Saturday, December 30, 2023

Albanian ex-PM Berisha placed under house arrest

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Sali Berisha is suspected of helping his son-in-law acquire a state-owned sports complex


Former Albanian prime minister and leader of the opposition Sali Berisha was placed under house arrest after he refused to appear before the judiciary police in connection with a corruption probe. 

The Special Court Against Corruption and Organised Crime indicted Berisha, 79, in October, suspecting him of “passive corruption of senior official”. 

The investigation is linked to alleged favouritism of his son-in-law in the privatisation of a state-owned sports complex while Berisha was prime minister in 2008. Berisha now heads the opposition Democratic Party.

His lawyer, Genc Gjokutaj said the court also barred Berisha from communicating with people “other than the family that lives with him”.

He said they would appeal the court’s decision, which they say was “serious violation of law and human rights”.

Lawmakers on Thursday revoked Berisha’s legal immunity, paving the way for his possible arrest in connection with the investigation.

Berisha's son-in-law Jamarber Malltezi was arrested in October and placed under house arrest for suspected corruption and money laundering.

Malltezi is suspected of taking advantage of Berisha’s position to acquire a sports complex in Tirana that was owned by the defence ministry, which was turned into apartments.

The former prime minister rejected the accusations, labelling them "purely political", and accused leftist Prime Minister Edi Rama of instigating the probe.

Berisha was the first democratically elected president of Albania after the fall of communism in the 1990s. He was head of government from 2005 to 2013.

Last year he was banned from entering both the United States and Britain over his alleged involvement in organised crime and corruption, accusations he rejected.

Washington accused Berisha of "misappropriating public funds and interfering with public processes" to the financial benefit of his family and allies.

Thursday, December 28, 2023

It reached a boiling point: Armed forces should be prepared for war with Russia

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Both the Dutch army and society as a whole must prepare for the possibility of war with Russia, Lieutenant General Martin Wijnen said today.

SOURCE: TANJUG THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2023 | 14:00

Wijnen is the outgoing commander of the Royal Netherlands Army.

"Our society should prepare for that," he said in an interview with the Dutch newspaper "Telegraf".

Wijnen pointed out that the Netherlands should follow the examples of countries like Sweden, Finland and the Baltic countries, which border Russia or are close to it and are better prepared for the outbreak of war, the NL Times portal reported. "The Netherlands needs to learn that the whole society has to be ready when things go wrong," Wijnen told the Dutch newspaper.

For civilians, this means having food and drinking water in stock for emergencies. "The Netherlands should not think that our security is guaranteed because we are 1,500 kilometers away," he pointed out. Wijnen warned that Russia is getting stronger and that it is necessary to have a strong military as a deterrent. Therefore, as he stated, it is important to eliminate the lack of personnel in the army. Wijnen expects a lot from the volunteer year in the youth army, which was implemented after a similar program in Sweden.

About 600 young people have participated in the program, but Wijnen hopes to attract two to three thousand young people each year, a third of whom are likely to choose a career in the military and a third to become reservists.

Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Ας μην αφήσουμε να «ξεχαστεί» η υπόθεση Μπελέρη

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Κατά την κρίση μας (SManalysis), η υπόθεση Μπελέρι - Χιμάρα έχει περάσει σε ένα αινιγματικό σχήμα, στο οποίο θα συζητηθεί το τέλος: Ποιος θα διοικήσει τον Δήμο Χιμάρας; Και δίνουμε κάποιες αναφορές.

1. Το θέμα του Δήμου Χειμάρων έχει κινηθεί σε θεσμική Συνταγματική Κρίση της Αλβανίας γιατί δεν προβλέπονται στον Νόμο.

2. Το θέμα του Δήμου Χειμάρων, έφερε βέτο στην Αλβανία από την Ελλάδα και οδεύει σε έξαρση της έντασης της κρίσης, αυξάνοντας ταυτόχρονα τις διεκδικήσεις από το δίδυμο Ελλάδας-Αλβανίας.

3. Το θέμα αυτό πέρασε στα υψηλότερα κλιμάκια της ΕΕ και της Ουάσιγκτον, για τα οποία απαιτείται λύση, ίσως Γεωπολιτική για το μέλλον της Χιμάρας.

