site.btaUPDATED Foreign Ministry Reacts to Statements by Albanian PM Rama in Brussels

Reacting to a statement by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Brussels Thursday, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said it expects him to express himself in a manner suitable for a politician from a country aspiring to join the EU. In the statement in question, Rama described as "a shame" the blocking of the start of EU accession talks with the Republic of North Macedonia by Bulgaria.

"You are a mess guys, you are a big mess and you are a disgrace and I think it’s a shame that a NATO country kidnaps two other NATO countries while in the backyard of Europe there is a hot war and of course, it’s not good to see that 26 other countries sit still in a scary show of impotence," Rama said, quoted by Euronews, as he spoke to Bulgarian reporters upon arrival in the Belgian capital for a meeting of the EU and Western Balkans' leaders.

The Bulgarian veto on the start of accession talks with North Macedonia also hinders Albania's EU accession as Brussels has paired Tirana and Skopje in progress towards the EU. 

The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said that Bulgaria has always been among the EU Member States supporting the position that the Albanian people belong in Europe. 

"We have upheld Albania's European perspective and the start of [its] EU accession talks when doing so was much harder than it is today," the Foreign Ministry says, recalling that Bulgaria was only supported by few for this cause. "We continue to uphold it today, despite everything, in the name of the common European future," the position reads.

"In response, this is not the first time we hear uncalled for, harsh, insulting qualifications from a government leader. The sardonic remarks and their low language register can no longer be excused with personality traits and lack of European communication skills," the Foreign Ministry said.

"At this level, more than any other level, we demand that the proper tone of communication is maintained. Bulgaria has always shown the respect called for by the level of inter-state relations. A common future is ahead for us and Albania. Politicians come and go, the peoples stay. Our peoples have a common interest that must not be hurt by a politician's misjudgement. Allowing the relations between the countries fall hostage to the eccentricity of the incumbent Albanian Prime Minister is unacceptable," the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry's position reads. 

Prime Minister Rama reacted to that with a tweet: "Oh! Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry has an issue with my way of speaking! Fair enough. I have an issue too with the way Bulgaria wants to solve biletaral issues by using the enlargement process as e vehicle of kidnapping two NATO countries! Easy friends: Lift the VETO or bear with me!". In another post on Twitter, he reminds his followers that "it took a short phone call with Boyko Borissov to settle friendly&honestly the issue of the Bulgarian minority in Albania". "Real friends do not harm each other, but they speak truthfully to each other and they deliver!"