Himara

Less than a week after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras warned Albania that Tirana's moves to seize seaside properties of members of the Greek minority in the city of Himara will hinder Tirana's EU course, Tsipras discussed the issue in a telephone conversation with his Albanian counterpart, Edi Rama, today.

Bidding to defuse recent tensions, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras spoke on the phone with his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama on Thursday, in the wake of last week's bilateral crisis sparked by a call published in the Albanian government gazette for the seizure of properties belonging to members of the ethnic Greek minority in the town of Himara.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras reacted strongly to a move by the Albanian government of Edi Rama to effectively expropriate large tracts of prime seaside properties owned by members of the Greek minority in the upscale coastline town of Himara and neighbouring Sarande.

Albania on Saturday reportedly withdrew a decision published in the online version of its government gazette calling for the seizure of properties belonging to members of the ethnic Greek minority in the town of Himara.

The Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, called Greece “spoiled” warning that Albania will “no longer be silent on the historical issues between the two countries” indirectly bringing into the agenda the so-called “Tsam issue”.

The “National Association of Northern Epirus 1914” participated for the third consecutive year at the Annual Conference of the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) held in Warsaw.

According to epiruspost.gr, in the last few hours the tension in the Albanian city of Himara rises dangerously as dozens of the members of the indigenous Greek minority of the area have been brought to the police station.

The Greek Foreign Ministry has described plans by Albanian authorities to demolish 19 homes belonging to ethnic Greeks on Thursday in the town of Himara as a violation of their rights as a minority and as an act that will threaten the neighboring country's bid to join the European Union.

A diplomatic spat has erupted between Athens and Tirana over a decision by local authorities in the Albanian town of Himara to demolish the homes of 19 ethnic Greek families in the predominantly ethnic Greek seaside holiday resort.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama continued to add fuel to the fire in terms of his socialist government’s relations with Athens, this time speaking in an interview to Albanian site Blakaned.

“They are hilarious to the point of tears, considering a garage-like structure to be a church and protesting because we are restoring our national heritage,” said the Albanian PM.