Serbia's Prime Minister on historic visit to Albania

(Vatican Radio) Serbia's Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic will on Wednesday become the first Serbian government head to visit Albania in an effort to overcome strained relations between the two Balkan nations. He arrives six months after Albania's Prime Minster Edi Rama was in Belgrade as Tirana's first government head to visit Serbia for 68 years. 

Click below to listen to correspondent Stefan Bos’ report:

Vucic’s historic visit to Albania comes at a time of tensions between the two Balkan countries over Kosovo. The territory with an ethnic Albanian majority declared independence from Serbia in 2008, nearly a decade after Serbian troops were forced by the NATO military alliance to leave the area following a war. His Albanian counterpart Edi Rama has urged Vucic to recognize the reality of Kosovo's independence, which has been recognized by the United States but remains unrecognized by Serbia, its ally Russia and others. Kosovo is independent and that's irreversible reality, both regional, as well as European and must be respected," Rama said during his visit to Belgrade last year. Yet that prompted an angry reaction from Serbian Prime Minister Vucic. "My job is not to allow anyone to humiliate Serbia in Belgrade. Kosovo is part of Serbia - according to the Serbian constitution. It has nothing to do with Albania and never will have anything," he said.  

FOOTBALL VIOLENCE

That's not all. Last year fighting broke out at the Partizan Stadium in Belgrade during a game between Serbia and Albania in the qualifiers of the Euro 2016 championship. The Confrontations were triggered by the flight of a small drone carrying the flag of 'Greater Albania,' which shows parts of Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo and Macedonia, together with Albania, as one country. Serbia claims a Tirana-sponsored "Great Albania" project is underway, although both Albanian and Kosovo authorities have denied that no such plan exists. Yet ethnic Albanians in Serbia have already suggested they want more rights and autonomy, raising tensions. 

URGING DIALOGUE 

Despite these difficulties, the Serbian and Albanian prime ministers have said they hope to overcome their differences through dialogue as both nations seek closer ties with the European Union. Albanian Prime Minister Rama even said that he believes "Albania and Serbia...could do for the Balkans what France and Germany did for Europe after World War Two". Analysts agree that the improvement of relations is key for stability in the Balkans. But commentators believe more is needed than visits to heal the wounds of history.