Greek troops leave Albania

Hundreds of Greek troops have begun pulling out of Albania after a three-year mission aimed at helping bring stability to its neighbouring nation.

The withdrawal came after a visit on Monday by the Greek Defence Minister, Akis Tsochadopoulos, to Tirana.

The pull-out will be completed over the next couple of weeks.

Greek troops arrived in Albania in 1997 as part of a multi-national force, to help deal with rioting which followed the collapse of pyramid financial schemes.

Hundreds of thousands of Albanians lost their life savings.

In 1998, the Greeks also provided humanitarian assistance to thousands of Kosovo Albanians who fled across the border during the Kosovo conflict.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service