Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama apologized to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for offending remarks against Greece he had made recently.
“I hope you were not offended,” Rama told Mitsotakis on the sideline of the EU-Western Balkan Summit in Tirana on Tuesday.
A day before the summit and in an interview with Euractiv, Edi Rama was quoted as saying that Greece cheated in order to join the European Union.
“I want to apologize for some strange statements that I saw attributed to me, they do not represent the situation in Greece, of course. I hope you were not disturbed,” the Albanian prime minister reportedly told his Greek counterpart.
Rama interview
In an exclusive interview with Euractiv.com on December 6, the Albanian PM spoke on the eve of the summit about enlargement, regional tensions, and the need to push ahead with reforms to ensure the authenticity of the enlargement process.
“We should not forget that the integration process is an individual-based, merit-based process. We have to fulfill homework criteria standards, and it’s not an exam to be cheated. Even, even if the professors are very inclined to give you a way out. It’s in your best interest that you get this exam right,” Rama said.
He added that it is crucial to have working institutions and not to “cheat a lot as some neighbouring countries did in the past.”
When asked to name names, Rama said, “Greece.”
