Greek foreign minister urges European focus on Beleri case
Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis said on Wednesday that the case of Fredi Beleri, a mayor from Albania’s Greek minority who was recently sentenced to two years in prison for buying votes, should be viewed as a European concern rather than a bilateral issue between the two Balkan neighbors.
“Τhis is not a bilateral [matter]. Whether a candidate country aspiring to join the European Union upholds the principles of the rule of law and respects the political rights of its citizens is not bilateral. It is a European matter, and we should perceive it as such and highlight it in all forums,” Gerapetritis told Skai radio.
Goro resigns
The minister further criticized the prolonged tenure of the defeated mayor of Himare, Jorgo Goro, who retained his position with full authority almost a year after the local elections. He described this situation as “an affront to every concept of European rule of law.”
Albanian media on Wednesday reported that Goro had resigned from his duties a day after the country’s Court for Corruption and Organized Crime ordered his detention for an unspecified duration following his arrest on charges of alleged abuse of office.
