Luigi Soreca condemns the writings against Borchardt; Knut Fleckenstein concerned about the protests

 European Union Ambassador to Albania, Luigi Soreca reacted with regard to the writings on the wall at the entrance of the apartment where OSCE Ambassador in Tirana Bernd Borchardt lives.

In a Twitter post, Soreca writes that in a modern democracy there is no place for such actions.

"We condemn wholeheartedly the intimidation of @OSCEinAlbania Ambassador #BernBorchardt and the damage caused to his official residence. There is no place for such action in a modern democracy." Soreca writes.

While earlier the rapporteur for Albania in the European Parliament, Knut Fleckenstein has also espressed his concern about the protests in Albania, suggesting also a letter to the Albanian citizens, the cross-partisan European appeal to the Albanian citizens:

Dear Friends in Albania,

We, the undersigned Members of the European Parliament have pushed since years for Albania's EU integration and for making progress in the relevant reforms. We are friends of Albania and we are convinced that Albania is an enrichment for the European Union. It is why we will continue our support for Albania's EU integration also in the future.

But it is with great concern that we saw images of violence in Tirana last Saturday, 11 May. The right to protest is crucial in any democratic society. However, this can never legitimate violence.

We, Members of the European Parliament from different political families, call on all participants to the protests announced for upcoming days in Tirana, to refrain from all forms of violence and to stay away from such violent events. We also call on all political leaders to show responsibility and restrain.

As Members of the European Parliament, we do not aim at interfering with the demonstrations. We want to simply recall, that only the democratic institutions and processes, parliamentary dialogue, legal procedures, free and fair elections - can legitimately resolve the serious challenges the Albanian society is experiencing.

Our job as Members of the European Parliament is to encourage the progress made by Albania, and to support the country on its way towards the European integration. In this respect, we feel the urge of addressing you, the Albanian citizens today. At the same time, we keep calling on all political leaders not to jeopardize the country's prospects on its European path. Therefore, we count on you, the citizens and civil society to push our common goals.

The images we saw last Saturday, could give the wrong impression that Albania is not ready for the opening of the accession negotiations in June this year. Citizens of Albania: As friends of Albania and supporters of its EU integration, we urge you to send out a clear message to the world that Albania is mature to solve its conflicts in a peaceful and democratic way.

Yours sincerely,

Knut Fleckenstein, MEP, Alliance of Socialists and Democrat in the European Parliament, EP rapporteur for Albania

Eduard Kukan, MEP, European People's Party in the European Parliament, Chair of the EP Committee of Foreign Affairs' Working Group on Western Balkans
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