Ambassador reshuffle: Ferit Hoxha makes the moves concrete — Meidani to Prishtina, Malaj to Skopje

Foreign Minister Ferit Hoxha is moving forward with the idea floated several months ago to change Albania’s two ambassadors in neighboring countries of the region, Skopje and Prishtina.

A member of the Parliamentary Commission on Foreign Affairs told Top Channel journalist Muhamed Veliu that on October 9 two hearings are expected at this commission, which are considered an ambassador reshuffle.

Denion Meidani, currently ambassador in Skopje, will be heard by this commission as proposed to lead Albanian diplomacy in Prishtina.

Meanwhile his colleague, Petrit Malaj, who has held the post of ambassador in Kosovo for three years, will present to this commission the platform for how he will lead our embassy in Skopje.

For the moment it remains unclear the accompanying report of minister Ferit Hoxha for these two proposals, why he has seen this reshuffle of ambassadors in Skopje and Prishtina as necessary.

Recall that the origin of these two changes was first learned during May, when ambassador Denion Meidani stood by the student protests in Skopje.

At that time there were several reports suggesting that minister Ferit Hoxha had received some complaints from the governing party VMRO and its Albanian ally VLEN about ambassador Meidani’s stances and role in those protests.

But the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs rejected these claims, calling them entirely unfounded.

It emphasized in a reaction to the media that “every decision on diplomatic appointments or movements is made in accordance with legislation in force and that these processes are based on professional and institutional analyses, aiming at the most efficient use of human resources and in function of Albania’s foreign policy priorities.”

These are not the only two ambassadorial moves.

Last week, at the Parliamentary Commission on Foreign Affairs the hearing was held with our ambassador in London, Uran Ferizi, who has been entrusted with leading Albania’s Mission to the OSCE in Vienna.

For the moment it has not yet been decided who will be Albania’s new ambassador to the United Kingdom, as Top Channel reports.