Extending its selective battle with the media to neighboring countries, the Albanian government has demanded an apology from the Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica, after it published an article with the title “ISIS Flags in Albanian Villages, Powder Keg for Puglia” on January 7. Minister of Interior Affairs Saimir Tahiri wrote a letter to the newspaper’s editor in chief, Ezio Mauro, stressing that there is no village in Albania where the ISIS flag is waving:
It is not the first time that the image of Albania is being damaged, but I hope it is the last time. Albania poses no risk to Albania, except the common risk posed by the same enemy, which is terrorism.
As few days ago Prime Minister Edi Rama already called the news a lie. During a Facebook conversation, the Prime Minister wrote:
A big lie but what to do, this is how it goes everywhere, who doesn’t read newspapers isn’t informed, who reads them is misinformed!
Last week, the Prime Minister praised Italian newspapers several times when they reported favorably about the new Tirana Masterplan, suggesting that foreign newspapers are better informed than local critics about the urban situation in Tirana. It is unclear which of the Prime Minister’s contradictory messages should be taken seriously.
