Chameria issue
Encyclopedia
The Cham issue is an issue which has been raised by Albania
since the 1990s over the repatriation
of the Muslim Cham Albanians
, who were expelled
from the Greek province of Epirus
between 1944 and 1945, at the end of World War II
, citing the collaboration of some of their number with the Nazis
. While Albania presses for the issue to be re-opened, Greece considers the matter closed. However, it was agreed to create a bilateral commission, only about the property issue, as a technical problem. The commission was set up in 1999, but has not yet functioned.
came under Greek control
. Cham Albanians were given no minority status and they were discriminated. Muslim Chams were counted as a religious minority, and some of them were transferred to Turkey
, during the 1923 population exchange
, while their property was alienated
by the Greek government, this being a term of the Turkish-Greek peace agreement. Orthodox Cham Albanians were counted as Greeks, and their language and Albanian heritage were under pressure of assimilation.
During the Fascist regime Italy cultivated the irredentism by promising expansion of Albania towards Kosova and Chameria and the creation of a "Greater Albania". Italy organized ethnic Albanians in tactical army units and fascist militia inside Albania and groups of spies, saboteurs and irregulars in Chameria. The latter had orders from Galeazzo Ciano
to cause unrest in Chameria, while Italy was preparing for invasion in Greece in October 1940. In August 1940 the killing, possibly by Greek police, of an Albanian possibly acting as saboteur, was used by Italy as a pretext to worsen relations with Greece and as a tool of propaganda in Albania. When Italy started the invasion in Greeco on 28 October 1940 there were at least two battalions of Albanian fascist militia acting against the Greeks in the Korca area. Mussolini claimed publicly that two Albanian battalions were attached to each Italian division that invated Greece. During the German-Italian occupation of Greece (1941-1944) the Italians gained control of Greek Epirus and attempted to annex it to Albania but Germans did not allow it. However, a small district of Epirus came under the administration of Tirana
At the end of World War II
, nearly all Muslim Chams in Greece
were expelled to Albania
. They had collaborated with occupation forces and decided to join the Greek resistance only after the summer of 1944 when it was clear that the Germans are withdrawing.
They request the peaceful solution of the Cham issue, on the following cases:
Protests held by Cham organizations were ignored in Albania by both major parties, both the Democratic
and the Socialist party
. This is seen by some analysts as an attempt to strengthen the negotiating power of the Albanian government by non-raising the Cham Issue, while it could legitimately claim that it was obliged to raise the Cham question because of such strong pressure from the Cham community. The major Cham march of 2006, also strengthened the position of the Albanian government because it provided additional arguments in the controversy over the graves of Greek soldiers on Albanian territory. The Albanian government used as a justification the fact that Greece did not allow Chams to pay homage at the graves of their forefathers, while they were asking to build several cemeteries for its soldiers killed in Albania during the Second World War.
But according to scholars, the Albanian government, cannot ignore the problem due to growing pressure from Cham organizations and sympathizers within the main Albanian political parties. Although the Albanian government has officially avoided addressing the Cham issue, prominent Albanian individuals such as former President Rexhep Meidani
and Sabri Godo have raised the subject publicly on a number of occasions.
The Cham issue was risen during a visit to Athens of former Albanian Prime Minister Ilir Meta
at the end of 1999, during his meeting with Greek Prime Minister, Kostas Simitis, but it received a negative response.
This proposal, however, did not reach any results.
When the former Albanian Prime-Minister, Ilir Meta
rose this issue to his counterpart, Kostas Simitis, the later considered it as a declaration for home consumption to Albanian journalists covering his visit. Simitis confirmed that Albania expected the Greek government to solve the issue of Cham properties according to the European conventions by which Greece abides.
The approval of the Cham resolution by the Albanian Parliament was seen by the Greek ambassador in Tirana
as "a non-friendly act by Albania.” While the leader of the Greek Minority Party
in Albania, Vangjel Duke declared that "this resolution comes at a time when the Balkan region is witnessing intensive events and a period of fragile balances, and the approval of such a resolution would damage those balances that could result in a high political cost for Albania’s foreign policy
."
. Meanwhile, in 2006, Members of the European Parliament backed the issue and proposed a resolution, which was not put into vote.
