Ilir Meta's low move, writes letter to Trump against Rama

Albania's President, Ilir Meta, has expressed his regret today to US President Donald Trump over Albania's vote yesterday at the United Nations in favour of the resolution rejecting the American decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move there the US Embassy. In a letter sent to the president of the United States, where he first thanks his congratulations on the 105th anniversary of Independence, Mr. Meta writes that “vota against our great ally and friend has been taken without any prior consultation with the institution of the president of the Republic and neither with the parliament of Albania nor reflecting the attitude and will of the Albanian people and nation, who never forgets and will never forget US support in the most difficult moments of his existence.

The Albanian president further discloses in his letter that “will personally request explanations and clarification of this position and decision of the Government, which conflicts with our strategic partnership relations and our national interests”.

Even earlier in the day, through his spokesman Teddy Blushi, President Meta had stressed among other things that “this attitude and this vote against, entirely unnecessary, does not reflect a state stance, and much more, a attitude of nationwide consensus”.

The Albanian Ministry for Europe and Foreign Policy clarified last night, through a statement, the position held at the UN. Our “Albania has stuck to the international consensus on Jerusalem, based on a considerable number of UN documents, including a number of Security Council resolutions, and has joined the common position of the overwhelming majority of EU member states, maintaining its coherent position with the European Union”, the statement explains.

But according to Democrat President Lulzim Basha “Albania has consolidated in 27 years, a rowed position on the American side for Middle Eastern issues. For the first time Albania has changed its stance and is listed with most EU countries”, the Tv Klan stressed last night during the “Opion” show. According to Mr. Basha, Albania has taken a wrong stance.

The issue concerns the national interest of Albania and the Albanian nation, which so far are served only by a strategic ally who is the United States, without whom we would not be members of Natos, and Kosovo would not be independent”, said Mr. Basha. “On the other hand he explained we have another strategic interest, that of EU membership.

But as long as the EU did not condition its foreign policy, there was no reason for Albania to change its position and not stand the American position. Not for how the issue should be resolved, but for the sake of national interest”, Mr. Basha underlined, writes time.net

In response to the criticism, Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati reacted today, saying that the foreign political “does not have the luxury of not distinguishing facts from fiction.

For those who still believe in the facts, Albania's vote at the UN General Assembly yesterday is not a vote against The US, but the expression of our coherent, principled and unchanged stand in years, based on the international consensus expressed in the countless UN documents and Security Council resolution, which have binding powers, as opposed to the attitudes of the overwhelming majority of UN member states, NATO and the EU, historic US partners”

Albania further writes Mr. Bushati é has consistently voted in favour of UN resolutions regarding the Middle East peace process, as a whole, and in particular the specific resolution addressing the issue of settlements in occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, at the UN General Assembly. This consolidation stance of Albania has been and remains the same regardless of who has been in charge of state affairs, including the 2012 and 2013 vote to date as the overwhelming majority of UN countries”.