Albania, Iran look to expand economic cooperation
4 April 2007 Source: MNA

President of the Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Albania (UCCIAL) said on Tuesday the chamber is keen to expand economic ties with Iran.
…
Ilir Zhila explained the chamber is eager to develop relation with other countries, particularly Iran, Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported.
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Ambassador Ali Beman Eqbali Zarech, elaborating on Iran’s growing economy, said that the Islamic Republic is prepared to participate in Albanian reconstruction projects and to expand bilateral relations.

Albania urges enhanced ties with Iran
Belgrade, June 2, IRNA

Albanian Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha Friday in Tirana said the Iranian and Albanian peoples are keen to bolster bilateral relations in various economic and political areas.

Basha made the remark in a meeting with Iran’s Ambassador to Tirana Ali-Beman Eqbali Zarech while pointing to broad and deep-rooted cultural ties between the two countries.

The Iranian ambassador outlined regional and international developments and said the Islamic Republic of Iran has played a significant role in reinforcing peace and stability in the region.

He expressed Iran’s readiness to promote ties and cooperation with Albania in different political, economic and cultural fields.
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In related developments, Eqbali Zarech met with Albanian Chairman of the Socialist Movement for Integration and former prime minister Ilir Meta.
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The Albanian official called for active presence of Iranian exporters in his country’s markets…He further voiced Tehran’s readiness to expand all-out cooperation with Tirana.

Iran ready to help Albania’s renovation
Belgrade, July 14, IRNA

Iran’s ambassador to Tirana conferred with Albanian deputy minister of economy, trade and energy on the issues of mutual interest. In the meeting on Friday, Ali beman Eqbali Zarach elaborated on Iran’s economic and industrial abilities on power stations, transfer lines and distribution of electricity and dam building…

Hm, I wonder why Iran is more interested in places like Albania than Serbia. I mean, if there’s no Balkan Muslimness going on…what would be the difference?

Ah, you know peace is on the horizon when America draws closer to Albania AND Iran draws closer to Albania. This could bring us closer to Iran!! Albania could act as the bridge we’ve needed all along! War can be avoided! As it is, all three of us support a Greater Albania, so just think what else we can soon have in common as we move closer together: stoning, blood feuds, honor killings…

Look — we’re even on the same side as Iran in the coming Balkan war:

Crossfire War — Iran Primes Albania and Nationalists for War
by Willard Payne, July 2
Iran Increases Weapon Support to Albania - Priming The Balkans - Avenue of Invasion

TIRANA - Tehran has instructed its Ambassador to Tirana, Ali Beman Eqbali Zarech, to meet the Albanian Minister of Transports, Sokol Oldashi, in order for Iran to ship more military equipment to Albania, which will enable Tirana to increase its military support for the Albanian nationalists in Kosovo when they declare their independence from Serbia in July.

That will of course set off the next war in the Balkans, a conflict Tehran had long planned to use to not only keep NATO and European Union forces busy put to prime the Balkans as Iran’s avenue of invasion into Europe. That would destroy the West’s ability to have any major influence in West Asia (Middle East) in the near future. I suspect Zarech is suggesting to the Albanian officials in Tirana that it may be more effective if the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo continue to emphasize attacks against the offices of the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

…Tehran is meeting the Albanian Minister of Transports in order to ship-transport more equipment that will find its way to Albanian nationalists who Iran wants to target NATO-UN. There will of course be some fighting between Albanians and Serbs as the Serbian militias react immediately in defense of Belgrade’s control over the province, but I would not be surprised if Tirana also convinces the Albanians in Kosovo that Brussels and NATO are more of an enemy…

In related news: Iranian ambassador visits Serbia’s Muslim-majority region [Sandzak], discusses economy

[Presenter] Iranian Ambassador to Serbia [Sayyed Morteza Mirheydari] paid an official visit to Novi Pazar today [19 July]. During his visit, the ambassador met political parties’ representatives and the Mesihat [executive body] of the Islamic Community in Serbia chairman [Muamer Zukorlic]. Potential economic investments in the Sandzak region were discussed at the meeting with Mufti Muamer Zukorlic.

[Reporter] The Mesihat of the Islamic Community in Serbia chairman, Mufti Muamer Zukorlic, today received Iranian Ambassador to Belgrade Sayyed Morteza Mirheydari. During one-hour cordial talks, collocutors mainly elaborated on the topic already discussed at their previous meetings, i.e., potentials for investing into the Sandzak region by Iranian entrepreneurs and financial organizations.

