An an interview with Voice of America, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ditmir Bushati admitted that Albania has been the main host country for the members of the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), an opposition group from Iran which was previously accommodated at a refugee camp in Iraq. Around 3,000 members of the MEK have moved to Albania since 2013.
This is the first time the government has confirmed the exact number of mojahedin accepted by Albania.
Last weekend, several politicians, including Pandeli Majko (PS), Fatmir Mediu (PR), and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Elona Gjebrea, had joined the MEK during a large ceremony to celebrate Novruz, Persian New Year.
In the interview, Minister Bushati further denied the news spread by several pro-government media that there would be a Russian threat to Albania:
We don’t see Russia as a threat to Albania or the Western Balkans, but we would wish that Russia would supports out aspiration to be a member of the European family.
He also denied that profit from drug trafficking in Albania could be used to finance ISIS. Minister Bushati is currently in the USA, where have participated in a meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of the 68 states that are part of the Global Coalition against the Islamic State.
