Vucic on Serbian Flag Burning Attempt: Albania Responded Responsibly  

Vucic, Rama, Zaec (BETAPHOTO/NORTH MACEDONIA GOVERNMENT /MO)

Commenting on the attempt to burn the Serbian national flag in Tirana, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Dec. 21 that desecration of the symbols of any country was inadmissible, but noted that the state of Albania had responded “promptly, seriously and responsibly.”

In a statement to state public broadcaster RTS from Tirana, where he is attending an Open Balkan initiative meeting, Vucic said that all had to look into the future and view things rationally, adding that it was understandable that the Albanians were angry, because their national flags had been burnt in Serbia during visits of their Prime Minister Edi Rama.  

Rama has reacted to the attempt of burning the Serbian national flag during protests in Tirana in the evening on Dec. 20, stressing that during his visit to Belgrade, Albanian national flags had been displayed at city squares and the police had arrested those who had been burning them.

At the call of the former Albanian president and prime minister, Sali Berisha, several hundreds of people demonstrated in Tirana in the evening on Dec. 20. Local media have reported that a group of protesters have burnt the Serbian national flag. They have also reported of several other attempts to take down the Serbian national flags displayed in Tirana to greet the guest.