Iranian “entrepreneurs”!! I love it!! Terrorpreneurs! Can you say Albaniran?

And here’s from Mickey at Serbianna on Iran in Greater Albania:

What Iran sees here is a ripe, failed state, ready for a takeover because Iran has a much more sophisticated and organized terror network that is internalized domestically inside Iranian institutions and will operate much more efficiently than al Qaeda under its diplomatic cloak in Albania.
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Washington’s support of Kosovo independence is like gifting the enemy with operational space instead of having a rational plan to contain him.

That Albania is quietly undergoing radical Islamization is evidenced by the recent problems in electing a president. Parliament took 4 tries, and the opposition which wanted a Christian finally gave up and elected Bamir Topi, a Muslim and a choice of the ruling prime minister Berisha. This Muslim cadre is what will silently open doors to more radical Albanian Muslim elements such as Bashkim Gazidede, Berisha’s ex-chief spy, responsible for bringing in al Qaeda investors into the country [in the 90s]. Gazidede went into exile in another terror-friendly state, Syria.

Oh, and looky here — I was wrong: Iran is interested in more than just non-Muslimy Albania/Kosovo. It’s also interested in non-Muslimy Bosnia:

Iran stresses bolstering economic ties with Bosnia
11 June 2007 | 10:19 | Source: Irna

SARAJEVO — Ali Baqeri in Sarajevo on Sunday called for an expansion of trade and economic ties with Bosnia.

Foreign Ministry Director General for Central and Northern Europe Ali Baqeri made the remark during a meeting with Bosnian Minister of Trade and Economic Relations Slobodan Puhalac.

The Iranian official said grounds have been prepared for the participation of Bosnian companies in Iran’s economic affairs.
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Puhalac, for his part, stressed the importance of promotion of bilateral economic ties and called for final conclusion of an agreement on trade preferential tariffs between Tehran and Sarajevo.

That’s just another example that the U.S. and Iran have common cause. For an earlier example, see Clinton-Approved Iranian Arms Transfers Help Turn Bosnia into Militant Islamic Base , Jan. 16, 1997

So we can all get along! We can! We were a threat to ourselves long before Iran was, so let’s just be friends. Whatever happened to “The enemy of my enemy is my friend”? Iran is an enemy of the U.S., and the U.S. is an enemy of the U.S., so the U.S. and Iran should be friends!

Wait! Stop the presses! It appears I was wrong AGAIN: It’s not just Muslim countries that Iran is interested in. It’s worked with non-Islamic Croatia too. Let’s see if we can figure out why:

Iran Gave Croatia Millions for Help to Bosnia, July 20, 2007

In 1994 and 1995 Iran paid Croatia more than 50 million dollars so Zagreb could deliver weapons and ammunition to the Bosnian government necessary for the defence of Bihac, former Bosnian diplomat, Ivica Misic, said.

In a brief interview published by the Nezavisne novine daily from Banja Luka (BH), Misic said that he had personally witnessed talks between the then Bosnian foreign minister Haris Silajdzic, former Croatian foreign minister Mate Granic and Iranian official Ali Akbar Velayati.

“At the meeting it was agreed that Croatia deliver weapons, ammunition and other assistance to Bihac and that everything would be paid for by Iran”, Misic said, explaining that the talks had held place in New York in the autumn of 1994 when Silajdzic had asked for help to prevent the occupation of Bihac.
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“Velayati asked Granic how much money was needed. I was shocked with the number Granic came up with and Velayati just said: Send the weapons to the Bosnians and tomorrow you will get the check”, Misic said.

A relevant point from the Willard Payne op-ed cited above:

When Tehran established relations with Zagreb, the seat of Croatia’s government in 1992, Iran announced Croatia was their entry into Central Europe.

Here we arrive at one final point. Notice that throughout Yugoslavia’s tribulations with the Bosnians and then the Albanians — as stories filled with bogus claims and doctored photos were being concocted against Belgrade — Croatia, which knew better as to what the Bosnians and Albanians were up to and could have set the world straight — instead kept its lip zipped. To do otherwise would defeat the whole point: bring down the Serbs any way you can. (This also helps explain why I don’t get letters from Albanians telling me I’m wrong about Croatians, and why I don’t get letters from Croatians telling me I’m wrong about Albanians, and why I don’t get letters from Bosniaks telling me I’m wrong about Croatians, or from Croatians telling me I’m wrong about Bosniaks.)

Well, mission accomplished. Serbs down. Enjoy Islamicized EU rule instead.

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