Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has slammed Austrian newspaper Der Standard for allegedly publishing “fake news” regarding statements made by him.
“What a disappointment to see such a highly reputated paper behave like a fake news spreader! I have never said any of it about “non-paper and map” and I have never ever endorsed any border drawing along ethnic lines between Serbia and Kosovo,” Rama tweeted on Monday.
It comes on the World Press Freedom Day, May 3, and following Der Standard article of April 27 regarding a number of documents that have appeared in the regional media, claiming to propose different solutions to border and ethnic issues in the Balkans.
Speaking of such a document allegedly proposed by the Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, which he has denied, Der Standard wrote: “The Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama told the Albanian media that he had seen the non-paper and the map with the proposed border changes. Rama himself, together with Vucic and lobbyists, endorsed the drawing of borders along ethnic lines between Kosovo and Serbia three years ago.”
The newspaper referred to an interview Rama gave to an Albanian TV channel, where he was asked to comment on a document published by Slovenian media necenzurirano.si suggesting border changes in the Western Balkans.
Rama answered that he had discussed such ideas with Jansa in the past, and that he also had seen the document published in the media, adding that he refused to comment.
“I have seen [the published non-paper], I have talked with him, with the Slovenian Prime Minister, long time ago. I have talked in general on ideas, and I have seen the document that is out there, but I have no comment about it. I have no comment at all,” Rama said.
