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Rama in Greece: Fredi Beleri escaped unscathed, with this justice he now remains in prison
2026-04-22 19:27:35 / POLITIKË
Albania’s Prime Minister, Edi Rama, said that Albania’s long-standing property disputes stem from systemic historical issues and not from discrimination against ethnic Greeks.
In a conversation with Kathimerini’s executive editor, Alexis Papachelas, Rama explained that after five decades under a communist regime without private property, Albania was faced with overlapping claims when property rights were restored in the 1990s.
Initial laws granted land use rights to agricultural workers, while claims for compensation from old owners remained unresolved. A third layer emerged as widespread informal construction, later requiring legalization.
He said that successive governments have spent the past decade trying to resolve these complexities through reforms, including the digitalization of data.
Addressing concerns about the Greek minority, Rama insisted that property issues affect all citizens equally. He stressed that ethnic Greeks are valued as citizens and as a “cultural treasure”, rejecting claims of unequal treatment.
Rama also praised Kyriakos Mitsotakis for advocating for minority issues, calling it legitimate, while stressing the importance of strong bilateral relations.
Referring to the case of Fredi Beleri, Rama described the episode as “unfortunate”, but argued that it should be seen within the broader systemic challenges in the justice system in Albania.
Beleri, an ethnic Greek politician, was arrested on charges of vote-buying before taking office as mayor of Himara and has since been elected to the European Parliament. Rama said the outcome had ultimately been positive for Beleri, noting that many other local officials facing pre-trial detention remain in prison.
He pointed to a broader pattern behind Albania’s judicial reforms, highlighting the widespread use of pre-trial detention. According to Rama, about 58% of prisoners in Albania have not yet been tried, citing even cases involving officials from his own party.
“I am not proud of this, but [we] have an independent judiciary now and we need to deal with it,” he said.
Rama also said he hopes his country and Greece can reach an agreement on the delimitation of their respective exclusive economic zones before they appear before the International Court of Justice by the end of the year.
The five pillars of the 11th Delphi Economic Forum, which is taking place in the ancient city in central Greece, are geopolitics, the planet, sustainable economy and finance, the future and people./Kathimerini
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