After the agreement between Greece and FYROM regarding the name dispute that has sparked huge and continues reactions from the Greek people, the Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias has expressed his decisiveness to close all open issues between Greece and Albania as well.
However, the information that surface regarding the ongoing secret negotiations so far, indicate that minister Kotzias is planning to close these issues in the same careless way as in the FYROM agreement, thus leaving many loose ends that may be the cause of future pains for the Balkans.
The indigenous ethnic Greek minority of Northern Epirus, that resides in the southern part of Albania feel that the rushing Greek government will leave them once again exposed to the ongoing “velvet ethnic cleansing” tactics of the Albanian government.
It should be noted that the Albanian authorities are putting enormous pressure on the Greek minority, in an attempt to make them leave the area they inhabit. In the last few years under the pretext of some controversial urban development projects, Albania is demolishing houses that belong to Greeks in areas populated by the indigenous Greek minority.
The Greek minority of Northern Epirus is an internationally recognized ethnic minority that according to the Corfu Protocol that Albania has signed too, must be fully protected. The Protocol of Corfu grants autonomy within the borders of the Albanian state to Northern Epirots, but Albania refuses to apply its provision.
The “Movement for the Rebirth of Northern Epirus” has issued a press release addressing the concerns of the Greek minority regarding the reports on the upcoming Greek-Albanian agreement.
Press Release
In the past two weeks, the information about a definitive resolution of Greek-Albanian disputes with an agreement between Athens and Tirana are becoming more pronounced.
In this context, newspapers write in their headlines that the Greek government will even formally abolish the term “Northern Epirus” by equalizing the Northern Epirus Question with the non-existent “Tsam” issue.
The agreement of Greece with FYROM leaves no room for optimism for a similar agreement with Albania.
We call upon all the North Epirots and all the Greek patriots to be ready for demostrations in the apparent definitive abandonment of the Greek claims on the ancient Greek land of Northern Epirus.
Movement for the Rebirth of Northern Epirus
