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Revision as of 09:04, 5 August 2007 by Shiptar80 (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Northern Epirus (Greek: Βόρειος Ήπειρος Vorios Ipiros) is the name by which the ultranationalist Greeks call the region of southern Albania which is home to Tosk Albanians. Also Greeks, Gipsies and Aromanians live there. The fustanella, a significant component of traditional Greek and Albanian dress, originated in this region and the ancestors of the Arvanites – an Orthodox Christian Albanian-speaking community in Greece – migrated from this region to present-day Greece in the Middle Ages. The region is traditionally considered terra irredenta by Greek nationalists, and usage of the name "Northern Epirus" is found offensive by Albanians.
Greek and Aromanian minorities
In Albania, Greeks are considered a "national minority", and Aromanians (referred to as Vlachs) a "linguistic minority". In Albania, many Aromanians (sometimes referred to by Greeks as Arvanitovlachs) self-identify as Greeks (for economical reasons), and after the collapse of the communist regime in Albania, links were established between the Vlachs of Albania and the Vlachs of Greece, especially those among the former who claim a Greek identity: they are invited by Vlachs of Greece to their festivals, and receive help from them to rebuild churches or in the form of other necessary assistance to Vlach villages in Albania.
There are no reliable statistics on the size of any ethnic minorities in Albania, although conducting a satisfactory census of ethnic minorities is one of Albania's commitments to the European Union. According to data presented to the 1919 Paris Conference, the Greek minority numbered 12,000 and last census to include data on ethnic minorities conducted in 1989 under the communist regime cites only 58,785 Greeks, although the total population of Albania had tripled in the meantime. The last census to include data on linguistic minorities held in 1955, recorded 4,249 Vlachs/Aromanians. Sources from the Greek minority have claimed that there are up to 1,000,000 Greeks in Albania, or 30% of the total population at the time (from the "Epirot lobby" of Greeks with family roots in Albania).
In a 1995 ethnological study the number of ethnic Greeks in Northern Epirus alone, are estimated at 40,000 with a 15,000 strong Aromanian population, while in the rest of the country there are further 20,000 Greeks and 35,000 Aromanians. The UNPO estimates the Greek minority at approximately 70,000 people. Other independent sources estimate that the number of Greeks in the whole of Albania is 11,700 (about 0.35% of the total population) a figure close to the estimate provided by The World Factbook (2006) (about 0.3%).
Tensions between Greece and Albania over the treatment of the Greek minority persisted well after the end of the Second World War, the formal state of war between the two countries being lifted only as late as 1987. Relations reached a low point after the fall of Albania's Communist régime in 1991. In 1993 Albania deported the Greek Orthodox Archimandrite of Gjirokastër for what it described as seditious behaviour. In the night of 10 April 1994, a group of armed men Jorgo Anastasulis, Apostolos Karvelas, Mario Kutullas, Fredi Beleri, Jorgo Kristo, Harallamb Papa and Jorgo Papa, wearing greek-army uniforms, crossed 4 Km into the Albanian border, in the military casern of Peshkepi, killing 2 and injuring 3 by surprise. After the massacre they reentered Greece. Not only none of them was indicted, but Greek mob celebrated them with chanting "1 2 3, tanks in Albania" and "axe and fire for the albanian dogs" (it rhymes in greek). Many Greeks still dream about Megali Idea and although Greek is a EU Member, it's still driving the Megali Idea into the new generations. After beeing publicly accused, Greece responded by freezing all EU aid to Albania, sealing its border with Albania, and between August-November 1994, expelling over 115,000 illegal Albanian immigrants, a figure quoted in the US Department of State Human Rights Report and given to the American authorities by their Greek counterpart. Greece has been misusing the thousands of Albanian emigrants to blackmail Albania and to interfere in its internal affairs. The so called "iron broom"-operations have taken place continuously, always after Albania "dared" to use ist right of sovereignty and independence. It is a clear, but not public made intention of the Greece, to "greecefy" south Albania and to achieve peacefuly what it couldn't achieve by war: annexation of south Albania. Under the objective of education, it is trying to spread the greek language and their megalomaniac theories about history, even in regions of south Albania, like Boboshtice, where there is no greek minority at all . The albanian government shows a remarkable apathy, fearing a next "iron broom". Gradually the Albanians are understanding that halting this "greecefication" can not be done from ther coward government which is nothing more than a gang of ordinary thiefs. The albanians need to take the weapons and protect their own rights.
It is quite clear, Greece is trying to peacefuly-change the face of south Albania. In this context, a great help is coming from the "Autochephal Albanian Orthodox Church", which is practically an establishment of "Greek Orthodox Church". The "Greek Orthodox Church" is well-known for supporting greek ultranationalisms and for having beeng tried to inhibit by all means, including targeted elimination of albanian patriots, the spread of the albanian schools in south Albania . The clergymans of "Autochephal Albanian Orthodox Church" are mostly sold albanians, which hope to get some profits from the wealthy "Greek Orthodox Church". The best example, and macabre at the same time, how "Autochephal Albanian Orthodox Church" supports dhe helenisation of south Albania are the scandalous exhumations of Kosine village, in the Permet dictrict. Agron Thomollari, alias Vasil Thomollari, the orthodox priest of Permet, was leading the exhumations in cemetery of Kosine telling the inhabitants that the bones of their ancestor will simply be moved in the churchyard. He was even paying 100 Euro for each exhumated body. It come out that the real mission of the priest was to convert the bones as greek soldiers fallen in the Italian-Greek armed hostilities during the second world war ,. This is the true face of the "Greek Orthodox Church" priests, simply intelligence officers of Greek army.
The most recent municipal elections held in February 2007 saw the participation of a number of ethnic Greek candidates, with Vasilis Bolanos, who recently declared that south Albania should be united to Greece, being re-elected mayor of the southern town of Himara despite the governing and opposition Albanian parties fielding a combined candidate against him. Greek "observers" have expressed concern at the "non-conformity of procedure" in the conduct of the elections.
A number of villages of Northern Epirus use Greek as the predominant language. There have been small incidents between the Greek nationalists people, wich are financed from the Greek state, and Albanian authorities over issues such as the alleged involvement of the Greek government in local politics, the raising of the Greek flag on Albanian territory, and the language taught in state schools of the region; however, these issues have for the most part been non-violent. Today, relations have significantly improved: Greece and Albania signed a Friendship, Cooperation, Good Neighbourliness and Security Agreement on 21st March 1996. Additionally, Greece is Albania's main foreign investor, having invested more than 400 million dollars in Albania; Albania's second largest trading partner, with Greek products accounting for some 21% of Albanian imports, and 12% of Albanian exports coming to Greece; and Albania's fourth largest donor country, having provided aid amounting to 73.8 million euros.
See also
Further Reading
References and Notes
- ^ "OSCE report on Albania" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - "Greek Helsinki Monitor report on the Vlachs of Greece".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - Winnifrith, T., J. (1995). "Southern Albania, Northern Epirus: Survey of a Disputed Ethnological Boundary".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - "UNPO".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - CIA World Factbook (2006). "Albania".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - The CIA World Factbook (1993) provided a figure of 8% for the Greek minority in Albania.
- Greek Helsinki Monitor: Greeks of Albania and Albanians in Greece, September 1994.
- The greek school in Boboshtice
- Dhaskal Todri, one of the albanian teachers killed by the Greek Orthodox Church
- Kosine
- Kosine
- Erlis Selimaj (2007-02-19). "Albanians go to the polls for local vote". Southeast European Times. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
- Greek Ministry for Foreign Affairs: Bilateral relations between Greece and Albania.