4. Εάν δεν διοριστεί διαχειριστής στο Δήμο Χειμάρρας, η κατάσταση μπορεί να κλιμακωθεί σε σύγκρουση Αλβανίας-Ελλάδας, στην οποία το σχέδιο Ασφάλειας και Εγγύησης του μέλλοντος της Ελληνικής Εθνικής Κοινότητας της Χειμάρρας και της κατεχόμενης από Αλβανικές επενδύσεις εδάφους της, να συζητηθεί ως το δικαίωμα της Ελλάδας να προστατεύει τα εθνικά συμφέροντα της Μειονότητάς της στην Αλβανία.



Νίκος Μελέτης
26/12/2023 • 00:00
ΑΜΥΝΑ & ΔΙΠΛΩΜΑΤΙΑ Liberal

Για την Ελλάδα η υπόθεση Μπελέρη, πια δεν είναι μόνο η υπόθεση ενός Δημάρχου, αλλά είναι επίθεση στην Ελληνική Εθνική Μειονότητα


Οι απροκάλυπτες μεθοδεύσεις του Αλβανού πρωθυπουργού Ε. Ράμα προκειμένου να υφαρπάξει τον Δήμο Χειμάρρας από τον εκλεγμένο δήμαρχο της ελληνικής εθνικής μειονότητας Φ. Μπελέρη, αποκαλύπτονται πλέον καθημερινά με τις ασυνάρτητες δηλώσεις, τις υπαγορευμένες αποφάσεις μη αρμόδιων Δικαστηρίων και με τις παλινωδίες περί παραίτησης του παράνομα ασκούντα χρέη Δημάρχου Γ. Γκόρο.

Οι μεθοδεύσεις αυτές βεβαίως έχουν αφαιρέσει και το τελευταίο «φύλο συκής» που πρόβαλε ο Ε. Ράμα για νομιμότητα και τον σεβασμό στην ανεξάρτητη αλβανική δικαιοσύνη την οποία επικαλείται έχοντας πείσει και τους Ευρωπαίους ότι πρόκειται απλώς για ένα διμερές θέμα.

Και πλέον τίθεται σοβαρό θέμα για την ύπαρξη Κράτους Δικαίου στην Αλβανία και θέμα προστασίας των μειονοτικών δικαιωμάτων και κυρίως του δικαιώματος για ισότιμη και ελεύθερη πολιτική συμμετοχή και εκπροσώπηση, όσο κι αν εθελοτυφλεί το Βερολίνο η άλλες χώρες όπως η Ιταλία που έχουν συγκεκριμένα συμφέροντα από το καθεστώς Ράμα.

Για την Ελλάδα η υπόθεση Μπελέρη, πια δεν είναι μόνο η υπόθεση ενός Δημάρχου, αλλά είναι επίθεση στην Ελληνική Εθνική Μειονότητα καθώς ο Ε. Ράμα θέλει να αποτρέψει τον έλεγχο του Δήμου Χειμάρρας από ένα μέλος της μειονότητας που δεν είναι ενταγμένο σε αλβανικά κόμματα και στηρίχθηκε από τη μειονοτική οργάνωση ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ και το μειονοτικό κόμμα ΚΕΑΔ θέλοντας έτσι να περιορίσει την αυτόνομη και ισότιμη συμμετοχή στην πολιτική ζωή της χώρας.

Οι μεθοδεύσεις του Ε. Ράμα αποκαλύφθηκαν και πάλι το βράδυ της Κυριακής, όταν ο ασκών χρέη Δημάρχου, ηττημένος στις εκλογές του Μαΐου Γ. Γκόρο ανακάλεσε τη δήλωση του ότι παραιτείται και ανακοίνωσε ότι θα παραμείνει στην «θέση του». Βεβαίως, το ζήτημα που προκύπτει είναι ότι σε μια ευνομούμενη Πολιτεία ο Γ. Γκόρο θα έπρεπε να είχε απομακρυνθεί ήδη από την επομένη των εκλογών και δεν τίθεται θέμα παραίτησης αλλά καθαίρεσης του.

