President of the Republic Ilir Meta declared he was certain in the fairness of the decision to give Albanian citizenship to Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durres and All Albania. In an interview for Blendi Fevziu on Opinion, President Meta invited people to divide the issue of origin on Yannoulatos from the issue of faith. �He is a personality of faith, missionary and man of God, who has made extraordinary services to our Orthodox Autocephalous Church. He revived from the ashes the Autocephalous Church of Albania, making it one of the most honored churches in the world,� said Meta.
He added that for the Greek people, Yannoulatos is not a high cleric but an idle adored due to his extraordinary personality, as thinker in the field of faith and theology, as an idealist and humanist and a personality with extraordinary international reputation.
�We must keep in mind that His Beatitude has not come here as a representative of the Greek church. He has come here as an Exarch of the Patriarchate of Istanbul and has come here due to his extraordinary personality and successes he has had in rebuilding churches of faith in the eastern Africa and many other regions,� declared the President.
Asked whether Greek authorities asked him to give citizenship to Anastasios, the President stated that they have not asked such thing because he has not had the possibility to have meetings since he has become President. �However, no one has managed to understand why a figure, who leads the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania should not receive citizenship, when anyone who meets some minimal conditions set by law does,� Meta said.
Asked about the vote of Albania in the UN and how Albania was supposed to vote, President Meta said: �Always, I think, responsibly and wisely we should protect some relations which do not affect our credibility in regard to allies, in regard to our state and national interests.�
In his view, any other kind of vote except the one chosen would have been much more acceptable.
Asked whether PM Rama contacted him on this issue, Meta said that he never thought such a vote would take place in a situation when the requests have been public, made by the President of the US and by the US Ambassador to the UN.
Asked about the way in which the US might think when the President sends a letter that publicly contests the decision of the Prime Minister, and if this would make the state look ridiculous, the President said that a serious state solves these issues before such actions occur.
�My letter is not simply about the concern that our vote would bring a big damage to America, because I am convinced that it won�t, but it is about making clear my position as President of Albania even in relation with America, with Albanian citizens wherever they are, who have not welcomed this voting,� declared President Meta.
He underlined that this was a warning that for every important diplomatic, international action in the foreign affairs, in the policy of national and international safety, the President will be transparent with the partners and with the public opinion.