JS:Incident with Greater Albania map - attack against Serbia

JAGODINA - The incident with the map of Greater Albania, displayed on a banner during the Serbia vs Albania soccer match, is not a provocation, but an attack against Serbia, Dragan Markovic, the leader of United Serbia (JS) - a member of the ruling coalition - said on Thursday.

"It is not only an attack against Serbia, but also against Greece, Montenegro and Macedonia," Markovic said in a statement submitted to media.

Everyone needs to realise that the Albanians are using every moment to promote the idea of Greater Albania, which they are apparently not relinquishing, he warned.

"The attack - not a provocation - was not the work of supporters, but officials in the stadium lounge, and it was an official attack from Tirana," the JS leader said.

The Serbs have been under constant Albanian attacks, which include murders, kidnappings, razing and burning of churches, demolition of gravestones, torching of houses and flats, as well as expulsion from Kosovo-Metohija, he said.

"Europe has always been telling us not to fall for provocations. It is time for Europe to understand Serbia," Markovic noted.

He expressed hope that the European political administration and soccer governing bodies will identify the culprit, who is "more than apparent and came from Tirana."

Tuesday's EURO qualifier between Serbia and Albania was abandoned after 41 minutes as a drone carrying a banner with the map of so-called Greater Albania, which included parts of Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Greece, appeared over the stadium.

Olsi Rama, the brother of the Albanian prime minister, is suspected of having operated the drone from the VIP lounge. Quoting unofficial sources, Serbian media have reported that an...