Neighboring Albania’s fixed policy in regard to the N. Epirus Question

Already since 12 years ago under the same title we were pointing out (Hellenic-Christian magazine, Dec. 1999, p. 312) that the Albanian state, since its artificial constitution and in particular since its recognition as independent state has set a long term but unswerving goal: to de-Hellenize the N. Epirotans and Albanize N.Epirus by all means. We repeatedly have come up with relevant findings ever since up to this day and unfortunately the events are vindicating our words in so many ways such as the following:

a) The appeal to the Prosecuting Attorney at the International Criminal Court in Hague.

On 02/24/09 an appeal, signed by thousands of N.Epirotans and other Greeks, was filed to the Prosecuting Attorney at the I.C.C. in Hague, according to article 70(h) of the Rome Convention, vs. the Albanian Authorities acting against the Hellenic community in Albania (N. Epirotans) on very serious violations increasingly leading to annihilate the latter ones. (Appeal Commission Press Release no 3/3.2.011).

b) Unfortunately Albania is acting as Turkey’s tool resulting to the Turkish submarine base opening in Durres and the non ramification by the Albanian Constitutional Court of the Agreement on delimiting water shelf between Greece and Albania, definitely in compliance with the Turkish Foreign Minister’s best seller (The Strategic Depth) that refreshes our memory about the “glorious” Ottoman Empire especially in the Balkans.

c) The numerous misdeeds taking place in Albania by default, in tolerance and sometimes in implication of the Hellenic Authorities such as desolating in ruins two manors of the national benefactors in Lampovo, N.Epirus or the further illegal withholding of private, communal and Church estate.

d) The scandalous removal of the Consul General ion Korytsa, Mr. Theodoros Oikonomou, upon pressure of the Albanian Authorities exerted on the Greek Embassy in Tirana, as he carried his task upright suggesting the Greek N. Epirotans to identify themselves as Hellenes during the upcoming census on population. 

Relevant to this was his interview to “NOIAZOMAI” website in which among others he revealed: ”By no means am I rebutting what I have said about Hellenes and N.Epirus. I acted as I ought to. . We must not relinquish our national sacred rights. Sure the people (N. Epirotans) should be there during the census as they are feeling suppressed by the Albanians and Chams as well. The Turkish Consul in Komotini continues unimpaired his propaganda while I was recalled back!” The “NOIAZOMAI” website is also noting that “in the Balkans, top priority should be resolving the internationally pending question of N.Epirus which is called the Greek “Kosovo”. Following comes up a detailed account of the question’s evolution since 1946 when it was committed up to the four victorious Great Powers Foreign Ministers’ Council in whose drawers the question has been unresolved ever since among other “unclaimed” issues…

e) School books on the other hand, those that young N. Epirotans have in use over there, such as History and Geography translated from the respective Albanian ones, continue to propagate anti-Hellenic historically distorted and inaccurate messages such as on the term “Chameria” (Thesprotia) that supposedly extends even to Preveza etc and where the “Arvanite” idiom is widely spoken.

f)As if all that were not enough, our neighbors are posing a threat using the Albanian Chams including the Chameria Liberation Army as well as the new terrorist group ACTOSH to achieve even further Balkan goals. All this is definitely not irrelevant to the heinous assassination of Aristotelis Goumas from Chimara who insisted to speak his native Greek tongue.

g) Additionally it should be mentioned that the Albanian nationalistic provocations towards Greece have increased lately, culminating in posting by Albanian students of placards with scurrilous slogans against Greece outside the Greek Embassy, in the pretext of the above faultless patriotic statements by the Consul General in Korytsa on the occasion of “OMONOIA”’s 20^th anniversary. Such statements should be strongly recommended to all N.Epirotans throughout the globe as well as to the Hellenic Authorities which instead of rewarding and propping his task they chastised him by unwillingly recalling him back to Athens! Undoubtedly such actions remind us of other times.

The Hellenic government should ponder its responsibilities on the ongoing situation as well as on what seems to be extremely threatened in the near and further future before we reach a dead end .At the same time the government should take serious consideration on the other big issue, that of illegal immigration even from the bombarded Libya. We need not to end up a “minority” within our homeland.