Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, left, speaks with the Albanian counterpart Edi Rama during their visit to ethnic Greek minority regions, in Dervican village, southern Albania, on Thursday. [Franc Zhurda/AP]
In what was described as a historic occasion, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ visit to the ethnic Greek minority of Albania, and specifically Himara (Himare), Livadia (Livadhe) and Dervitsani (Dervican), took place on Thursday in an emotional atmosphere.
On the first stop of his tour, the prime minister visited Himara and was accompanied by Olympic champion Pyrros Dimas, who was born and raised there.
Greeted by locals waving Greek flags and chanting “Hellas, Hellas,” Mitsotakis referred to “a special moment for me, but also a great moment for Hellenism everywhere.” He also thanked the Greeks of Albania for keeping “the flame of Hellenism and Orthodoxy unquenched in very difficult years.”
The residents of Himara are, he said, “a bridge of friendship and cooperation between Greece and Albania.”
Mitsotakis also referred extensively to the rights of Albanian Greeks, which are often violated, and linked them to Albania’s European aspirations.
“I personally have been, am and will remain a supporter of Albania’s European course,” he said, adding that “Albania’s obligation, in the context of its approach to Europe, is full respect for your rights, whether we refer to the right to self-determination, or we refer to the right for your children and grandchildren to continue to learn the Greek language at all levels.”
He also broached the issue of property rights of ethnic Greeks and their protection.
“I believe that in a spirit of cooperation and friendship with the Albanian government, all these issues can and will be resolved,” he said.
Moreover, he referred to uninsured seniors and pension rights, which is a matter of survival for many ethnic Greeks in Albania.
Mitsotakis was welcomed in Dervitsani by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who in his brief greeting described the Greek minority as “an unbreakable link between our two countries” that “has given a lot, not only to this community, but also to the country.”
