Greek-Albanian ties, Tirana’s EU bid, and the Fredi Beleri case

This week Albanian authorities finally moved to refer Fredi Beleri’s case to trial. The ethnic Greek elected mayor of Himare has been in pre-trial detention for months, and as a result has been unable to take the oath of office.

His case has now become central to Greek-Albanian relations, with implications for other issues in the relationship, from efforts to resolve maritime disputes at the ICJ to the broader rights of the Greek minority.

It is also impacting Albania’s path to EU membership, and respecting Beleri’s right to a fair trial is crucial if Tirana hopes to make progress on this front. Vassilis Nedos, Kathimerini’s diplomatic and defense editor, joins Thanos Davelis to look at how this case is testing Greek-Albanian relations, and look at why it matters if Albania hopes to move its EU membership bid forward.