Όμως ο Ε. Ράμα ο οποίος την Πέμπτη σε έναν από τους συνήθεις ελιγμούς του προβάλλοντας σε ανάρτηση του την υπαγορευμένη απόφαση του Δικαστηρίου για το Οργανωμένο Έγκλημα και τη Διαφθορά που απέρριψε την αίτηση Μπελέρη για να πάρει άδεια και να ορκισθεί, είχε δηλώσει ότι ο Γ. Γκόρο δεν μπορεί να παραμένει στη θέση του και ότι θα βρεθεί λύση «βάσει των βέλτιστων ευρωπαϊκών πρακτικών».

Το Δικαστήριο αυτό, αν και αναρμόδιο με το θέμα, είχε υποδείξει στην κυβέρνηση ότι εφόσον ο Φ. Μπελέρη δεν θα πάρει άδεια για να ορκισθεί μέχρι να τελεσιδικήσει η ποινική υπόθεση, και εφόσον ο Γ. Γκόρο δεν νομιμοποιείται να παραμείνει στη θέση του Δημάρχου, θα πρέπει να διορίσει προσωρινή διοίκηση στον Δήμο Χειμάρρας.

Σύμφωνα με πληροφορίες υπήρξαν και επαφές μεταξύ Τιράνων-Αθήνας, ώστε να διαπιστωθεί εάν αυτή η εξέλιξη θα μπορούσε να ανοίξει ένα παράθυρο για άρση του αδιεξόδου.

Όμως και πάλι ο Ε. Ράμα έδειξε ότι δεν έχει καμιά διάθεση συνεννόησης απλώς επεδίωξε να εκθέσει την Αθήνα που χαρακτήρισε θετικό βήμα τη δήλωση του για απομάκρυνση του Γ. Γκόρο και την αναφορά του στον Μπελέρη ως «εκλεγμένου Δημάρχου». Βεβαίως στην ίδια δήλωση επισημαίνει ότι ο Φ. Μπελέρη δεν θα αναλάβει καθήκοντα έστω και από τη φυλακή, κάτι που θα συνιστούσε και αναγνώριση του αποτελέσματος των εκλογών, εάν δεν τελεσιδικήσει η κύρια Δίκη-παρωδία, όπου εφόσον καταδικασθεί θα εκπέσει του αξιώματος του.

Οι προσπάθειες που έκανε για να βρει κάποιο μέλος της μειονότητας ώστε να αναλάβει την προσωρινή Διοίκηση του Δήμου, ώστε να αποδείξει ότι δεν στρέφεται εναντίον της μειονότητας αλλά εναντίον του Φ. Μπελέρη, μέχρι στιγμής δεν έχει αποδώσει, αλλά η παρέμβαση του Φ. Μπελέρη από τη φυλακή που επέμεινε ότι η μοναδική διέξοδος για διορισμό προσωρινής διοίκησης του Δήμου είναι να ανατεθεί αυτός ο ρόλος σε μέλος του συνδυασμού του που κέρδισε και τις εκλογές, βραχυκύκλωσε τις μεθοδεύσεις Ράμα.

Γιατί το θέμα δεν είναι απλώς να αναλάβει τον Δήμο κάποιο μέλος της μειονότητας που θα επιλέξει ο ίδιος αλλά να τηρηθεί η νομιμότητα και ευρωπαϊκή και διεθνής πρακτική όπου τον ρόλο αυτό θα αναλάβει εκπρόσωπος του συνδυασμού που κέρδισε στις εκλογές.

Ούτε βεβαίως η Αθήνα θα μπορούσε να αποδεχθεί ως θετικό βήμα τον διορισμό κάποιου έμπιστου του Ράμα επειδή θα προέρχεται από την Ελληνική μειονότητα, ως προσωρινού Δημάρχου Χειμάρρας.

Ο Ε. Ράμα είναι προφανές ότι επιδιώκει με τις παλινωδίες και τις μεθοδεύσεις του να κυλίσει ο χρόνος, να ξεχασθεί η υπόθεση Μπελέρη και να ατονήσει το ενδιαφέρον και η πίεση της Αθήνας που εκφράσθηκε και με τη στάση έναντι στην ευρωπαϊκή πορεία της Αλβανίας αλλά και με τη συμβολική επίσκεψη του Υπουργού Επικρατείας Σ. Παπασταύρου στις φυλακές Δυρραχίου για να συναντηθεί με τον Φ.Μπελέρη…

Πιθανόν, στην Αθήνα προκαλούνται δεύτερες σκέψεις για την κλιμάκωση της αντίδρασης για την υπόθεση Μπελέρη, υπό την πίεση και του Βερολίνου, όμως το να υποβαθμιστεί και «ξεχασθεί» η υπόθεση Μπελέρη θα έχει σοβαρές συνέπειες και για τη Μειονότητα αλλά και για το κύρος και την αξιοπιστία της χώρας μας στον χώρο των Δυτικών Βαλκανίων.

