Greek minister meets Albanian counterpart, comments on Fredi Beleri
Citizen Protection Minister Giannis Oikonomou met with his Albanian counterpart Taulant Balla in Tirana on Thursday on the sidelines of the Berlin Process. The two discussed cooperation between Greece and Albania on security issues.
According to a post on social media, Oikonomou also spoke to Taulant about Fredi Beleri, the ethnic Greek who was elected mayor of Himare in southern Albania in the municipal elections of May 14 but has not been allowed to be sworn in as he was arrested for alleged vote-buying.
He raised concerns about Beleri’s extended detention before his trial. The minister said he especially focused on Beleri being deprived of his right to be sworn into office and carry out his duties as a democratically elected mayor.
He noted that this violated the precepts of the presumption of innocence and was contrary to the European acquis, which was a fundamental prerequisite for the European perspective of the Western Balkans.
