03/02/2011 Monitoring
Strasbourg, 03.02.2011 – The co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of Albania, Jaakko Laakso (Finland, UEL) and Thomáš Jirsa (Czech Republic, EDG), have urged all parties to find a negotiated solution to the current political crisis in Albania, and to refrain from any action that could further escalate the already tense situation.
“This crisis is doing lasting damage to Albania’s democratic institutions and is endangering the very stability of the country,” said the two co-rapporteurs. “We are especially concerned about actions that bring into doubt the freedom of the media, as well as recent calls to disobey legitimate state institutions,” they added.
The co-rapporteurs stressed that the solution to the most recent conflict could never come from the street, but only from a negotiated compromise by the two parties that are the main protagonists in the stand-off. “We reaffirm our continued willingness to assist the parties in finding a negotiated solution to this conflict if they so wish,” they underlined.
The rapporteurs intend to make a visit to Albania from 21 to 24 March 2011.