A GREATER ALBANIA WOULD BE CATASTROPHIC FOR THE REGION! PORTUGUESE MEDIA REPORTS INTERVIEW WITH GREEK VICE-MINISTER FOR DEFENCE

The Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias published a recent interview which its reporter in Athens obtained from Dimitros Apostolakis, Greek Vice-Minister for Defence. In this interview, Mr. Apostolakis stated that the current situation in Macedonia is “very serious. The main threat comes from the situation in FYROM (Macedonia), which is the weakest link in the regional chain.” Asked whether he agreed with the project of creating a Greater Albania, the Greek Vice-Minister for Defence was categorical in his reply: “Certainly not! This would be catastrophic for the region!…The so-called Greater Albania would destabilise the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, creating a fuse-wire which could spread to Bulgaria. After that, who knows what could happen…” He stated that the worst thing that could be done “as some want”, (he did not stipulate who) would be to change the frontiers in the region. He considers that Kosovo does not have the capacity to stand alone as an autonomous state and neither does he believe in an integration of Kosovo into Albania. “I believe it is possible to keep the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia together as a state”. What he accepts for Kosovo is a state of autonomy with international guarantees.

TIMOTHY BANCROFT-HINCHEY, PRAVDA.RU, LISBON