Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhaçka revealed details from her meeting with the Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias in Brussel, in the sidelines of the Foreign Affairs Council meeting between EU and Western Balkans foreign ministers.
In a Facebook video declaration, Xhaçka informs that she and Dendias spoke about Fredi Beleri’s arrest, explaining Tirana’s clear stance on the matter.
“I had a good meeting with Dendias. It was an opportunity to discuss the issue. I congratulated him for his party’s victory in the Greek general elections and expressed our most sincere wish that regardless of the different opinions on Beleri’s case, we can continue our friendly collaboration, as we are now in a new page. Dendias also presented his stance and I made it clear that it is not a political issue, nor is it related to human rights. It is a matter of respecting the law for every Albanian citizen. It is a matter of fighting the vote buying phenomenon, as one of the main recommendations of the OSCE-ODIHR. Just like Albania, Greece, in compliance with the law, carried out arrests precisely for accusations of vote buying,” explained Xhaçka.
Fredi Beleri appeared before the Special Court against Corruption and Organized Crime on Monday, with the court ruling that he should remain in prison under accusations for vote buying.
Beleri, now elected mayor in the municipality of Himara was arrested two days ahead of the Albanian local elections, an act that sparked a diplomatic row between Athens and Tirana, as he is a Greek expatriate. According to the last census, Greeks form the largest minority in Albania, making up 0,9 percent of the total population. Greek officials condemned the Albanian authorities for violating human rights in arresting Beleri, as they claim he has been detained “based on non-existent charges”. They even informed the highest European Union officials such as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the matter, with Minister Dendias recently raising the issue of Beleri’s arrest in the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussel this Monday.
Beleri was the mayoral candidate of the “Together We Win” coalition and Himara was one of the seven municipalities where the coalition scored victory.
