Talking to Dimitra Makri on DION TV on the occasion of the Greek Prime Minister’s visit to Albania and the country’s Greek minority, Ioannis Paparizos spoke about the problems facing that minority and the course of Greek-Albanian relations. After commenting on the historic nature of the visit and its high symbolism, he briefly outlined various problems facing the minority and noted that their solution will require close cooperation between Greece and Albania.
He argued that Greek-Albanian relations are in a good place, but further improvement is possible. He also underlined the Greek strategic foreign policy goal of integrating Albania into the EU and the need to support this effort, emphasizing that any criticism made should be underpinned by the prospect of additional cooperation between the two countries. He also mentioned the new ELIAMEP project (ALGREE: “Albania/Greece Understanding, Connecting, Partnering”) which seeks to bridge any gap between the two societies.
Click to watch the interview, in Greek.
