Off the wire
• Study backs project to build Britain's first tidal lagoon off coast of Wales  • Turkey, Russia sign agreement of coordinating air operations in Syria  • U.S. stocks decline after Trump speech  • Ex-Brazil prodigy joins Portuguese top-flight club  • Corinthians make Drogba bid  • Szilagyi, Hosszu selected top athletes of the year in Hungary  • Spain to defend interests, rights of citizens on Brexit: PM  • Roundup: Road tunnel planned beneath Britain's famous Stonehenge  • Chicago agricultural commodities close higher  • French president says "possible" to clear IS bastion in Iraq before summer  
You are here: 　 Home

Roundup: Albania, Macedonia spat over interference of internal affairs

Xinhua, January 13, 2017 Adjust font size:

Albania and Macedonia continued to be at odds with each other as Albania's leadership on Thursday denied the accusation of interference in Macedonia's internal affairs.

Albania only takes care of the Albanians in Macedonia the same way as it does for Albanians living in other places, Albanian President Bujar Nishani told Macedonia's Alsat TV in an interview.

Earlier, Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki accused officials in Albania of meddling in Macedonia's internal affairs.

The tensions emerged after three main Albanian-minority parties in Macedonia visited the Albanian capital Tirana last week.

During the visit, the three Albanian-minority parties discussed with Albanian Prime Minster Edi Rama a joint platform for new government formation in Macedonia.

The joint platform was announced later in the Macedonian capital Skopje.

One of the conditions set by the Albanian parties in Macedonia was the use of Albanian language as the second official language.

The Albanian authorities praised such a platform, saying that it was good to see Albanian joining together to defend their interests.

According to President Nishani, the joint platform is entirely an investment and responsibility of the Albanian political factor in Macedonia in the interest of the rights of Albanians and a real contribution for the future of Macedonia.

Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati also said that the platform aimed a better co-existence between Macedonians, Albanians and other minorities in Macedonia.

Noting that the platform was based on the Ohrid Agreement, Bushati claimed that Albania was not involved in the internal affairs of its friendly and neighboring country.

Poposki said that politicians in Tirana had interfered in the affairs of Macedonia, with the aim to gain political points.

It is not good when a neighboring country meddles in the internal affairs of another country, especially after democratic elections and prior to the formation of the government, Poposki said.

This sort of behavior is sending wrong messages in the region, he said.

Albanians are the largest ethnic minority in Macedonia. Endit