Και θα δοθεί εικόνα ότι η Ελλάδα είναι ευάλωτη και υποκύπτει κάθε φορά στον εμπαιγμό και στις μεθοδεύσεις του Αλβανού πρωθυπουργού, όπως ακριβώς έχει συμβεί και με το θέμα της συμφωνίας για παραπομπή της οριοθέτησης ΑΟΖ στο Δ.Δ. της Χάγης.

Vučić:Kurti doesn't want to implement agreements; Serbia won't recognize independence

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President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, addressed the public today and commented on the elections held, the situation in KiM, presenting new projects in Serbia.

SOURCE: B92 SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2023 | 13:10

"First of all, I want to wish merry Christmas to the Catholics who are celebrating today. Peace, health, happiness at home and a good year. For Christmas, I will answer to the questions from journalists, and today I will present everything that is important for Serbia in the next four years," the president said at the beginning of his address.

He also said that he will comment on the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as that he will talk about the election cycle.

At the very beginning, he announced salary increases in the month of January.

"Next year, we will pay attention to two things: Education and health," said Vučić and added that our universities must "grow and develop."

When he spoke about healthcare, Vučić said that it was a sector in which a lot of investment had been made, but that more work had to be done.

"Pristina has been hiding the autopsy findings of the victims of Serbs in Banjska for three months now"
President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, said today that Pristina has been hiding the autopsy findings of the Serbs who died in Banjska for three months and that their families have not yet received those autopsy reports, adding that there have been 176 incidents in Kosovo and Metohija so far this year, but despite this, the number of Serbian babies born in the north of the province has increased.

"Pristina continues to hide the autopsy findings of Stefan Nedeljković, Igor Milenković and Bojan Mijailović. We begged them countless times. They always said that the autopsy was performed, when we asked who performed the autopsy, they never told us exactly who performed the autopsy. But they said, "well, it will come in time". Of course, the families never received the autopsy report," stated Vučić.

He added that on December 4, "Albanian Post" published a text about the findings and details of the meeting between Kurti and special Albanian units, which was held on November 15.

"Kurti then criticized the special forces for not doing anything in Banjska because, I quote, they killed three people with a sniper from a distance. The special forces replied that he had not read their report and that otherwise he would have known that not all the attackers were killed by snipers, nor were all of them liquidated from a distance. Just as we warned the European and world public, which was completely uninterested in the killed Serbs, because when the Serbs are killed, there aren't really human beings, they are just attackers, terrorists or whatever they are called. For us, they are human beings and we will ask to investigate how and why they were killed in cold blood," said Vučić.

As for the incidents since Kurti came to power, Vučić stated that there were the most incidents this year, 176 incidents, while last year there were 150, and the year before, there were 128. He added that, despite the persecution of the Serbian population in Kosovo and Metohija, especially in the north, the number of newborn babies in the north of the province has increased.

"There are 480 newborn babies in the clinical hospital center of Kosovska Mitrovica, last year there were 482 babies, so there will probably be a slightly higher number than last year. And a slightly smaller number in Gnjilane, Pasjan and in Gračanica, 123 and 265. The total is 868, we calculate that there will be about 900, last year the total was 911," said Vučić.

On the situation in Kosovo and Metohija: "Serbia will not recognize independence"
Vučić pointed out that Serbia will not recognize the so-called independence of Kosovo, nor will it accept any document that obligates the membership of the so-called Kosovo in the United Nations or its organizations and agencies.

"I will repeat, Serbia does not recognize Kosovo's independence and will not recognize Kosovo's independence. Serbia will not accept any document that obligates it to support and help the so-called Kosovo in its membership in the United Nations, organizations, institutions and agencies of the United Nations. Neither in the long term nor in the short term will we accept such obligation. I expect a broad controversy to open up in January," said Vučić.

He added that the prime minister of the temporary institutions of self-government in Pristina, Albin Kurti, does not want to implement any agreement, while Serbia wants to implement what it has committed to.

