Albanians offer help on security
A top Greek security delegation visited Tirana yesterday to discuss bilateral cooperation on addressing potential terrorist threats in the lead-up to the August Olympics. Public Order Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis, who was accompanied by Police Chief Fotis Nasiakos and National Security Agency Director Pavlos Apostolidis, received pledges of assistance from his Albanian counterpart, Igli Toska. «We will cooperate with the Greek side to prevent and crack down on any kind of activity or possible threat out of or through Albanian territory,» Toska said, adding that Tirana has set up a task force, with Greek training and logistical support, «to evaluate all risks.» Voulgarakis, who also met with Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano, said Greece attached particular importance to cooperation with its neighbors on Olympic security. «We reaffirmed our desire to cooperate more closely on fighting organized crime,» he added. Large quantities of drugs and weapons – as well as victims of the sex trade – are smuggled into Greece every year over the rugged border with Albania.
