George Soros clashes German MEP with Albania’s Former PM Berisha

Tirana, Albania | Tirana Echo – German Member of the European Parliament Knut Fleckenstein and Albania’s former Prime Minister Sali Berisha have clashed over billionaire George Soros role in spreading political turmoil across Albania.

During a press conference today in Tirana, social-democratic MEP Fleckenstein who also serves as the European Parliament Rapporteur on Albania said that Berisha should stop his Soros tales.

“I respect Mr. Berisha a lot, former prime minister and former president. But I would ask him to stop talking about the Soros issue. This has also happened in Macedonia. Those who are weak talk of such tales and I don’t think Berisha is weak” – said Fleckenstein referring to Berisha’s recent claims that the Soros network has spread its influence in Albania’s political leadership.

The Hungarian born American billionaire, best known for crushing the British pound in the 90’s, operates a network of NGOs called the Open Society Foundation which has spread across central and eastern Europe. His network has often been criticized by several politicians across the Balkans, most notably in Macedonia and lately in Albania, of sponsoring certain political parties seeking to control power and decision making in these fragile countries.

Responding to Fleckenstein’s comments this evening, former PM Berisha wrote on his Facebook page that while he respected the MEP and his contribution at the European Parliament on solving several problems in Albania, he considered “his statement as rushed and unfounded”.

“My statements on George Soros and his mafia, as a major danger for the Albanian democracy, are based on authentic documents. My statement at the Albanian Parliament against the mafia acts of Soros and his network in Albania, are based on facts which date before the current debates taking place in the United States on the activity of the chief speculator of the planet” – said Berisha.

He added that “George Soros represents today the billionaire who has corrupted the most local and international personalities in former communist countries. He has also corrupted individuals and groups of people in serious international institutions headquartered in several capitals, including Berlin” – concluded the former PM and legendary leading figure of the opposition democrats who are currently protesting in Tirana calling for the resignation of socialist PM Edi Rama.

George Soros’ alleged meddling in European politics has also caught the attention of US Congress.

Concerns about Soros’ involvement most recently were raised by the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has lashed out at the Soros “empire” and accused it of deploying “tons of money and international heavy artillery.”

But days earlier, Republican lawmakers in Washington started asking questions about whether U.S. tax dollars also were being used to fund Soros projects in the small, conservative-led country of Macedonia.