Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama provocatively stated “Northern Epirus is a term that has died” during an event held in a Thessaloniki hotel addressing an audience of his compatriots who live in Greece on Sunday, Nov. 3.
Meanwhile, a protest rally took place outside the venue, with citizens expressing their dissatisfaction regarding his visit to Greece. The gathered crowd chanted slogans such as “Rama out of Greece”, making reference to Northern Epirus – located on the Southern part of Albania, on the border with Greece where many Albanian citizens of Greek descent live.
The protesters also left flyers on cars in the surrounding area, featuring the photo of a Greek man of Northern Epirus descent, which stated that he had been killed by the Albanian police.
As Albanian media report commenting on the protest, Rama said: “A protest was organized with ridiculous pamphlets inspired by so-called ‘Northern Epirots,’ and it only evokes my pity. ‘Northern Epirots’ is a dead term. Anyone who uses this term when talking about the south of Albania refuses to live in the 21st century. They are fossils, and that’s a shame.”
Furthermore, he stressed that such actions do not promote relations between the two neighboring countries. However, he noted the importance of Greece, alongside Italy and Turkey, as a strategic partner impacting his country’s foreign policy.
Rama also acknowledged the support of the Greek people to his compatriots adding “The Greek people have supported us, stood beside us; we love and respect them. What we’ve heard about Northern Epirus belongs in the past. We are in the 21st century, and it is no longer necessary to dwell on these matters.”
In response to Rama’s statements sources of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that history cannot be erased with a need for full respect on Albania’s part of the rights of the Greek national minority from Northern Epirus.
“This is an explicit condition for Albania’s path to EU membership, as per the unanimous position of the 27 EU member states on Oct. 11, 2024,” the same sources stress.
