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Albania, Macedonia Hold Emergency Talks on Border Unrest
Albania and Macedonia held an emergency discussion Saturday evening in the Albanian border city of Peshkopi. Both sides condemned Albanian extremists for evoking border violence in the past week.
Albanian Foreign Minister Paskal Milo condemned the attack launched by Albanian extremists in Macedonian border villages, in which three Macedonian soldiers were killed.
Albania respects Macedonia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and is ready to coordinate with other Southeast European countries to cope with the crisis, Milo said.
At the same time, he called on the Macedonian government to improve the social and economic status of the ethnic Albanians living in Macedonia.
"Acts of violence by extremist groups should not be considered as actions by all Albanians," he said.
In response, Macedonian Foreign Minister Srgian Kerim said his government will work to protect the legal rights of ethnic Albanians in the country and will reopen the border after tension is eased.
Kerim said what his government is doing in the border area is fight against extremists, not against ordinary Albanian villagers.
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