AP interview: Albania PM seeks to ease tensions with Serbia caused by feud at soccer match

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at his office in Tirana, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014. Albania’s prime minister has told the Associated Press that a heated spat with Serbia over a football match triggered by drone would not derail a common effort to seek faster European Union membership. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina) (The Associated Press)

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at his office in Tirana, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014. Albania’s prime minister has told the Associated Press that a heated spat with Serbia over a soccer match triggered by drone would not derail a common effort to seek faster European Union membership. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina) (The Associated Press)

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at his office in Tirana, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014. Albania’s prime minister told the Associated Press that a heated spat with Serbia over a football match triggered by drone would not derail a common effort to seek faster European Union membership. (AP Photo/Hektor Pustina) (The Associated Press)

Albania's prime minister has told The Associated Press that the heated spat with Serbia over the use of a drone at a soccer match should not derail both countries' efforts to seek European Union membership.

Edi Rama had been expected to make a landmark visit to Serbia on Wednesday, as part of an effort to ease tensions left over from wars fought following the breakup of Yugoslavia.

But the trip was postponed until Nov. 10, after the two nations competed in a soccer match last week that descended into an on-field brawl after a drone carrying an Albanian nationalist banner flew over the stadium in the Serbian capital.

Rama, a big soccer fan, said in Wednesday's interview that international politics "cannot be driven by football (soccer) games."