Albanian President Ilir Meta declared Tuesday that he had refused the government's request to authorize continuation of negotiations with Greece over the two countries' Ionian Sea maritime border.

Speaking at a news conference, President Meta told reporters here that he needed more transparency and information on what and how the Albanian government would negotiate.

According to the president, the government's request didn't clearly define the object of negotiations for which the authorization was requested.

"Every solution needs to comply with the principles of the Constitution of the Republic of Albania and to uphold the interests of the state," Meta said.

Albania signed an agreement with Greece in 2009 after two years of negotiations, but the Albanian Constitutional Court annulled it in 2010 after finding it in breach of the constitution and international norms.

The negotiating group didn't get the president's authorization for talks was the reason that the agreement was turned down by the Court.

Therefore, the current government sent a letter to President Meta asking for his authorization to continue the talks, which could lead to an agreement.

The delimitation of sea border is deemed by both sides as an unresolved issue. During the last year, Albanian authorities and their Greek counterpart have intensified efforts to reach a deal.

But the renewal of talks has been under pressure, as Albanian opposition and some organizations here have been accusing Greece of trying to take several miles of sea from Albania.

Following the president's refusal, Albanian ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs reacted, saying that it had already received the president's letter and that it would reply soon in an institutional way.

The ministry further stressed that the process which it had started with Greece was a complex process, therefore it required maturity and institutionalism.

Source:
courtesy of XINHUA NEWS AGENCY

by Xinhua News Agency

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