw from its toolbox means Europe is being left out of key strategic conversations in the Balkans. The US readiness to brandish a stick in the form of the Magnitsky Act and sanctions rather than offer only a carrot seems to make the American stance much more compelling and their voice more forceful. The EU has a wide range of potential tools that it could use, and that it could strengthen with a few adjustments. For example, it should add kleptocracy to its European Magnitsky Act and extend the act’s provisions to the Western Balkans. Being able to issue personal corruption sanctions against individuals would increase the EU’s leverage and change the perception of hypocrisy that exists – that it is happy enough to work with autocrats when the situation suits it. The European Public Prosecution Office could ensure greater focus on cross-border investigations that involve Balkan authorities. It can also deploy the European Anti-Fraud Office in cases related to EU funds, which make up a substantial part of the GDP of the Western Balkans.

Borders will not lose their meaning in the Balkans any time soon. Therefore, the EU needs to give more attention to the region’s security and defence architecture, which is neglected currently. A truer geopolitical response by the EU will require expanding the European Defence Union. If Western Balkans states join the EDU they will be able to take part in PESCO projects, and EDU membership should focus minds on increased compliance with the Common Security and Defence Policy. Serbia, for instance, wants to modernise the production capacities of its large state-owned arms manufacturers. Instead of effectively forcing it to cooperate with countries such as Belarus, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates, the EU should invite Serbia to take part in its own projects. The EU’s battlegroups should also not only include Western Balkans participation on a regular basis, but should also go into operational service in the region, should the situation worsen.

If there is a positive to take out of the Western Balkans’ current interconnected crises, it is the renewed attention that European and US policymakers are giving to the region. But the EU urgently needs to change its approach – its choice of ‘constructive ambiguity’ is no longer working and creates only irritation across the region. Helping citizens loosen the grip of corrupt elites, and re-establishing good governance within institutions, would go a long way to more fully supporting reforms and boosting the EU’s leverage in a region key to enhancing its international credibility and ensuring its neighbourhood’s stability.

Kurti "deservedly punished": 4/38

SManalysis

Self-Determination Movement aimed to win this local, as well as parliamentary elections, without a clear program, but with demagogic rhetoric instead.

SOURCE: KOSOVO ONLINE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2021 | 08:35

This was said by analyst Leon Duhanaj, who stated that the voters recognized their empty promises and therefore deservedly punished them.

"The Self-Determination Movement lost the elections from February 14 to November 14, as a result of the unrealistic offer it made to the citizens over the years. The citizens understood the fraud that was done to them, promising them paradise, but without a program that would offer them a minimum of dignified life. The elections have shown that every candidate for victory must be prepared and have a program. To a large extent, with a few exceptions, the programs, not empty rhetoric and demagoguery won in the end", Duhanaj told Kosovo online.

The ruling Self-Determination Movement, headed by the current Prime Minister of the so-called Kosovo Albin Kurti, won only four of Kosovo's 38 municipalities, which is considered a major failure given how much voter support they enjoyed earlier this year. According to Duhanaj, opposition political parties are the winners of local elections in Kosovo. At the same time, he points out that the citizens of Kosovo have shown maturity, as well as that they are not subject to manipulation.

"Yesterday's elections and the results in the municipalities proved that the citizens of Kosovo are politically mature, they are not easy to manipulate. In my opinion, the result, with a few exceptions, is satisfactory and expected. It has also been proven that the opposition wins this election, while the ruling party suffers a deep loss only a few months after it won more than 50 percent in the parliamentary elections. And this testifies to the condemnation of deceptive demagoguery," Duhanaj said.

He pointed out that Kosovo is a successful example of democratic maturity in relation to countries in the region and beyond, which, in his opinion, is more than promising for the future, except for Serb communities in Kosovo, where, in his opinion, democratic values ​​are "stifled".

Αλβανός αντιπρόεδρος της κυβέρνησης: Η σήραγγα του Λογαρά ενώνει τους δύο Αλβανίες

SManalysis

Ο αντιπρόεδρος της κυβέρνησης Arben Ahmetaj, δήλωσε στο κοινοβούλιο της Αλβανίας ότι οι επενδύσεις μας στη Χιμάρα για τον τουρισμό, έγιναν εθνικιστικοί χαρακτήρες, για να ενώσουμε τον Νότο με τον Βορρά. Πριν από τέσσερα χρόνια, επίσης από αυτό το κοινοβούλιο, ο Πρωθυπουργός Ράμα, στο κύμα των ταραχών της Χιμάρας για την περιουσία, θα δήλωνε ότι: «Θα είστε μάρτυρες αυτού που θα κάνω για τη Χιμάρα, σε αντίθεση με αυτό που εσείς «Το Δημοκρατικό Κόμμα, που πουλάει τα συμφέροντα του καθήκοντός μας, για την Ελλάδα»

