Former Deputy Commander of the Naval Forces, Artur Meçollari, spoke on the issue of the maritime border with Greece and developments related to negotiations between the two countries, as well as the regional context that also includes Turkey.
Invited to the show "Oponencje" on News24, Meçollari stated that negotiations on the sea issue were suspended in 2018.
"In 2018, Prime Minister Edi Rama interrupted the negotiations. He interrupted them because he did not take the lead of the negotiating group. This is a matter of responsibility," he said.
According to Meçollari, other developments have occurred in 2020, linked to a broader regional initiative.
"Something else happened. Prime Minister Rama was offered to be a negotiator between Greece and Turkey to resolve their issue in The Hague. In order to promote this initiative and receive the credits, Greece had to remove a clause," he said.
He explained that this is related to a document filed by Greece in international courts.
"In 2015, Greece submitted an instrument to the Hague Court and Hamburg, stating that it does not recognize these courts on the issue of the sea. So, it has excluded itself from these courts on this issue," Meçollari declared.
According to him, in this context, Albania is seen as an element that can play a role in the broader regional process.
"In order for Rama to be used as a catalyst for Greece and Turkey, Albania was used to go to The Hague as their precursor," he said.
Finally, Meçollari raised questions about the consequences that such a process could have, emphasizing that sending the case to The Hague could affect previously reached agreements.
"The issue is how do you go to The Hague when you have conducted previous negotiations and have some agreements. If you go to The Hague, these agreements may fall apart," he concluded.
