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With eyes on EU, Albania hopes to draw line under Serbia drone row

04 November 2014 01:48 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Albania hopes next week's meeting with Serbia can draw a line under an on-pitch brawl between their national soccer teams and put efforts to heal fragile Balkan relations back on the right track, its foreign minister said on Monday, APA reports quoting Reuters.

Speaking to Reuters, Ditmir Bushati also said he thought Albania would be ready to join the European Union in 10 years but voiced concern at the anti-enlargement rhetoric now coming from some EU leaders.

Bushati further said that Albania was open to further opportunities to assist a U.S.-led coalition campaign against Islamic State insurgents who have overrun large parts of Iraq and Syria, causing international shock waves.

Albania's Oct. 14 Euro 2016 soccer qualification match in Belgrade had to be abandoned when fighting erupted after a remote-controlled drone trailing a flag of "Greater Albania" flew over the stadium, triggering a pitch invasion.

The incident touched off a war of words between Tirana and Belgrade, as well as attacks on bakeries owned by ethnic Albanians in Serbian towns, showing how national resentments in the region continue to lurk just below the surface.

"The events that occurred before, during and after the match were very unpleasant and we have condemned the provocations and the violence," Bushati said during a trip to London.

"But I believe it is important to look to the future and to open up a new chapter in relations between Albania and Serbia which I think would be key for democratic stability of the region and its advancement towards the European Union."

After being delayed by the fallout from the soccer match, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama is now due to meet Serbian counterpart Aleksander Vucic on Nov. 10 in what will be the first visit to Serbia by an Albanian leader for 68 years.

Bushati said although Albania and Serbia had serious issues, he hoped the visit would continue some of the work on improving Balkan relations done in Berlin earlier this year and he hoped the meeting between Rama and Vucic would have "good elements".

"I believe we could find a level playing field with Serbia because there are issues of mutual importance and issues that are key for the European integration of the region."