Είχαμε χρόνο χωρίς να παρακολουθήσουμε συζητήσεις για τις τουριστικές επενδύσεις στη Χιμάρα, οι οποίες μετατράπηκαν σε συζητήσεις πατριωτών και εθνικιστών στο αλβανικό κοινοβούλιο, που μας θύμισε μια επένδυση που έγινε για τη σύνδεση του Ιονίου, της περιοχής της Χιμάρας, με την Αδριατική, την περιοχή του Αυλώνα. , που για άλλη μια φορά δημοσιοποιείται επίσημα ότι είναι τα στρατηγικά εθνικιστικά συμφέροντα της Αλβανίας, για να ενώσει τον Νότο που διεκδικεί η Ελλάδα (Χιμάρα Σαράντα, Ξαμήλα) με την υπόλοιπη Αλβανία.

Αυτή είναι αναμφίβολα η δήλωση ανώτερου Αλβανού αξιωματούχου, ο οποίος από τη Βουλή, κάλεσε την αλβανική αντιπολίτευση να ψηφίσει το σχέδιο προϋπολογισμού για το 2022, αναφέροντας ταυτόχρονα ότι έχουμε να κάνουμε με στρατηγικές επενδύσεις που είναι προς το εθνικό συμφέρον, όπως Χιμάρα.

Ενώ από την Αθήνα έχουν τεθεί δύο προϋποθέσεις για την ένταξη της Αλβανίας στην ΕΕ, όπως η συμφωνία για τα θαλάσσια ύδατα και τα δικαιώματα της ελληνικής μειονότητας, η γραφειοκρατική διοίκηση της Ελλάδας συνεχίζει να θεωρεί ότι «με την Αλβανία υπάρχουν γέφυρες φιλίας που συνδέουν δύο λαών», αλλά ποτέ δεν επέστησε την προσοχή στις αρνητικές εξελίξεις που βιώνουν οι Έλληνες κάτοικοι στη Χιμάρα.

Σύμφωνα με τις υποσχέσεις, ειδικά μετά την ψήφιση του περιουσιακού νόμου 20/20, οι αυτόχθονες κάτοικοι της Χιμάρας θα έπρεπε να είχαν λάβει πιστοποιητικά ιδιοκτησίας και να είχαν διανείμει τη γη με τον πιο αποδεκτό τρόπο από όλους, συμπεριλαμβανομένης της Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας, αλλά τέτοια εξέλιξη δεν έχει συμβεί, αντίθετα, σύμφωνα με το Κεντρικό Υποθηκοφυλακείο στα Τίρανα, υπάρχουν περίπου 8 χιλιάδες ακίνητα που ανήκουν σε Αλβανούς, κυρίως μουσουλμάνους, που τα έχουν αγοράσει με διεφθαρμένες μεθόδους και τα οποία έχουν νομιμοποιηθεί από αυτό το γραφείο. , εν τω μεταξύ περίπου 8 χιλιάδες και πλέον οι ελληνικές κατοικίες της Χιμάρας, βγαίνουν πιο εγκατεστημένες, παραδόξως είναι και οι κάτοικοι, που κληρονόμησαν τις περιουσίες για αιώνες της Χιμάρας, αλλά ότι οι στρατηγικές επενδύσεις στον Τουρισμό, με τη λεηλασία των εδαφών στη Χιμάρα. Περιφέρεια, μετατράπηκε σε εθνικιστικές μάχες, όπως δήλωσε πρόσφατα βουλευτής. ο Αλβανός πρωθυπουργός.

Σε αυτή την περίπτωση, η σήραγγα του Λογαρά, που θα κατασκευαστεί από δύο τουρκικές εταιρείες, σβήνει τις διεκδικήσεις της Ελλάδας, κατά την αλβανική εκδοχή, διότι σύμφωνα με το Πρωτόκολλο της Κέρκυρας για την Αυτονομία της Βορείου Ηπείρου το 1914 που υπέγραψε η Αλβανία μαζί με τις μεγάλες δυνάμεις. του χρόνου, το άκρο των νοτιοδυτικών συνόρων, είναι ακριβώς ο δρόμος των Λογαρά, που χωρίζει τη Χιμάρα με τον Αυλώνα, ενώ οι ίδιοι οι Αλβανοί ισχυρίζονται ότι συνδέονται μέσω της σήραγγας, τη Βόρεια Αλβανία με τη Νότια.

US and Greek forces conduct joint exercise in northern Greece

SManalysis

by GCT

United States and Greek military forces conducted wet-gap crossing operations in northern Greece on Sunday. A video was uploaded to social media by the US Army Europe and Africa account showing troops from the 1-16th infantry regiment practicing river crossings with Greek soldiers by the Nestos river, near the northern Greek city of Xanthi.

The exercises are taking place as part of the wider Olympic Cooperation 2021 initiative, a maneuver and live-fire exercise between Greece and the United States to enhance tactical and operational cohesion among both militaries. [With information from DVIDS]