TEHRAN — In an opinion piece published on the IRNA website on Sunday, former Iranian diplomat Mohsen Pakaein said that Albania's decision to cut off diplomatic relations with Iran was not an unpredictable action, considering the nature of the government of Tirana.

“After the last group of members of the terrorist group of the Mujahideen-e Khalq Organization (MKO/MEK), named Munafiqeen in Iran, left Baghdad's Liberty Camp for Albania on September 2016, the nature of the government of Tirana became clear and ignoring the terrorist activities of this group by Albania was an unfriendly act towards the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he wrote.

The writer went on to say that records show that in 2012 Sali Berisha, the former prime minister of the “poor country of Albania,” accepted proposal by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and agreed to accept 200 members of the terrorist organization from Liberty Camp in Iraq to instead receive financial aid from the United States. 

“Due to this agreement, the government of Albania agreed to receive the members of this terrorist group after receiving financial aid from the United States. Subsequently, Senator John McCain, the leader of the American Congress Republicans, met with the leaders of this terrorist group on April 28, 2015, in Tirana,” Pakaein noted.

As per the article, the government of Tirana first announced that it would accept a number of terrorist refugees only temporarily, but after receiving more financial aid from the United States, it became the host and supporter of this very dangerous terrorist organization and sent criminal members of the group to training camps. 

“Since then, many evidences, including pictures and videos published by the MKO in the cyberspace, show the activity of this group in Albania against the government and people of Iran,” the former diplomat stated.

“Although the activities of the terrorist cult-like organization were followed by Iran's strong protest, the Albanian government, despite having official relations with Tehran, let this terrorist group act freely. The MKO established a headquarters called Mozhgan Headquarters in Tirana, and the criminal leaders of the group pursued the reconstruction of their decaying organization with strict security measures and government support,” he wrote.

“Since the transfer of the MKO terrorist group from Iraq to Albania, it was predicted that the dependence of the government of Tirana on American dollars could have a negative impact on the future relations between Tehran and Tirana, and it might have been better at the same time that Iran had revised its political relations with Albania. Even today, the Islamic Republic of Iran can take serious action and file a lawsuit against Albania based on international rules regarding the sheltering of anti-Iranian terrorists. At the same time, Iran's protest to the United Nations should also be announced and the silence of this international organization against the activity of a terrorist organization in Albania against a member of the United Nations should be condemned,” Pakaein underlined.