Original article (in Montenegrin) was published on 06/04/2023
An indispensable part of the reporting of certain media is their way of framing information, the by-product of which is a distorted public perception.
The last example is the article published on the In4s web portal, in which the information was conveyed that North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro launched a new regional platform.
“The so-called The Western Balkan Four Established: The “Greater Albania” Project in Full Swing?!” reads the title of the article published on the In4s web portal.
This information was used by other domestic and regional portals to spread fears about the creation of “Greater Albania” by publishing an article accompanied by the following headline:
“A NEW STEP TOWARDS GREATER ALBANIA: A dangerous initiative in Skopje – Serbia and Srpska must “close ranks”
Although some media insinuate that the platform founded by the officials of North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro is, in fact, a step towards the implementation of the “Greater Albania” project, the facts say otherwise.
The platform “Western Balkan QUAD – 100 per cent compliance with the EU’s foreign policy” is an initiative of four states that expressed their geopolitical course and commitment to the European Union (EU) and European values.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Macedonia announced that the platform was launched by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, Olta Xhacka, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo, Kreshnik Ahmeti, and the foreign policy advisor to the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Djordje Radulovic, in Skopje on March 29, Al Jazeera reported.
The topic of their meeting in Skopje, it is reported, was the full compliance of the four QUAD group countries with the common foreign and security policy of the EU in light of the new geopolitical reality, hybrid threats, the energy crisis and the economic consequences as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia stated that each of the four countries individually proved to be a reliable partner of NATO and the EU by complying with the EU and US sanctions regime and by providing concrete humanitarian and other technical assistance to Ukraine.
“After Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, alignment with the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU, but also more broadly with the positions and values of the democratic world, turned into one of the most important priorities of the countries that strive for EU membership. It also sends a clear message of where these countries belong”, Osmani said at the meeting.
The signatory of the initiative and the foreign policy advisor to the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Djordje Radulovic, says that QUAD is not part of any other regional initiative and that it is exclusively related to the European integration of the region.
“The Platform is not exclusive and reserved only for the four countries, but also other countries from the region are also welcome if they decide to fully comply with the common foreign and security policy of the EU,” Radulovic told RSE.
The Raskrinkavanje recently dealt with similar claims – about the creation of the “Greater Albania” and statements attributed to the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama.
Due to the intention of domestic and regional media to present information about the establishment of a regional platform that strives to harmonize domestic policy with EU foreign policy as a potential creation of the “Greater Albania” project, we rate such media announcements as manipulation of facts.
The rating “Manipulation of facts” is given to a media report that uses known and accurate facts but interprets them in a misleading way. These reports generally use accurate information to draw incorrect conclusions or claims, thus directing the conclusions of consumers of media content in the wrong direction in relation to the actual meaning of the facts presented.