The only major attempt to internationalize the Cham Issue was in 2005, when representatives from the Cham community in Albania met with members of the European parliament
in Strasbourg
. European MEP, Doris Pack, Chairperson of the European Parliamentary Delegation for South-Eastern Europe was presented with a dossier about the Cham issue and promised to investigate the possibility for the Chams to visit their homeland and their family graves in Greece, as well as the issue will be discussed with Albania and Greek European MEPs. Other Members of the European parliament
promised to look at the possibility of proposing a Parliamentary Resolution which would seek to open
a dialogue between Athens and Tirana, with the representation of Chams and international mediators.
Turkey, meanwhile, is finding the Cham dispute a useful tool with which to draw international attention to the plight of the Turkish minority in Greece. Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused Greece for genocide onto Muslim Albanians. Turkey asked Greece to acknowledge the Albanian nationality of Albanian-speaking Orthodox Christians in the same area, to compensate the displaced Chams for the property they have lost, to provide an Albanian Orthodox Church for Albanian Christians, to repatriate the Cham minority and to provide them with Greek citizenship.
When they were expelled, in 1944, the citizenship of 1,930 Cham Albanians was removed after they were sentenced to death as collaborators. The rest, which formed the majority lost their citizenship, under a special law of 1947. Orthodox Chams remained in Greece and retained the Greek citizenship, but without any minority rights. The evicts were organized as refugees in Albania, under the authority of the National Anti-Fascist Cham Committee, until 1953. At that year the Albanian government disbanded the committee and granted forcefully the Albanian citizenship to the Chams. In Turkey and the United States, Cham Albanians got the Turkish and American citizenship.
.
On the other hand, Greece says that the Cham issue is a closed chapter in the relations between Greece and Albania, and as such, does not accept this claim.
and to Greek farmers, that had no land.
After this law, Muslim Cham Albanians tried to regain their properties, under the Greek Law of 1926, which gave them the opportunity to bring to courts this confiscation. Under these circumstances, Greece passed two laws, in 1930 and 1931, which gave bigger compensations to the Muslim community. But, both of them were executed very limited, because of the change of the Greek government
. The final law that nationalized the whole properties of Muslim Cham Albanians and other Albanian nationals in Greece
was passed in 1937. This law confiscated all properties of Albanians in Greece and the compensation that it provided were delayed, something which was seen as a provocation.
Under these laws, a number of other inhabitants of Epirus settled in Chameria, especially, Vlachs
. The homes and properties of Chams came under their administration, but the new inhabitants did not have neither the legal ownership, nor the right to sell or buy other properties of Chams. In the decades of '60s and '70s an ad hoc
commission for the property alienation in Thesprotia gave by draw the rural properties to farmers with and without land, while homes and urban properties in Igoumenitsa
, Paramithia, Margariti
, Filiates
, Perdika
and Sybota
were given to homeless people.
, then head of the opposition demanded more rights for the Cham minority in Greece, which includes cultural rights for Albanians living in Greece, such as the opening of an Albanian-language school in the town of Filiates.
canceled his planned-meeting with Albanian homologue, Alfred Moisiu
, in Saranda, because 200 Cham Albanians, were demonstrating for the Cham Issue. The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Albanian authorities did not take adequate measures in order to protect the Greek President "by deterring known extremist elements, who are trying to hinder the smooth development of Greek-Albanian relations". Albanian president's office stated that President Moisiu expressed deep sorrow at this unexplainable decision, which was based upon misinformation, of the "small, peaceful and well monitored demonstration".
. The organisation is reportedly linked to the Kosovo Liberation Army
and the National Liberation Army
, both ethnic Albanian
paramilitary organisations in Serbia
and the Republic of Macedonia
respectively. As of 2001, the Greek police reported that the group consisted of approximately 30-40 Albanians. It has not the official support of the Albanian government.
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
since the 1990s over the repatriation
Right of return
The term right of return refers to a principle of international law, codified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, giving any person the right to return to, and re-enter, his or her country of origin...
of the Muslim Cham Albanians
Cham Albanians
Cham Albanians, or Chams , are a sub-group of Albanians who originally resided in the coastal region of Epirus in northwestern Greece, an area known among Albanians as Chameria. The Chams have their own peculiar cultural identity, which is a mixture of Albanian and Greek influences as well as many...