"Serbia will implement everything we said, in a decent way, in a correct way, but we will also wait for the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities. As for the various things we have already done, from identity cards to plates, to everything else, so we always tried to reach a compromise. We will try in the future as well," said Vučić.


About the elections in Serbia
Vučić also referred to the elections held in Serbia and congratulated the citizens on the democratic elections and the freely expressed will.

"The elections passed peacefully, they were the most peaceful in the recent history of Serbia. I am very proud of that fact. There were two minor incidents - during the campaign there was no incident. There was a minor physical incident where one of the directors from the public sector attacked a lady who did a door-to-door campaign and one false incident in Pirot," he said.

He stated that the institutions will end the electoral process, and that it is a matter of institutions and laws. Vučić said that new elections will be held if there is no majority in the parliament, which he stated is not logical due to the number of mandates won by SNS. He also said that there will be new elections in Belgrade if there is no majority in the city assembly, and that there will be no elections if there is.

"There will be no elections, unless the institutions make such decision," said Aleksandar Vučić.

He added that the institutions will have support to do their work.

"I believe that we will have the constitution of the National Assembly as early as in January," said Vučić and added that he will see to it that the formation of the government is completed by the end of February.

He reminded that foreign observers themselves reported that they did not see any irregularities at their polling stations.

"The Republic Election Commission submitted a request to the Ministry of the Interior that 500 voting ballots were brought to REC, which were claimed to be phantom voters. Yesterday, REC sent a request to the Ministry to check everything that was submitted, each person by name. There were 496 ballots. Ministry of the Interior reviewed all the ballots, all of them are existing people, who are registered in the voter's list. Of those 496, 487 were registered at the same polling station much earlier, at least four years before. A total of nine were enrolled in 2022, but six of them changed their place of residence within Belgrade," said Vučić and added:

"Where are those 49,000 voters from Republika Srpska? It's not a problem that you attack Vučić or Dodik, but because you attack our people from RS, without any reason whatsoever", Vucic concluded.

Serbian church from the 14th century seized; "We call for an immediate reaction..."

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The Diocese of Raška-Prizren announced that Pristina declared the Serbian church in the village of Gornje Vinarce Catholic.

SOURCE: TANJUG MONDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2023 

Ministry of Culture of the Temporary Pristina Institutions, in its campaign of appropriating the material and spiritual heritage of the Serbian Orthodox Church, started the alleged "renovation" of the Orthodox church in the village of Gornje Vinarce, seven kilometers from Mitrovica, on the north side of the Ibar River, it was announced on the Facebook page of the City of Mitrovica.

The Diocese of Raška-Prizren announced that, apart from not contacting the Serbian Orthodox Church about the restoration of that building, the ministry in Priština went one step further and declared that church "Catholic", with the obvious intention of appropriating the heritage of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Under the name "Catholic church in Gornje Vinarce", the church was included in the list of "monuments under the protection of the Ministry of Culture in Pristina" from 2016.

In a text on the Internet that refers to sources from that ministry, it is mentioned that the roof of stone slabs was repaired, the sidewalk was made and that the church was plastered inside, and photos show that a temporary door was put in, according to the Diocese. It should be noted that the so-called sign was placed in front of the church.

The Ministry of Culture of Kosovo, where the name "Catholic church in Vinarce" is mentioned again and they list two companies that are carrying out the works, which, it is claimed, are nearing completion. The Diocese of Raška-Prizren expresses the strongest protest against the process, which apparently represents the intention of the Kosovo authorities, to "restore" churches that were destroyed or damaged by Albanian extremists without any consultation with the Church to which these objects belong and to change their identity, despite the existing historical testimonies.

On the occasion of this latest incident, the Eparchy of Raška-Prizren will inform international representatives, organizations that deal with religious rights and the protection of cultural heritage, because Kosovo institutions do not respond to the lawsuits of the SOC and do not fulfill their legal obligations towards our Church even in the case of judgments of the highest courts, Diocese emphasizes in a statement. It is emphasized that this Diocese is not opposed to the restoration of its sanctuaries, many of which were destroyed by Albanian extremists in 1998-1999, still standing in ruins, but to strongly oppose the use of the alleged reconstruction in order to take over the Serbian cultural heritage and change the identity for the purpose of historical revisionism.

