
Albanian media teams were stuck for several hours at the Kapshtica customs office.
The Greek side has temporarily withheld the passports of the journalists and operators, stopping them from traveling to Thessaloniki, where they were expected to attend the meeting of Prime Minister Edi Rama with the Albanian emigrants that will take place tomorrow at the Porto Palace Hotel, starting at 11:00.
The Hellenic customs officers kept your passports and did not allow you to continue your journey, being told that to make this possible you needed an authorization from the Greek Foreign Ministry.
As the agony of waiting continued, the Greek police proposed to the teams of A2 CNN and TV Klan to let the journalists pass by car, but the cameras, according to them, should stay at the border until a second moment when confirmation from Athens arrived.
The saga of the Greek blockade against the Albanian media in Kapshtica ended around 17:10, when the Greek customs officials returned the stamped passports to the journalists and operators, so that they could continue their journey to Thessaloniki to broadcast Rama's meeting with his compatriots.
This activity will take place tomorrow at the Porto Palace Hotel, starting at 11:00.
Journalist Fjorela Beleshi, while clarifying the situation, also said that she had a telephone conversation with the Greek MEP, the former elected mayor of Himara, Fredi Beleri.
Fjorela Beleshi: Due to the contacts I had in the last day, I tried to communicate with the Greek MEP, part of the party of the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Fredi Beleri. I told him that you made it a media event and you were concerned about a person who protested in Tirana, while the journalists are holding them at the border point of Kapshtica, even though everything is in order, such as with the relevant documents and authorizations, and his answer was: "But why?".
Erion Dushi: From Mr. Has Beleri made an attempt to find a solution or to engage personally? Have you had some kind of manly word from him that will try to assist you?
Fjorela Beleshi: Our communication remained until the moment he asked me why they are keeping you there. I explained to him, but we haven't had a response yet, or a communication from him. We must say Erion that it has never happened, not even in Greece when we were in May with operators, along with cameras, that we were stopped or asked for an authorization, because a private media does not need an authorization from the Ministry of Greek or Albanian foreigner if he has all the relevant documents or authorizations for the means at his disposal.