Albania to Bolster Ties with Serbia

Tirana | 26 October 2009 | Besar Likmeta

Albania FM Ilir Meta

Foreign Affairs Minister Ilir Meta, declared on Monday that Albania would move to strengthen its ties with Serbia, describing the country as an important partner for regional stability in the Balkans.

“The strengthening of our relationship with Serbia is an important priority for our regional policy,” said Meta, speaking during a Tirana conference, organised by the Albanian Institute for International Studies. “We will work closely and with intensity with Serbia's government on reciprocal and regional issues,” he added.

Meta said that Albania would back Serbia's participation in the Southeastern Europe Defence Ministers' meeting, arguing that without Belgrade's participation such meetings and organisations would be incomplete.

Tensions between Tirana and Belgrade flared in August after Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha spoke of the “national unification” of Albanians in the region during an interview with a local broadcaster.

The statement elicited a protest note from Serbia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, which described the comment as “provocative and a breach of its [Serbia's] sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

Kosovo declared independence on February 17, 2008, and has been recognised as a sovereign state by 63 countries, including the US and major EU states, but Belgrade maintains that it remains an integral part of Serbia.

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Comments:

Bolstering the Ties
2009-10-26 21:48:08

Dear Mr. Meta, I do understand that you would very much like to bolster your "ties" with Serbia. The only problem, the way I see it, is that you don't have any basis on which you could bolster those "ties". Do you think to bolster the ties with Serbia on the basis of you very active participation in the War against Serbia? Or perhaps on the basis of yours and your government's ferocious decline of any attempt by EU envoy to investigate Serbs organ trafficking case, happened in your country during 1998, 1999, 2000, in "yellow house"? Or perhaps on the basis of your wish to create Greater Albania by unification with the territory stolen from Serbia by force? Well I do think that you just may try to simulate bolstering of "ties" and good relations, but your state is much to be done if you really want friendly relationship with Serbia. In any other case, you'll have to go to EU across Macedonia, Bulgaria & Romania (if they let you), or through Montenegro, Croatia and B&H (if they let you, either). Truly yours

Bolsteromg ties
2009-10-27 02:38:20

How do you propose to do that? What are you bringing to the table? Like Hawk said, so far you have done everything to damage Serbia. Is this how you show your good faith? You will have to do a bit better.

hawk
2009-10-27 06:39:28

Well dear hawk it's funny how people like you are making this situation such a big deal when infact the serbians did worst. seriously how many children were killed pregnant women made to give birth early by cutting their stomach open and taking the baby out then killing it infront of their eyes, children raped. or how about when hundreds of civilians were put against their house walls nd shot There's way more that 100 times worst and your on going about the organ traficking GET OVER IT and do some reaserch. truly yours

WHY NOT
2009-10-27 06:46:06

i rekon its a good way to finally bring peace to the balkans and hawk seriously get real as if you think its because they need them to pass to other countries....you ok....LOL

from Albania
2009-10-27 17:38:04

Yes we in Albania are so desperate, to have good relations with serbia.The state that have killed 10.000 albanians, and deported 800.000 of them out of kosovo; that have sponsored genocide, ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, crimes in Croatia and Slovenia. I mean who wouldn't like to have good relations with this country. All you're neighbours are so eager to be serbia's friend. It's so beautiful to be your friend, please serbia accepts us as you're friend, please, please, please, please and please please again. If you don't accepts our friendship i'm going to cry,Albania have no future without you're friendship. Anyway we will let you to be part of the Wto, as a sign of a good friendship. But please accepts us as you're friend..HAHAHAH i HOPE YOU UNDESTOOD SOMETHING

Bolstering the Ties 2
2009-10-28 09:40:41

Unfortunately, this is just one of the smallest reasons Serbia could not afford "bolstering of ties" with Albania: "EUROPOL: Albanians play key drug trafficking role" Link: http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/setimes/newsbriefs/2009/10/27/nb-03 Serbia is not interested in becoming a hub for Albanian drug smugglers and human traffickers.

Bolstering the Ties 3
2009-11-05 19:53:24

To anyone who laughs at the fact that Serbia could influence Almania's and Kosovo's road ties to EU: "...Angry at Kosovo's declaration of independence, Serbia banned Kosovo-marked products and barred trans shipments to other Western European countries, zapping customers and increasing Stone Castle's transport costs by 25 percent in one blow..." Link to the whole article: http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL3612110

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Albania to Bolster Ties with Serbia