Albanian PM Edi Rama provokes Greeks in tweet

Albania’s socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama seems to be inflaming the relations between Greece and his country, after posting a provocative tweet on his account regarding Greece’s official complaint about the demolition of a Greek-Orthodox Church and skirmishes between locals and Albanian authorities.

During an online communication with citizens and responding to a question on the whether the condemnation by the Greek Foreign Ministry of scuffles between Albanian police and the locals during the demolition of Saint Athanasius, a Greek Orthodox Church in the town of Himarra in the south of Albania (with a predominantly of Greek-origin population), was an intervention in domestic Albanian affairs, Rama flatly replied: ‘They frequently did it in the past, they still do it but more rarely.

They will need some time to get used to it’. Hundreds of locals of the small village of Drymmades, where the Church of Saint Athanasius is located gathered Tuesday to prevent the demolition crew from continuing the ‘job’ of tearing down the structure. The Autocephalous  Albanian Orthodox Church condemned the incidents in Drymmades stressing that these actions of the Albanian state ‘violate the property and freedom of religious faith’, while it called on the faithful to retain their calm, but remain determined in defending the temple. The Albanian Orthodox Church in a statement said it would repair any damages caused to the building, as it legally belonged to her.