"Kathimerini"

Census in Albania

Stavros Tzimas

The next time the Greeks of Albania will be faced with a crucial for the existence and future of the process, this census, which has already announced by the government of our neighbor. The last census was conducted in 1989, when even all the terrible shaded. Then, 59,000 Greeks "where declared", but far from reality this figure, given the circumstances bondage under which conducted the whole process.

Now, the Berisha government census planned for late April, with procedures generally meet international standards and among the questions will be asked citizens to declare ethnicity and religion. The information by Tirana probably will shift so later, coinciding with the planned municipal elections will take place in conditions of sharpening and the already burdened by the bloody events of the past weeks political atmosphere does not withstand such a test.

The messages, however, come from the neighbor in response to the census of concern, with extreme nationalist groups to engage in cultivation of primitive anti-Greek rhetoric. As in the case of an agreement on maritime zones, so far, the issue of census recorded an incredible raising sentiments of nationalism, to be removed from the questionnaire the question of nationality, which, however, the Albanians claim to be included in the census, which be done at this time in FYROM! Heard screams on the resurgence of Greek claims in Albania and made calls for the awakening of national consciousness, apparently because the enemy is just around the corner! The most worrying perhaps is that this issue has arrived as relentless domestic political rivalry and the weak of the government of Berisha, will hardly bear the weight of a census, for which some blamed for treason.

The question is what plans do the Greek foreign policy, to guarantee the Albanian side of the adherence to the procedures of the census to ensure the minority, even Brussels finance it.

What you said of course every Albanian citizen, and with our fellow countrymen who still remained in the neighbor on national and religious consciousness, is purely up to them. Athens can not monitor the remote machinations against the minority or the other, indifferently whistling to conduct our diplomats, throwing water in the mill of those who work for the decimation of Hellenism in Albania.

kathimerini.g