ALBANIAN PRESIDENT VISITS HIMARA REGION

For the first time that one Albanian President meets the head of Greek Community of Albania and the Mayor of Himara Region since 1991. The official visit previsted on Saturday May 24 in Himara Municipality by the Albanian President Bamir Topi became in a critic moment when against Vassilis Bollanos the mediatic opinion is using the “biggest Albanian national offensive” to attack until to the "penal accuses" the head of Greek Community of Albania.

The Albanian President during last visit in Athens in November 2007, promised to the Greek counter part Karolos Papulias and the Himara Community to come back the lands and proprieties of people of Himara Region, but until now nothing has made progress. On February 2008, the NGO of Himara Communities protested over the Albanian institutions for the “land propriety autonomy of the region” accusing the Albanian government as responsible of the dangerous situation of the human rights for proprieties which are stolen with decision of Albanian institutions including the tribunals.

Another critic moment is the atmosphere against Hellenism in Albania, when only in Himara Town has been some provocative demonstrations as the last killing when a native pensioner of Himara Region of Greek origin was killed extremity by an Albanian man, terrorizing other people.

Anyway the most important event by Himara, was the failed effort to arrest the Mayor of Himara and the Head of Greek Organization Vasilis Bollanos by Vlora`s Persecutor Office, after a “secret information” published about a possibility arrest of Mayor of Himara “under abusing public funds” which where motivated politically by Tirana national strategy, to send in isolation the Chairman of Greek Ethnic Minority of Albania.

At 10.00 AM, the Albanian President Bamir Topi will meet the Mayor of Himara Vassilis Bollanos and his staf, when at 11.00 AM, President Topi, will take part on Conference organized by Himara Municipality and Himara Community for the Development of the Region.

US EMBASSY MUST OBSERVER THE HUMAN RIGHTS TO THE GREEK MINORITY IN ALBANIA


Since the politic represent of US Embassy in Tirana Lisa Tepper who visited Himara on the end of 2000 after local violent elections to meet directly politically the people and the represent of “Omonia Organization”, other personalities of Washington in Albania did not made any official invited, even Himara has been “visited as tourists” by high represent including USAID General Director Andrew Athens, the special Ambassador Frowik, and other US ambassadors in Albania.

About Himara and the Greek Community often the Human Rights Reports of US Department has been mostly critic to the Albanian Government. Tirana does not know the existence of the Greek Community in Himara Region, a paradox very interesting when never in Albania has not made General Counting Population, even the “Protocol of Corfu” on 1914 gives total autonomy of the Himara Region. Also the massive corruption and abusive forms to stole lands and proprieties of Himara people and orthodox religion community, the “intransparence” of Albanian institutions about the individual and collective proprieties of Himara Region has been often requests to the US Embassy not only by the member of Himara people who live Albania but also from US citizen by himara`s origin.

The indifference of the US Ambassador in Tirana for the violence and dangerous events made in Himara Region against Hellenic people must take in consideration any escalation by US authority in Albania. The explosive blast to the Byzantine Churches, the incident of people of Himara with Police Department and the last terrorist act against a native of Himara are consegiuences of a tolerance by the Albanian authorities which do not have especially control to the extremist groups and nationalist rhetoric which often used against people of Himara.

The US Embassy has been suporter of the human ritghs in Albania particularly for the greek minority during the period after communist collapse.