Former Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati in an interview with the Greek newspaper “To Vima” said as quoted by local media on Sunday that the International Court of Justice in The Hague is more “insensitive” to decide on the Greek-Albanian dispute over the delimitation of maritime space.
“Greece ‘s decision to extend its territorial waters to 12 miles conveys a clear political message that reflects the changes that have taken place in the last two years. This is the first enlargement since the end of World War II and comes immediately after the agreements on the delimitation of maritime space with Italy and Egypt, the resumption of exploratory talks with Turkey, as well as the public commitment to resolve the issue of delimitation of maritime space with Albania through an international court,” he said.
Bushati stressed the need for a “true Albanian-Greek strategic partnership” and in the meantime revealed that the Albanian government has raised the “Cham issue” to the Greek governments. “The Cham issue is part of our bilateral historical file and has been submitted by the Albanian government to the Greek government. Let me be clear, Albania does not consider the ‘Cham issue’ related to any territorial claims,” said the former FM. He believes that the fulfillment of Albania’s “national objective” to join the EU has been delayed.
“The start of EU membership talks for Albania has already passed beyond any deadline. Metaphorically, Albania stands as collateral for the recent dispute between Bulgaria and North Macedonia,” said the ex-FM.
Asked on the recent statements of Prime Minister Edi Rama on the unification of Albania with Kosovo Bushati said Kosovo is a natural strategic partner of Albania. “Our cooperation is guided by the national interest in deepening political, economic, social and cultural interaction, as well as in promoting the EU membership process, in the service of regional peace, stability and prosperity. Given this, strategic cooperation with Kosovo is fundamental and aims to implement the European path of Albanians united within the EU.” / Argumentum.al
