Protest held in Tirana against Open Balkan initiative: Rama criticizes burning of Serbian flag

Photo: Tanjug/AP

Last night Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama reacted on Facebook to the protest against the summit within the Open Balkan initiative and against the arrival of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Tirana, as well as to accusations on that social network because Serbian flags were displayed on the streets ahead of the event.

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In a video he published on TikTok, Rama commented on a young man who climbed a pole to tear down the flag of Serbia, and then fell from there.

"I'm a traitor and this patriot falls, or not? God save Albania from fools," Rama wrote.

@ediramatiktokUnë tradhëtar dhe ky patriot i bie apo jo😂 Zot ruaje Shqipërinë nga të marrët🙏♬ original sound - EdiRamaTikTok

According to him, it is true that Open Balkan is not only the future of the children of the entire region, but also "the strategic interest of Albania and the entire Albanian people."

Protest against Open Balkan ends in Tirana

The protest organized on Monday in Tirana by former Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha, as a sign of opposition to the Open Balkan initiative, ended with messages that the initiative is harmful to Albania, as well as to the independence of so-called Kosovo.

The protesters gathered after 4 pm in front of the seat of the Albanian government, where they were addressed by representatives of the Democratic Party, a former member of the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo, as well as by the organizer, Berisha.

Several hundred protesters were present, shouting Berisha's name and chanting against the current Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Open Balkan"initiative, but also against Serbia.

At one point, they set fire to and trampled on a Serbian flag, while one man tore down another flag that was displayed on a nearby street pole.

The government building was protected by about 2,000 members of the police, while Berisha had as many as eight bodyguards.

(Telegraf.rs)