Mitsotakis in Albania for summit as Rama accuses Greece of ‘cheating’ for EU entry
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama accused Greece of “cheating” to get into the European Union, just hours before he was due to meet with his Greek counterpart, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in Tirana.
“The integration process is an individual-based, merit-based process. We have to fulfill homework criteria standards, and it’s not an exam to be cheated. Even, even if the professors are very inclined to give you a way out,” Rama told Euractiv in an interview on Monday. Asked to name “some neighboring countries” that “cheated in the past,” Rama said “Greece.”
Rama’s comments came hours before Mitsotakis arrived in Tirana to attend Tuesday’s EU-Western Balkan summit, which brings together the heads of state of the EU27 and Western Balkan six, as well as top European officials.
The Greek prime minister, who is accompanied by Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and Deputy Foreign Minister Kostas Fragogiannis, is slated to meet with Rama later on Tuesday, as well as with Albania’s president and House speaker.
In comments ahead of his trip to Tirana, Mitsotakis said that he was looking forward to talks for strengthening bilateral relations with the neighboring country. Diplomatic sources have suggested that a maritime borders agreement was expected to be high on the Greek delegation’s agenda of talks.
