MFA welcomes measures to disinter, identify fallen Greek soldiers in Albania

Greece's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday welcomed measures taken to disinter and identify Greek soldiers who lost their lives in Albania during World War II.

"An important step is being taken today towards laying to rest the souls of the Greek soldiers who fell in the Greek-Italian war of 1940-1941," the ministry said in a statement on Monday, referring to "the last unburied fallen of the Second World War." 

"The long-pending issue of cemeteries for the Greek fallen soldiers was discussed in the negotiations held in Crete this past November. Steps were agreed upon and are being taken, based on a specific time frame, for the full implementation of the relevant agreement, so that this matter, which is first and foremost humanitarian in nature, can be settled in the best possible manner," it added. 

The ministry welcomed the Albanian government’s response to "this historically just request, which shows that dialogue and cooperation in a constructive and open-minded spirit can lead to the resolution of differences and the creation of positive prospects in the relations between the region’s countries and peoples." 

Greece's ministry "will continue to work responsibly in order to safeguard the national interest, cultivating rules of good neighbourliness and conditions for dialogue, with a view to building the common European future our region deserves," the statement concluded.