Albanian Foreign Minister in Athens on December 16 – The next phase of greek-Albanian relations

On December 16, Athens will welcome not just a new foreign minister, but the entire next phase in Greek-Albanian relations.

Elisa Spiropali, Albania's new minister For europe And foreign Affairs, is coming to the greek capital for the first time officially, to Meet With Giorgos gerapetritis. Albanian media are Talking about "takim i Të të të të diplomatik" (important diplomatic meeting) and "rrugë e re të

Behind the polite formalities, the agenda is heavy:

• Delimitation of maritime zones / EEZ in the Ionian Sea.
• Energy projects and connections.
• Albania's European path, with Greece as a "gateway" to the EU.

And in the background, like a constant subtitle:

• Himara, greek minority, beleris Case.

If one carefully reads Top Channel, AlfaPress and the major albanian sites, the message is clear:

December 16th is presented as "an Albanian descent in Athens to unblock the maritime agreement and design a new cooperation map."

The main points, as they write:

• Issue number 1: The definition of maritime borders and an EEZ in the Ionian Sea - with the prospect of a joint agreement for The Hague, which has been announced for years but has not materialized.
• Energy: Interconnections, pipelines, power cables, LNG and the role of the Adriatic and Ionian in the new EU energy architecture (as a counterbalance to Russian dependence).
• European path: How Greece will function as a "partner and gatekeeper" in Albania's accession path.

In other words, the Albanian side shows that it comes with a "big picture" agenda: mapping of maritime zones, energy cooperation, European future. Formally, all of this is completely legitimate. The interest begins when you add what is not written in the first paragraph.

What does athens Want?

On the Greek side, we already see the new "road map" in its analysis in the Greek press:

• Athens finally wants a clear timetable for how we get to The Hague in the Ionian Sea, with a co-promise that legally closes all open maritime fronts.
• He wants to integrate Albania more firmly into energy and transport corridors, where greece Plays a pillar role.
• And, above all, he wants to "tie" Tirana's European path with clear commitments to the rule of law and respect for the Greek minority.

Foreign Minister G. Gerapetritis has already said this since June, during a previous visit by the then Albanian Foreign Minister Hasani to Athens: The protection of the Greek minority in Albania is a "top priority" for Greek diplomacy.

At the same time, Athens has used – and does not hide it – the EU's "leverage": It has threatened to veto Albania's accession processes due to the Beleris affair and has "frozen" technical steps in Brussels, refusing to co-sign letters to advance negotiations.

It is, therefore, obvious that On December 16, not only the geometry of the EEZ will be discussed, but also The political geometry: how quickly Albania will move Towards brussels and how tightly athens will Hold the key.

What does success and failure mean?

A relatively successful December 16th would have, roughly speaking, four elements:

1. Clear steps for EEZ / The Hague
   An agreement within the framework of the co-contract, with a timetable and an explicit commitment that the case will indeed go to an international court – not "someday".
2. Mechanism for the minority
   Either with a high-level bilateral committee, or with clauses in accession chapters that better protect rights and properties of the Greek minority.
3. Promotion of energy projects
   Connections that "click" into the Greek natural gas and electricity networks, and potentially with floating LNG infrastructure in the Ionian - Adriatic Sea.
4. Disconnecting the European path from petty extortion
   That is, Athens should insist on the rule of law, but without the Beleris case becoming a permanent blocking tool - and Tirana should understand that without respect for minorities, there is no door to the EU.

In this scenario, Northern Epirus gains more guarantees, the Ionian Sea acquires a clearer legal status, and Albania takes a step closer to more mature relations with Greece.

One day, three maps

On December 16, there won't be just one map on the table in Athens. There will be at least three:

1. The nautical chart of the Ionian Sea.
2. The political map of Northern Epirus and Greek-Albanian relations.
3. The European map of the Western Balkans.

If the gerapetritis-Spiropali Meeting Is Limited to nice photos and statements, these maps will remain as they are - Full of "gray zones".
But if a real "roadmap" emerges from the room, with dates and commitments, then perhaps December 16th will be the day that Greece and Albania decide that it is time to overcome their Balkan automatism.

Until then, Athens will play the difficult role of "partner-gatekeeper" and Tirana will balance between "I want Europe" and "I will not bear pressure from Greece."

Dimitris Dragogias – BACKSTAGE Newspaper