TIRANA -- The U.S. ambassador in Tirana has warned of an "unfortunate" rise in nationalist rhetoric by Albanian politicians ahead of elections next year.
U.S. Ambassador Alexander Arvizu has said that attempts to inflame ethnic tensions could potentially destabilize the Balkans, AP has reported.
His comments on Friday follow calls from a small nationalist party for a referendum on uniting Albania with Kosovo.
AP points out that similar calls could be heard from Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who recently angered neighboring Greece with talk of “Albanian lands” including parts of Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro.
Tirana later said his comments had a “purely historical context”.
Berisha said that it was necessary to do everything “to make physical borders between Albanians meaningless” and also promised citizenship for ethnic Albanians worldwide.
Arvizu said voters “should not fall for talk of an illusory Greater Albania."
