Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias adressed a letter to EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn regarding the recent misrepresentations made by the latter regarding a non-existent issue between Greece and Albania.
In his letter, Mr. Kotzias stresses that it is worrying and counter to its function that the Commission, intentionally or not, is undermining a process that is under way and was launched on the initiative of the Foreign Minister of a member state. Moreover, Mr. Kotzias notes, given that this process that is ongoing is aimed at improving Greek-Albanian relations -- a goal that the Commission supposedly shares -- it is surprising that, rather than supporting it, the Commission is creating obstacles to its further implementation.
The Foreign Minister makes it clear that for Greece there will never be a "Cham issue". “I take this opportunity to reiterate, once again, our firm position on this issue. For Greece, there is no 'Cham issue'. Therefore, there has never been and there will never be such an issue on the Greek-Albanian agenda”. Mr. Kotzias reproaches the Commission for taking a stance on the issue in “such an irresponsible and frivolous manner, i.e. without prior consultation or thorough research and consideration of the issue, let alone when our positions are well known both to you and to the European External Action Service”. This stance “is not in line with the role or the function of the Commission”.
At the same time, Mr. Kotzias warns that “if the Commission were to adopt nationalist argu-ments of those who insist on restoring a non-existent issue, this would amount to accepting a revisionist narrative of European history, which would fuel irredentism and would bring back to the fore, in many places in continental Europe, issues that were irrevocably resolved immediately after the Second World War.”
The Foreign Minister invites Commissioner Hanh and the Commission as a whole to take corrective steps. It is especially important, he adds, that there not be “any similar misleading reference in the progress report on Albania” as this would have “very serious consequences for our relations.”
Concluding his letter, Mr. Kotzias urges Albania to prove worthy of the status of candidate for EU membership: “Albania needs to remain committed to European reforms. Consequently, stable, integrated and comprehensive implementation of the five key priorities is crucial for the start of accession negotiations. This is important not just for the overall institutional transformation of the country and better alignment with the EU acquis, but also for the credibility of the enlargement process itself."
October 9, 2016