Albanian journalists travelling to cover Rama rally in Greece delayed at border
Source: Euractiv
Greek authorities have prevented Albanian journalists and television crews from crossing from Albania into Greece to travel to Thessaloniki, where Prime Minister Edi Rama is set to hold a large rally with the Albanian diaspora.
News crews from Klann and CNN affiliate A2 reported being held up for three hours at the Kapshtice border crossing. Klann journalists told Euractiv that Greek police told them they needed a special permit because they intended to use a van equipped with live transmission equipment.
“We have been here for three hours. They said we need a permit,” a journalist on the ground told Euractiv.
Local authorities said this permit should be obtained from the Greek Foreign Ministry. They added that, alternatively, they could continue into Greece but must leave the cameras and equipment behind.
Journalists on the scene told Euractiv that during previous trips to Greece in recent months, the same journalists with the same equipment were not asked for additional permits.
The journalists reported that during the three-hour standoff, Greek authorities took their passports, but they were eventually returned at around 17:05 CET. Journalists then told Euractiv that they were allowed to enter Greece shortly after.
“When we were in Greece in May with operators and cameras, we were not stopped or asked for authorisation, because a private media does not need an authorisation from the Ministry of Greece if he has all the relevant documents,” A2 journalist Fjorela Beleshi said via live broadcast from the border.
Rama is set to address the Albanian diaspora in Greece on Sunday in the city of Thessaloniki.
The country is home to some 500,000 Albanians, many are seasonal workers. The visit comes after a similar rally in Athens in May following a trip to the US, where he met his fellow countrymen in New York.
But his visit to Thessaloniki has been marred by threats of protests by some political groups including the far-right National Front. They declared that Rama was not welcome in Greece, listing the recent arrest and imprisonment of Fredi Beleri as one of the reasons to protest.
“Declaring pride for Albania and for the Albanians living in Greece, Edi Rama comes again with the government’s permission to organise a rally in Thessaloniki (…) His politics and those who support him are absolutely undesirable,” the National Front press release said.
Beleri, an Albanian ethnic Greek was arrested in 2023 for vote buying in the municipality of Himara. He was sentenced to one year in prison and prevented from becoming mayor. He was later elected to European Parliament as a Greek MEP.
During a visit to Tirana last week with other MEPs, he was pelted with eggs after a meeting with government.
As for the previous rally in May, Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis had dismissed it as “superfluous.”
Relations between the two countries have been cool for some time, not only due to Beleri. In a 2022 interview with Euractiv, Rama said Greece “cheated” on its EU membership process, resulting in a diplomatic spat ahead of the Western Balkan Summit and an apology from Rama to Mitsotakis.
The Greek government and the Albanian government have not reacted publicly to the news of the journalists being held up at the border by the time of publication.
[Edited by Rajnish Singh]
The original article: belongs to Euractiv .
