Albin Kurti's party accuses Edi Rama of national treason of agreement with Greece

According to the branch of the Vetevendosje Movement in Tirana, this is evidence of Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis's statement, that there is in principle an agreement with Albania about the aim for expansion from 6 to 12 miles in the Ionian Sea.

For VVA, the clarification of the Greek chief diplomat Dendias on the same issue has revealed Edi Rama's strategy for treason and Greece's struggle for occupation.

Greek Foreign Minister Dendias explained the same thing yesterday in an interview for the newspaper “Real Nese”. These two statements reveal Greece's expansionist strategy and Rama's co-ordination.

Mitsotakis and Dendias reveal Rama's attempt on national treason

On October 25th 2020, in the Greek Parliament, Prime Minister Mitsotakis declared that Greece would once deposit enlargement to the UN from 6 to 12 nautical miles (md) at the Ionian Sea, then together with Albania will refer to the International Court of Justice ( SEND) in The Hague to determine exclusive economic areas. For these, he said that “has a principle agreement with Albania”. Greek Foreign Minister Dendias explained the same thing yesterday in an interview for the newspaper “Real Nesa”. These two statements reveal Greece's expansionist strategy and Rama's co-ordination.

We stress that the principle agreement Micotakis is talking about has a content that has been kept secret for the Albanian public until yesterday. Secret treaties are not only unacceptable but also illegal according to Article 102 of the UN Charter. In this secret agreement between the Rama government and the Mitsotakis Government, the latter's statements are being clarified that Albania has renounced the dispute of Greece's expansion from 6m to 12mm on the Ionian Sea. Those Albanians who still think Greece has the right to expand from 6m to 12m on the Ion Sea based on Article 3 of the Convention on the Law of the Sea, either do not recognise this Convention and international law and are confused by the Rama Government propaganda or like Rama are playing Greece's game. The right to expansion up to 12m of the Convention member states is enjoyed only if there are no disputes from other states and unless they affect the maritime territories and economic areas of other states. Thus, at Article 7, paragraph 6 of the Convention, it is determined that the expansion of up to 12mm of a country can be made by a coastline only if it does not cut the territorial sea or the Economic Exclusive Zone of another country. In this case, Greece's expansion of between 6 and 12m in the Ionian Sea, through its islands, also hosts the territorial sea and Albania's Economic Exclust Zone.

On January 14, 2015, Greece has deposited a statement at the UN/ While explaining that in terms of territory disputes, including the marine one, it will only recognise the jurisdiction of the GND. The reason Greece has chosen the GjND is to advance its expansionist policies, because the GND has limited competencies based on the will of the parties (states) to conduct questions. The court cannot address any questions that both sides have not agreed to in advance. If one side disagrees that a certain case be carried out in DND, then the issue falls and is not addressed. However, even this obstacle Greece has decided has a solution under international law, through Anex 5 of the Convention on Sea Law, which is not mentioned by the Rama Government.

Since August 2020, with antinational public statements, the Rama Government has acknowledged Greece's expansion from 6m to 12mmm at the expense of Albania's territorial sea and Marine Economic Exclust Zone. Now he's also trying to formalize betrayal. While agreeing not to contest Greece's expansion from 6m to 12mm, the Rama government has renounced the right of the Albanian state to defend Albania's territorial integrity with international law. While acknowledging the issue to be brought to SEND in The Hague, the Rama government has been able to contest the Albanian state for this expansion of between 6m and 12m, because the Greek side, as it has already announced publicly, would not allow this dispute in the GND. The Greek side has declared that the DND will be considered the continental sea shelf and the Economic Exclust Zone. The latter will be considered for Greece no longer of 6mm, but after Greece's expansion of the Ionian Sea, starting at 12md. This automatically leads to the loss of hundreds of nautical miles belonging to Albania at the Ion Sea and risks giving access to Greece as well as to the Otrato Canal. Prior to these maneuvers, Albania was internationally recognised at the Ionian Sea, while Greece did not. Albania's continental soil presupposes the rights of the Greek islands in Ion, so the betrayal lies precisely with the Rama Government's non-confrontation of this predatoric Greek expansion.

In terms of international law, solutions are not lacking, but initially the Rama Government needs to stop in this treason attempt. The steps to take are:

1. Albania must withdraw immediately from any secret agreement approved in principle or not with Greece.

2. Albania must hand over a protest note to Greece's predatory expansion of between 6m and 12m on the Ionian Sea at the expense of Albanian sea space, warning Greece that it will contest this expansion under all international rights instruments.

3. If Greece does not stop and deposit the UN enlargement from 6m to 12mm, then Albania must immediately deposit to the UN the official contest of this Greek expansion.

4. Albania must refuse to further address the issue in DjND, where Greece is concerned, and should activate the 5th Convention on Sea Law, bringing Greece under obligation to Arbitrazh. The court's selection in this case also determines the outcome. Unlike GjND, where questions cannot be laid that the parties disagree in advance, through Anex 5 of the Convention, Albania enjoys the right to contest at the Court of Arbitrazhi Greece's predatoric expansion even if Greece does not agree in advance. Through Annex 5, Albania enjoys the right to force Greece to implement international law, and the move is in line with Albanian national interests.

International law, in this case, is in favour of Albanian national interests, but is being deliberately misused by the Rama Government. What is in the Albanians' disadvantage is only the co-bortion of the Rama Government with Greece's expansionist policies. This antinational approach of the Rama government also conflicts with Paragraph 113 of Albania's 2010 Constitutional Court ruling on the same issue. Therefore, the attempt on national treason should be stopped at any cost not to repeat, or even to deteriorate, harmful agreements such as the Constitutional Court rejected in 2010. If we do not act now as society and as a nation, this attempt to betray the Rama government will be formalised and lose hundreds of miles of Albanian maritime territory on the Ionian Sea. We're not gonna let this happen!

October 26, 2020

Movement V EVIDENCE!

Center in Albania