Albania protests soldiers’ video
The Defense Ministry yesterday «unequivocally» condemned a video showing Greek soldiers chanting anti-Albanian songs after its broadcast provoked angry protests across Albania. «Such acts – if indeed they took place – do not reflect the sentiments of the Greek people to a country that is a neighbor and a friend,» said ministry spokesman Stefanos Gikas. The ministry’s response was welcomed by Albania’s Foreign Minister Besnik Mustafai, who thanked Athens for its «positive response.» The tape, initially broadcast over the Internet at the end of last week and then re-aired on Albanian television, shows Greek soldiers chanting «We will make shoelaces out of Albanians’ guts» during what appears to be military exercises. The same soldiers are heard uttering similar abuse about the Turks. The video’s airing on Sunday prompted a stern response from Albania’s deputy defense minister, Petrit Karabina, who called the songs «unacceptable, condemnable and scandalous.» Karabina called on Greece to «take all the necessary measures to eradicate these expressions of aggressive nationalism from the Greek armed forces.» Karabina’s comments – along with widespread criticism in the Albanian media and the burning of a Greek flag in the southern town of Fieri – prompted yesterday’s response to Tirana from the Greek Defense Ministry.