, who were expelled
Expulsion of Cham Albanians
The expulsion of Cham Albanians from Greece was a forced emigration of thousands of Cham Albanians after the Second World War to Albania, by the Resistance National Republican Greek League forces. The EDES and the Joint Allied Military Mission in the Axis-occupied Greece accused Chams for...
from the Greek province of Epirus
Epirus (periphery)
Epirus , formally the Epirus Region , is a geographical and administrative region in northwestern Greece. It borders the regions of West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, West Greece to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and the country of Albania to the north. The...
between 1944 and 1945, at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, citing the collaboration of some of their number with the Nazis
Axis-Cham Albanian collaboration
During the Axis occupation of Greece between 1941 and 1944, large parts of the Albanian minority in the Thesprotia prefecture in Epirus, northwestern Greece, known as Chams collaborated with the occupation forces. Fascist Italian as well as Nazi German propaganda promised that the region would be...
. While Albania presses for the issue to be re-opened, Greece considers the matter closed. However, it was agreed to create a bilateral commission, only about the property issue, as a technical problem. The commission was set up in 1999, but has not yet functioned.
Background
In 1913, the area of Chameria, as the whole Southern EpirusEpirus (periphery)
Epirus , formally the Epirus Region , is a geographical and administrative region in northwestern Greece. It borders the regions of West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, West Greece to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and the country of Albania to the north. The...
came under Greek control
Kingdom of Greece
The Kingdom of Greece was a state established in 1832 in the Convention of London by the Great Powers...
. Cham Albanians were given no minority status and they were discriminated. Muslim Chams were counted as a religious minority, and some of them were transferred to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, during the 1923 population exchange
Population exchange between Greece and Turkey
The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey was based upon religious identity, and involved the Greek Orthodox citizens of Turkey and the Muslim citizens of Greece...
, while their property was alienated
Alienated
Alienated may refer to:* Alienated , a 2003 Canadian science fiction TV series* "Alienated" , an episode of the sixth season of Diagnosis Murder...
by the Greek government, this being a term of the Turkish-Greek peace agreement. Orthodox Cham Albanians were counted as Greeks, and their language and Albanian heritage were under pressure of assimilation.
During the Fascist regime Italy cultivated the irredentism by promising expansion of Albania towards Kosova and Chameria and the creation of a "Greater Albania". Italy organized ethnic Albanians in tactical army units and fascist militia inside Albania and groups of spies, saboteurs and irregulars in Chameria. The latter had orders from Galeazzo Ciano
Galeazzo Ciano
Gian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari was an Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Benito Mussolini's son-in-law. In early 1944 Count Ciano was shot by firing squad at the behest of his father-in-law, Mussolini under pressure from Nazi Germany.-Early life:Ciano was born in...
to cause unrest in Chameria, while Italy was preparing for invasion in Greece in October 1940. In August 1940 the killing, possibly by Greek police, of an Albanian possibly acting as saboteur, was used by Italy as a pretext to worsen relations with Greece and as a tool of propaganda in Albania. When Italy started the invasion in Greeco on 28 October 1940 there were at least two battalions of Albanian fascist militia acting against the Greeks in the Korca area. Mussolini claimed publicly that two Albanian battalions were attached to each Italian division that invated Greece. During the German-Italian occupation of Greece (1941-1944) the Italians gained control of Greek Epirus and attempted to annex it to Albania but Germans did not allow it. However, a small district of Epirus came under the administration of Tirana
At the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, nearly all Muslim Chams in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
were expelled to Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. They had collaborated with occupation forces and decided to join the Greek resistance only after the summer of 1944 when it was clear that the Germans are withdrawing.
Cham's position
In January 1991, as the one-party state in Albania was disintegrating, the Chameria National Political Association was founded as a political lobby to "express and defend" the interests of the people of Chameria. The main issue that Muslim Cham Albanians demand is the restoration of the Greek citizenship, whilst retaining the citizenship of the country in which they currently reside and the recognition of a minority status. The restoration of their properties is another main issue, while would not accept a financial compensation. (<--- there is something wrong with this phrase. I guess you're trying to say that the concerned families didn't and don't accept a financial compensation as a way of settlement.) According to most Chams, money is not as important as citizenship.They request the peaceful solution of the Cham issue, on the following cases:
- The implementation of basic human rights on the part of the Greek state;
- The recognition of Cham assets restitution and any other rights which derive from it;
- Recognition of the right of the Cham population to return to its autochthoneous lands;
- Recognition and protection of the Cham problem by the international community;
- The same rights that the Greek minority in Albania enjoys.
