Albanian developments

Athens may use veto to Tirana, before the liberalization of visas between Albania and EU

by Stavros Markos*

Photo: Vice US President Joe Biden with Vasilios Bollanos, Mayor of Himara and president of "Omonoia"
Down: The people of Himare protesting for rrobery lands by Albanian mafia

The Albanian government, has passed a normative act, in parliament blocked by the opposition, moving a step forward from its obligations to EU, to make the census of general population

But all this, thought by international analysts, can be a dangerous game of Tirana, which is using nationalist pressure through national media, to threat the Greek community living in Southern Albania, known as Northern Epirus.

There are more than 10 years, that Tirana has been propagating, the Population Count will be set, but in fact has blocked this process. Precisely at a time when international institutions, Tirana eventually require this registration which included nationality and religion, organs of "independent justice and prosecution" Albanian, make the next show: require a court to condemn the popular leader of the Greek Community President and also the mayor of Himara, Vassilios Bollanos.

It is understandable that the pressure on Greek leader in Northern Epirus, as it is inexplicable why the fact that Attorney of Province, requires not explain the fact that as an "Albanian citizen convicted earlier by this Court of the province, travels with VIP visa out of border Albanian, and meet in Washington with U.S. Vice President?

In this case, the reason that makes me write, is that the legitimacy of the Albanian judiciary is compromised with nationalist politics, was run by the Albanian leadership and the policy conducted by national media. As such, it can provoke a reason, that the Greeks of Albania, to abandon without limitation the legitimacy of the Albanian institutions and autonomous self declare them, to protect civil and political rights that own indigenous population in Northern Epirus.

Do not forget one important fact: Prosecutor charges Province, were targeted in two fundamental problems of the Albanian nationalist methodology. First, local residents of Himara, must get a construction permit in areas outside the Municipality, only by the Tirana government, ignoring the elected of municipality.

Secondly, the Albanian Government still has not completed the process of return of property in the area of the Ionian coast, which is inhabited by indigenous Greek inhabitants. This makes that, Mafia supported by policy, to use methods for robbery with falls documents, territories as is the case of Kakomea Beach.

In both the facts, that the prosecutor charges against Vassilios Bollanos, this means, the official removal of indigenous population, favoring the replacement of the Greek population in Albania, as was done in all cities of southern Albania (Northern Epirus), Saranda, Vlora, Korca, etc.
According to World Bank, in its report for Albania 2003, movement of population from north to south of Albania, is made for electoral purposes and profoundly nationalistic goals.

In 2007, the World Bank Panel,investigated that an entire village inhabited by ethnic Greek of Himara, was destroyed by the police of the Albanian Government.
Based on these facts, the aim of the Albanian leadership, is simultaneously to block the registration of the population and to establish the Albanian opinion that "the risk to our sovereignty, comes from Greece"

Finally, the Greek community in Albania, will face fierce pressure to Albanian nationalists, for whom this process of counting population, could bring dangerous results and fictitious.And until then, Europe for Albania, will appear at the end of the tunnel.

Stavros Markos*
World Security Network
www.rieas.gr

Journalist, analyst on organized crime in the Balkans & NGO Director. Markos Stavros, born in 1965 in Vlore, Albania, is an award-winning investigative journalist in Tirana. He has worked with BBC Radio, Albanian Television TVS, France Television TF1, TF2, TV5, Italian Television RAI, Athens Media Sesk and more, specializing in Balkan organized crime. He is directing NGO activities around minority issues and has served in the directory of TV Stations and newspapers.