Athens mayor to meet ethnic Greeks in Himare
Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis is due to travel to Himare on Monday to meet with members of the ethnic-Greek community in the southern Albanian city. He is also expected to express support for the mayor-elect of Himare, Fredi Beleri, who has been held in pretrial custody since being arrested in May on charges of vote-buying.
The 51-year-old denies the charges. Beleri’s arrest shortly ahead of the local elections in Albania has caused tensions between the two neighbors, with Athens threatening to block the Balkan country’s European Union accession bid unless he is released and allowed to take his oath of office to assume his post.
Bakoyannis is scheduled to speak to a large gathering of Himare’s ethnic Greeks on Monday evening.
