Diplomatic and legal sources in Greece on Tuesday cited an attempt by the Albanian government to dispute established maritime borders in the Ionian Sea, while at the same time … requesting maps of where exploration is being held on Greek territory!
 

According to an article in the Athens daily Kathimerini, Tirana’s unprecedented request implies an indirect dispute of land borders — via a diplomatic memo to Athens — in which Albanian authorities requested a change in the hydrocarbon exploration in the Ionian. Tirana also reportedly claimed that Albanian maritime borders are being violated. Now, the Albanians are also asking for maps to land-based research in Epirus!

According to Kathimerini, the development entails a high-risk diplomatic move by Albania, with a risk for otherwise excellent bilateral relations.

The same sources state, however, that the leftist Greek government is merely observing an increased coolness in Greek-Albanian relations, without doing much about it, as well as remaining inactive during the latest bout of instability in the western Balkans.

According to some experts, the latest “fireworks” out of Tirana are a continuation of the Albanian political establishment’s project to promote an idea of a “Greater Albania”.

The timing of the diplomatic note also generated attention, given that it comes after a visit by Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan to Tirana, a visit replete with “sultan-like” pomp and pageantry.