Gov’t spokesman asks Albania to avoid stoking tensions after death of ethnic Greek
Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos on Monday called on Albanian authorities to avoid inflammatory rhetoric in the wake of the fatal shooting of an ethnic Greek man by Albanian police in southern Albania on Sunday.
"Greek authorities are taking all necessary actions foreseen in such circumstances to determine the exact circumstances of the death of the ethnic Greek in Albania," Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told Open television channel.
Greek authorities are in contact with their Albanian counterparts, he said, adding that there should be no rush to draw conclusions.
He added that the Albanian government should not be aggressive in its response to an incident involving the loss of a life to ensure that social tensions are not stoked.
He appeared to be referring to a tweet by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama describing the ethnic Greek man as "a crazy person."
A brawl between Greeks and Albanians in Gerakas, eastern Attica, in the early hours of Monday, left six people injured. One of the injured, a Greek man, had a serious wound to his neck.
It appears that the clash might have been a response to news about the shooting in Albania.
