TIRANA: Albania on Sunday condemned the burning of its flag during a football match in Serbia, the latest in a series of incidents aggravating political tensions between Belgrade and Tirana.

The Albanian foreign ministry urged Serbian authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice and called on Serbian politicians to “distance themselves from those acts that are... harmful for the future and stability of the Balkans”.

The incident took place during the match between Serbian first division sides Partizan Belgrade and Red Star Belgrade on Saturday, when Red Star fans were photographed setting fire to an Albanian flag.

The incident further threw into doubt a planned visit of Prime Minister Edi Rama to Serbia, the first by an Albanian premier in 68 years.

Rama was due in Belgrade on Wednesday, but there were already questions over whether the visit would go ahead after the violent end of a Serbia-Albania football match on Oct 14.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2014