That is why the reconstruction of destroyed Serbian churches after the March pogrom was carried out under the supervision of the Council of Europe, which guaranteed the protection of the rights of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

If the first part of the strategy of Albanianization of this area was the expulsion of the Serbian population after the 1999 war, when about 200,000 Serbs and non-Albanians were forced to leave these areas, and the systematic destruction of Serbian Orthodox churches and cemeteries in order to erase all traces of our historical existence, now the goal of the Albanian institutions in Kosovo is to independently rebuild those churches that were demolished by changing their identity, the Eparchy points out.

It is emphasized that such behavior of the so-called of Kosovo's institutions, the main reason for the impossibility of normal cooperation of the SOC with institutions that openly work to deny our history, identity and heritage, all with the aim of creating an ethnically pure Albanian territory. The Diocese of Raška-Prizren invites international representatives to react to these incidents and take measures to stop future violence against the churches of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

"Changing the identity of churches directly causes ethnic and religious intolerance and is punishable under the laws of Kosovo, causes ethnic and religious tensions and makes it impossible to calm down the situation, which has worsened many times over, especially in recent years," the statement said.

The Diocese states that the Orthodox church in the village of Gornje Vinarce has existed since the 14th century, in a village that was then purely Serbian, with 15 Serbian homes, which was also recorded in the Turkish census immediately after the Ottoman conquest of Kosovo and Metohija in the area of Isa-bey Ishaković, in 1455.

In a document issued by the Oriental Institute from Sarajevo in 1964, which also conducted other Turkish censuses that show the composition of the population at that time, the vineyards in this village are mentioned, which apparently gave it its name. From its building structure, it is clear that the church in Vinarce is similar to the cemetery churches from the 14th and 15th century, of which there are more in a wider area, with an altar apse and a niche for proscomidia characteristic of the Orthodox tradition.

There is no mention of the presence of the Roman Catholic community in the village, and as far as the Eparchy of Raška-Prizren is known, the Roman Catholic diocese has never used this church, nor is there any written information or material evidence about it.

Until 1999, the church was used by Orthodox believers who gathered here on the first Friday after Easter, because the church was dedicated to the "Life-giving East", which is further evidenced by a source nearby. After the expulsion of the Serbian population, the church in Gornje Vinarce was desecrated, set on fire, written with graffiti, and the entrance door was broken.

Unfortunately, this is the state of many of our churches during the 1998-1999 war, damaged or destroyed by Albanian extremists. This is another testimony of a church that the local Albanian population considered Serbian, because otherwise it would not have been desecrated and burned, which is also the case with many other churches and monasteries that were attacked and are now being proclaimed in the media or through the Ministry in Pristina for "Albanian churches", emphasizes the Eparchy of Raška-Prizren.

According to earlier data from the Diocese of Raška-Prizren, during the communist period, the church was attacked in an earlier period and was devastated in 1972 when a mob of local Albanians broke the doors, windows and demolished the interior of the church trying to set it on fire.

Monday, December 25, 2023

Greece - Albania, the "New War" for Himara, beginning

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 Rama: We have kept it for 100 years 
Mitsotakis: We will have it for next 100 years






Sunday, December 24, 2023

Fredi Beleri’s opponent resigns

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24.12.2023 
  
Albanian mayoral candidate Gjergj Goro, who assumed office amid the incarceration of opponent Fredi Beleri in the Albanian region of Himare, reportedly resigned on Saturday. 

Beleri, an ethnic Greek, has been incarcerated pending trial since May on vote-buying charges after his arrest on the eve of municipal elections which he won against Socialist candidate Jorgo Goro.

Prime Minister Edi Rama had labeled Beleri the “elected mayor” and Goro the “defeated candidate without legitimacy” in a post on Thursday acknowledging the municipal crisis requiring resolution. 



The Albanian government is currently working to establish a legal framework that would enable the appointment of a temporary mayor, aligning with the rationale presented in Prime Minister Edi Rama’s recent statement.

The intention is to ensure that the interim mayor, expected to be a member of the Greek national minority, is selected before the new year. This strategic move by Rama is perceived in Tirana as a potential catalyst for restoring a balanced equilibrium in Greek-Albanian relations, Kathimerini understands.