Albania's position
The controversial Cham issue has lain dormant in recent years and none of the post-war Albanian governments, whether communist, democratic or socialist, have ventured to try to make it a key issue in relations with Greece.Protests held by Cham organizations were ignored in Albania by both major parties, both the Democratic
Democratic Party of Albania
The Democratic Party of Albania is a center-right, Conservative, political party in Albania and the leading party in the governing coalition since the 2005 parliamentary elections...
and the Socialist party
Socialist Party of Albania
The Socialist Party of Albania , is a centre-left, social democraticand socially liberal political party in Albania, it is currently the leading opposition party in Albania. It seats 66 MPs in the 2009 Albanian parliament . It achieved power in 1997 after a political crisis and governmental...
. This is seen by some analysts as an attempt to strengthen the negotiating power of the Albanian government by non-raising the Cham Issue, while it could legitimately claim that it was obliged to raise the Cham question because of such strong pressure from the Cham community. The major Cham march of 2006, also strengthened the position of the Albanian government because it provided additional arguments in the controversy over the graves of Greek soldiers on Albanian territory. The Albanian government used as a justification the fact that Greece did not allow Chams to pay homage at the graves of their forefathers, while they were asking to build several cemeteries for its soldiers killed in Albania during the Second World War.
But according to scholars, the Albanian government, cannot ignore the problem due to growing pressure from Cham organizations and sympathizers within the main Albanian political parties. Although the Albanian government has officially avoided addressing the Cham issue, prominent Albanian individuals such as former President Rexhep Meidani
Rexhep Meidani
is an Albanian politician. He graduated from the University of Tirana , Faculty of Natural Sciences, Branch Physics, as well as successfully accomplished the postgraduate studies in the University of Caen...
and Sabri Godo have raised the subject publicly on a number of occasions.
The Cham issue was risen during a visit to Athens of former Albanian Prime Minister Ilir Meta
Ilir Meta
Ilir Rexhep Meta is an Albanian politician. He is the current Deputy Prime Minister. He was Prime Minister of Albania from 1999 to 2002 and has been Foreign minister twice since then.- Studies :...
at the end of 1999, during his meeting with Greek Prime Minister, Kostas Simitis, but it received a negative response.
Greece's position
The Greek government considers the Cham Issue as a closed chapter. According to the Greek official position Cham Albanians will not be allowed to return in Greece "because they have collaborated with the Italian-German invaders during the Second World War, and as such they are war criminals and are punished according to Greek laws". In an attempt to give a solution in 1992 Prime minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis proposed a trade-off in relation to their properties, saying that only in cases:- when it could be established that Chams had not convicted or participated in crimes against their fellow Greeks and their fleeing from the country was only due to fear.
- if the Albanian government would agree to mutually compensate ethnic Greeks who had lost properties due to persecution during the communist regime in Albania
This proposal, however, did not reach any results.
When the former Albanian Prime-Minister, Ilir Meta
Ilir Meta
Ilir Rexhep Meta is an Albanian politician. He is the current Deputy Prime Minister. He was Prime Minister of Albania from 1999 to 2002 and has been Foreign minister twice since then.- Studies :...
rose this issue to his counterpart, Kostas Simitis, the later considered it as a declaration for home consumption to Albanian journalists covering his visit. Simitis confirmed that Albania expected the Greek government to solve the issue of Cham properties according to the European conventions by which Greece abides.
The approval of the Cham resolution by the Albanian Parliament was seen by the Greek ambassador in Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
as "a non-friendly act by Albania.” While the leader of the Greek Minority Party
Unity for Human Rights Party
The Unity for Human Rights Party is a centrist, liberal-inclined party in Albania. Founded in 1992, it represents Albania's minorities and is mainly related to the Greek minority as it is the political continuation of the Democratic Union of the Greek Minority .-Election results:The party usually...
in Albania, Vangjel Duke declared that "this resolution comes at a time when the Balkan region is witnessing intensive events and a period of fragile balances, and the approval of such a resolution would damage those balances that could result in a high political cost for Albania’s foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
."
