Foreign Minister of Greece Nikos Dendias is expected to travel to Tirana on October 20, as local media reported Wednesday. One of the main topics of talks and the main reason of his visit it was learned that are the maritime talks between the two countries. 

In an interview for the Greek media days ago, the Hellenic Minister said he wants expressed the wish for the backlogged maritime issues with Albania to be resolved as soon as possible. He believes that resolution of opened issues will bring an update of the bilateral relations and will be good for everyone.

“It is choice of Greece the determination of the continental shelf and the EEA to be based on the international law, with all the neighboring countries. This is how we want to resolve this backlogged issue also with Albania as soon as possible. As I declared a while ago in Parliament, in the debate on the ratification of maritime demarcation agreements with Italy and Egypt, I hope that the next step will be the signing of an agreement with Albania. Let me remind you that we had signed an agreement in 2009, but that it had no development for the known reasons.

I hope that soon, we will be able to re-catch the thread of the respective negotiations and reach satisfactory results for both parties. It is important, in the context of good neighborly relations and taking into account the European perspective of our neighboring country, to close all open issues, as this will automatically lead to an update of our bilateral relations and will be for the good of all", has stated the Greek minister.

On September 16, the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said that “Often these agreements turn into hot issues in local politics. I have a very simple idea and hope that we reach agreement as soon as possible on it. To be able to resolve the issue with the help of others, a third party that helps us amicably or better through international tribunal. This can be an objective right and cannot be used by patriots there and here”.