Thousands in Albania rally for EU membership
(TIRANA) - Tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied in Albania Tuesday in support of the country's efforts to join the European Union, on the anniversary of anti-communist protests two decades ago.
The Tirana rally was organised to commemorate the student marches of December 8, 1990, which protested communist rule and led to the creation of the country's first opposition party.
"We have made our Berlin Wall fall. Now, we are advancing rapidly towards the dream of Albanian integration with Europe," Prime Minister Sali Berisha told crowds at the demonstration waving European Union and NATO flags.
Berisha said that "the law will be applied firmly against the mafia", responding to EU demands for Tirana to crack down on corruption and organised crime.
Albania formally applied for EU membership in April, weeks after joining the Western military alliance NATO.
European foreign ministers agreed last month that the country should be considered for official EU candidate status, a key step forward for the small nation's membership ambitions.
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