SLOVENIA-ALBANIA/NISHANI VISIT Albania committed to fight against "foreign fighters" joining IS - president.

Record ID: 565642

  • Title: SLOVENIA-ALBANIA/NISHANI VISIT Albania committed to fight against "foreign fighters" joining IS - president.
  • Date: 28th October 2014
  • Summary: LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA (OCTOBER 28, 2014) (REUTERS) WIDE OF SQUARE IN CITY CENTRE WITH FLAGS OF ALBANIA, SLOVENIA AND EUROPEAN UNION FLAGS OF ALBANIA AND SLOVENIA/LJUBLJANA CASTLE IN BACKGROUND ALBANIAN PRESIDENT, BUJAR NISHANI, GETTING OUT OF CAR AND SHAKING HANDS WITH SLOVENIAN PRESIDENT, BORUT PAHOR MILITARY BAND PLAYING ANTHEMS NISHANI AND PAHOR LISTENING TO ANTHEMS HONOUR GUARDS STANDING FOR INSPECTION
  • Embargoed: 12th November 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Slovenia
  • Country: Slovenia
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA2NQW74GEJYIXIQK90ENAANM3S
  • Story Text: Albania's President Bujat Nishani was greeted with military honours in Ljubljana on Tuesday (October 28) where he met with his Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor to discuss the issues that Balkan countries face on their path towards full European Union membership.
    Nishani vowed also to continue the fight against ethnic Albanians leaving the mainly Muslim Albania and the Albanian-populated Kosovo to join the ranks of the Islamic State militants and fight in Syria and Iraq.
    Nishani told reporters that groups believed to be recruiting fighters were being investigated by local authorities.
    "Albania remains committed in the fight against the so-called "foreign fighters", that is, volunteers (joining IS) from various areas of the Balkans, including Albania. These groups are now not only being investigated by law-enforcement agencies in Albania, but also through the partnership with our allies in the context of NATO, as well as bilaterally," Nishani said.
    Nishani also commented on the abandoned soccer match between Serbia and Albania played in Belgrade earlier this month.
    The politically sensitive European Championship erupted into a brawl on the pitch after a remote controlled drone carrying a flag depicting the so-called Greater Albania was flown over the stands.
    Relations between Serbia and Albania have been strained for a long time due to Kosovo, a majority-Albanian populated former province of Serbia that declared independence in 2008.
    Serbia still does not recognise Kosovo as independent.
    "We have voiced our regret at those racist anti-Albanian chants and the violence that was exercised. I fully trust the respective authorities to make the right decision in terms of the technical aspects of the match. But we do not believe that the incident will influence the progress and the development of the relations between Serbia and Albania. Albania is interested to have good relations of cooperation and friendship with all the countries of the Balkans. We believe it is not only in the interest of Albania and Albanians, but also in the interest of all the peoples of the Balkans, to cooperate, trust each other, co-exist, and focus on joint infrastructure development and economy projects that would make our countries members of the European Union. So let us all focus mainly on our joint European future," Nishani added.
    Both countries are now on the path of European Union accession, with Serbia receiving candidate status in March 2012 and Albania in June 2014.
    Slovenia's President Pahor confirmed the country's full support of Albania in its accession negotiations but added that the process would not be "without complications."
    "Slovenia supports and will continue to support Albania in its path towards European Union membership. Neither president (Bishani) nor other important decision makers in Albania believe - as he will explain himself - that the process would be fast and without complications. However, Albania is showing a great deal of political will need to meet the general requirements which would, within a reasonable time period, turn it from a candidate country into a full member of the European Union. Slovenia has helped Albania in reaching that goal, and will continue to do so in the future," Pahor said.
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