TIRANA, Albania
The Albanian Foreign Ministry condemned Sunday the desecration and burning of its flag during a football match in Belgrade on October 14.
Tensions between the two countries remained high in the aftermath of the Euro 2016 qualifying match that was abandoned when chaos erupted on the pitch.
“Regretfully, we note the hooliganism of the Serbian fans and pathological hatred towards Albanian symbols was once again displayed in Belgrade, in a match that had nothing to do with Albania or Albanians,” Albanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry called on Serbian authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice and urged the Serbian political class to distance itself from such acts. It said such incidents could have grave consequences for the future stability of the Balkans.
Serbia blamed a “controversial” flag attached to a drone that flew over the pitch for the provocation on the football pitch. The flag depicted a map that showed areas where ethnic Albanians live in the Balkans, including Kosovo and parts of Serbia.
Albania blamed Serbian fans for desecrating their flag, abusing them and throwing hard objects on the football field. Albanian authorities also accuse Serbian fans and Serbian security forces for manhandling the Albanian players.
In the backdrop of such tense relastions, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama is scheduled to visit Belgrade October 22, the first visit by an Albanian premier since 1947.
Mosque attack
A mosque in northern Serbia was attacked with Molotov bombs Saturday night.
The Islamic Association of Serbia condemned the attack in Vojvodina Province’s Subotica city, where Orthodox Christians and Catholic Christians live in peace with Muslims.
Ibazer Yzeiri, head of the Islamic Association Council in Subotica, told Anadolu Agency the entrance of the mosque was attacked with a Molotov bomb. He said the fire was extinguished with the help of their Christian neighbors.
The Muhacir mosque was the first minaret mosque built in the city in 2008 after around 250 years.
The mosque attack follows this week’s attacks on some Albanian and Muslim-owned businesses in Novi Sad, Stara Pazova, Sombor, Vershac cities.
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