The Çamis issue between Greece and Albania.
Europe must go and see forward, but also don not forgetting to give to the minorities the negated rights
Galip TAHO
Member of PDI Presidency and President of PDI’s Tirana branch
During 1994 the then Albanian Parliament and Albanian President, actually the Albanian Premier Sali Berisha, by the law nr. 7830 dated 30.06 1994 and by the Presidential Decree nr. 885 dated 12.07.1994, have recognised the Greek genocide against innocent and undefended Çamis population.
The then Albania’s political majority, by setting the 27 of June as the date which symbolise the start of the tragic event against the Albanian Çamis minority of Greece, gave due memory to innocent victims, but has also honoured it self and the universal justice.
Since then until nowadays, Albania’s governments have not done too much and we, considering about 500.000 Albanian emigrants in Greece who are a big preoccupation for all Albanian Governments, could understand that position in some way.
As a matter of facts during the recent years every Greece–Albania crisis there was followed by violent expulsion of the so called illegal Albanian emigrants of Greece and with troubles for Albania.
But, on the other hand, prof. Elia Dimitrias, a Representative of the Greek Helsinki Commission, during a 2002’s session into the American Congress Commission for Security and Cooperation with Europe, has declared:
“We do know the Çamis issue, but unfortunately there are not enough evidences about that. The fact is that the Albanian Government, where mostly Çamis minority live, has never raised seriously the problem. The Albanian Government just talks about it only in the times of crisis with Greece”.
Such declaration of the Greek Helsinki Representative there is surely significant even not being perfectly correct. First of all, a Greek Institution do recognise in principal Çamis issue, which the Greek Governments have never recognised considering it usually as unexcited case!
But, according to Greek History School books, it was 29 September of 1943 the day when the Germans soldiers, collaborating with some Greek citizens of Çamis Albanian origin, have executed 49 Greek member of Municipal Council of Paramithia.
There are the same school history texts, which tell that it was that act which caused the hating of Greek people against Çamis Albanians. And as it is known, there were just some military judicial process against Albanian Çamis people, which have accused and condemned them collectively as collaborators with Nazis-fascists!
The legal base of such judicial and political decision must have been gotten from the “Law of War” (titled 2636) which in 1940 proclaimed war against the Italian – Albanian United Kingdom, while Albania there was occupied at time by Italy.
In fact, the Greek Government has abrogated this law of war in 1987, but has not sent it to be ratified in parliament at the time, and it is partly and strangely still in force in nowadays, whilst Greece has also signed a Friendship Treaty with Albania during 1996!
For more, In Albania by the last parliamentary legislature, when a group of left centre wing proposed a draft resolution on Çamis issue and when it was ready to be approved by the majority of parliamentarians; it was blocked by strong intervention of Greek Government and the support of the parliamentary members of the Greek Minority Party of Albania.
Since then, the Çamis population of Albania, being organised since 1991 in the Patriotic and Political Association “Çamëria” (an NGO) are integrated and supporting the Albania’s Justice and European Integration Party, (PDI, Partia për Drejtësi dhe Integrim), which is the only political party, who has in its basic program the democratic solution of Çamis issue between Greece and Albania.
In fact, last June both political Organization, on remembering the 62 anniversary of the Greek genocide against Albanian Çamis population, organised a peaceful marching from south Albanian city of Saranda towards Albanian village of Klloq, where there is placed a massive grave of Çamis victims and where there were given flowers in respect of the innocent victims.
After that, the march got continuing towards Greek border for symbolizing the missing possibility to set also flowers in respect of the other Çami victims of Greek genocide, whose graves there are placed in Greek territory.
By that political march there was publicly demanded the need of respecting of International Standards of the Minorities Rights even on the case of Çamis population, especially on the issues of the Right of Citizenship and the Right of Property.
Very recently both political Organizations there are being also good consummators of European Democracy, where Greece is a fully member and Albania inspire to be such.
Now Çamis issue, even being not recognised by Greek Government it is a very well known case by European Commission to which Albanian party for Justice and European Integration, supporting a French initiative which has demanded that Ankara recognises the genocide of Armenians 1915-1918 as a "prerequisite for accession to the European Union", demanded by the European Institution to take the needed public steps in relation with Greek Genocide against innocents and undefended Albanian Çamis people during 1944 - 1945.
In attending the due reply and using this gentle space of the London Anglo – Albanian Association periodic newspaper italo-albanian “Rrënjët”, in Roma, we do believe that the European Commission do not have political prejudice in front of nationalities, religions or states, but just respect of the universal principals on the Basic Human Rights.
