We are not intending to divest our self-determination right

Ag. Saranda 02/20/2011

 PRESS RELEASE

Since its establishment, the Democratic Union of National Greek Minority “OMONOIA” has been claiming a free census on population in Albania as a right to the citizens, who would freely denote their identity traits but also as a necessary and useful tool for the state to implement its best policies to the benefit of citizens and groups consisting of them.

In an announcement, about one year ago (February 5, 2010), we expressed our concern about feinting discussions in the media in which the Albanian nation’s self-appointed “representatives” posing various pseudo-dilemmas and about that we, as representatives of the Greek National Minority in Albania, have not been extended any invitation to dialogue by the pertinent Ministry and the organizing authorities. After one full year and just few months before the census is conducted the only notable development in the public debate is that more state higher-ups have been added onto the group of adversaries against the project in question.

The Supreme Court of Justice vice-chairman’s interference, aiming to extort as well as penalize the petition of citizens to change nationality, that had been either voluntarily relinquished or forcibly taken away by the Communist regime does his constitutional capacity out while his behavior as a football team’s hooligan perils the country, the President of the Republic and the Albanian Justice. In the citizens’ conscience as well as in the international observers’ reports Justice is the utmost corrupt institution and Mr. Spahiu’s actions do nothing more than proving out that it continues to rather be at the establishment s service than at the even pretentious implementation of advanced notion of equality before the law on ethnic minorities’ members.

The D.U.G.N.M. “OMONIA” is expressing its concern in regard with such events, with the constitutional state’s tolerance and with the fact that just two months before the census began, no official announcement about the final questionnaire, the way of conducting the census and its precise date has been made. We re also stressing that by no means are we intending to relinquish our self-determination right or anything the international conventions define as about ethnic minorities’ rights.

Press & Communications’ Office

(translated by SFEVA)