In the wake of the Greek Prime Minister’s visit to Greek minority areas in Albania, Ioannis Armakolas spoke to Albania’s ABC News about the diplomatic relations between the two countries and how the two societies view bilateral issues and the European Union. He argued that while relations between the two peoples are in a good place, there is still a lack of trust between the countries, mainly at the official political level, though the media bear some responsible for this, too. This, he suggested, is also reflected in the opinions polled in both countries on certain issues that touch upon bilateral relations.

As he also pointed out, while the percentage of Albanians who view Greeks positively is higher than the proportion of Greeks who perceive Albanians positively, the numbers are both much higher than they were in the past. He also underlined the importance of the Greek Prime Minister’s most recent visits to Albania, which demonstrate Greece’s desire to improve bilateral relations, and opined that, as Albania moves closer to EU membership, relations with Greece can only get better.

Click to watch the interview, in Albanian.