Greece Conditions Its Support for Albania’s EU Membership on Minority Rights

Greece has made its support for Albania’s European Union membership bid contingent upon the protection of the ethnic Greek minority in Albania, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared on Wednesday.

Speaking at the signing of a contract for a new road connecting Ioannina in northwestern Greece to the Albanian village of Kakavija, Mitsotakis emphasized that Athens has always sought friendly relations with its Adriatic neighbor. However, he underscored that Albania must meet long-standing obligations regarding the property and civil rights of the country’s ethnic Greek community, the largest minority group in Albania.

“There is a continuous path of conditionality towards the European Union, where we essentially regulate the pace at which Albania progresses toward Europe,” Mitsotakis stated ahead of his trip to Brussels for an EU-Western Balkans summit.

Relations between Greece and Albania were strained last year when Albanian authorities arrested ethnic Greek politician Fredis Beleris on vote-buying charges during his mayoral campaign in Himare, a coastal town with a significant Greek population. Despite his imprisonment, Beleris won a seat in the European Parliament this year as a candidate for Mitsotakis' ruling New Democracy party and was subsequently released.

Albania, along with other Western Balkan states including Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia, has long aspired to join the EU. However, the accession process has faced delays due to the slow pace of reforms and waning enthusiasm for enlargement among existing EU members.

Mitsotakis’ remarks underline Greece’s pivotal role in shaping Albania’s EU trajectory. “The speed of Albania’s progress depends on its commitment to fulfilling these obligations,” he added.

Separately, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis reiterated Athens’ support for Serbia’s EU accession bid following a meeting with Serbian Ambassador Marko Djuric in Athens. “Serbia’s accession to the European Union is a geopolitical necessity,” Gerapetritis stated, highlighting Greece’s broader commitment to the European integration of the Western Balkans.

This stance reflects Greece’s dual approach: promoting stability and integration in the region while firmly defending the rights of ethnic Greeks abroad.

(Source: Reuters)