The Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Policy approved on Tuesday the candidacy of Luela Hajdaraga as ambassador of Albania to Greece, but the former minister of foreign affairs Ditmir Bushati declared that he was against the procedure as well as her candidacy.
Bushati said that according to the Constitution, it is the president that needs to announce the vacant post, but this has not occurred. The former minister added that this post requires long experience in diplomacy.
“The Constitution prescribes that a vacant post is needed for the replacement procedure to take place. The Prime Minister has proposed the replacement, but the President of the Republic has not communicated the creation of a vacant spot. If the president does not do so in the form of a decree, the Committee cannot do undertake any action. You cannot become ambassador without a decree”, said Bushati.
The former minister of foreign affairs concluded that a “long diplomatic experience of at least 10-12 years” is required in order to be appointed ambassador, which according to Bushati the candidate Luela Hajdaraga does not possess, therefore “does not fit the criteria prescribed by law”.
In addition, Bushati recalled that Albanian ambassadors in Athens have been in general “high-profile diplomats”.
“The first time we established diplomatic relations with Greece was on January 9, 1923 and Pandeli Vangjeli, the foreign minister of that time, proposed Mit’hat Frashëri. We all know that he was one of the most prominent personalities of the time. It turns out that, all candidates for ambassador or those who have served in Greeece, had either prominent diplomatic careers or high profile officials”, added Bushati.
By early July, the acting minister of foreign affairs Gent Cakaj presented the candidacy of Luela Hajdaraga to Prime Minister Edi Rama, as well as the discharge from duty of Ardiana Hobdari.
Former minister Bushati criticized the denigrating media approach for portraying the discharge of recent ambassador Hobdari as a done fact.
Hobdari was asked to come down in February of 2019 also, as Greek authorities confiscated 100 Albanian passports, which were being transported by bus from Tirana to Athens.