International position
The Cham Issue has not been in the agenda of international organizations. Delegates of the Cham community have started since 1991, an attempt to internationalize the Cham Issue, while the only official support for this issue, has come from TurkeyTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Meanwhile, in 2006, Members of the European Parliament backed the issue and proposed a resolution, which was not put into vote.
The only major attempt to internationalize the Cham Issue was in 2005, when representatives from the Cham community in Albania met with members of the European parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. European MEP, Doris Pack, Chairperson of the European Parliamentary Delegation for South-Eastern Europe was presented with a dossier about the Cham issue and promised to investigate the possibility for the Chams to visit their homeland and their family graves in Greece, as well as the issue will be discussed with Albania and Greek European MEPs. Other Members of the European parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
promised to look at the possibility of proposing a Parliamentary Resolution which would seek to open
a dialogue between Athens and Tirana, with the representation of Chams and international mediators.
Turkey, meanwhile, is finding the Cham dispute a useful tool with which to draw international attention to the plight of the Turkish minority in Greece. Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused Greece for genocide onto Muslim Albanians. Turkey asked Greece to acknowledge the Albanian nationality of Albanian-speaking Orthodox Christians in the same area, to compensate the displaced Chams for the property they have lost, to provide an Albanian Orthodox Church for Albanian Christians, to repatriate the Cham minority and to provide them with Greek citizenship.
Greek vs. Albanian
The main part of the Cham issue is the regaining of the Greek citizenship, by Cham Albanians. As Greece does not acknowledge the Cham issue, as an existent problem between Athens and Tirana, the returning of the citizenship has not been discussed at all. Cham Albanians were Greek citizens of Albanian ethnicity, since 1913 when they chose the Greek nationality and not the Turkish one.When they were expelled, in 1944, the citizenship of 1,930 Cham Albanians was removed after they were sentenced to death as collaborators. The rest, which formed the majority lost their citizenship, under a special law of 1947. Orthodox Chams remained in Greece and retained the Greek citizenship, but without any minority rights. The evicts were organized as refugees in Albania, under the authority of the National Anti-Fascist Cham Committee, until 1953. At that year the Albanian government disbanded the committee and granted forcefully the Albanian citizenship to the Chams. In Turkey and the United States, Cham Albanians got the Turkish and American citizenship.
Claims and response
Cham Albanians claim the returning of the Greek citizenship, as a first phase in order to resolve the Cham issue. They are reported not to have as a primary issue the regaining of the properties, but the citizenship, because this is seen by Chams as an excuse for their suffering. They argue that the remove of their citizenship was a collective punishment, when even the Greek courts have charged only a minority of Chams for alleged crimes. They have asked the Greek government to have a dual citizenship, a policy followed by Greece in the case of the Greek minority in AlbaniaGreek minority in Albania
About a general view on history, geography, demographics and political issues concerning the region, see Northern Epirus.The Greeks of Albania are ethnic Greeks who live in or originate from areas within modern Albania...
.
On the other hand, Greece says that the Cham issue is a closed chapter in the relations between Greece and Albania, and as such, does not accept this claim.
Background
The Alienation of Muslim Chams property did not start at the end of World War II when they were expelled. There were four different laws, from 1923 to 1937, that alienated the properties of the Muslim Cham Albanians, as a stipulation of the Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations. Respectively, the immobile property of Greeks evacuating Asia Minor was allienated by Turkey and given to muslims from Greece. However, the Greek refugees who came from Asia Minor were three times more than the muslim refugees who left Greece. Following these events, the Greek policy was that properties belonging to either Muslim citizens in Greece, who were exempt from the exchange of populations, or to foreign citizens to be taken. The first law was passed in 15 February 1923, which alienated the lands and second homes of Muslim Cham Albanians, in order to give it to Greek settlers for Asia MinorAsia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
and to Greek farmers, that had no land.
After this law, Muslim Cham Albanians tried to regain their properties, under the Greek Law of 1926, which gave them the opportunity to bring to courts this confiscation. Under these circumstances, Greece passed two laws, in 1930 and 1931, which gave bigger compensations to the Muslim community. But, both of them were executed very limited, because of the change of the Greek government
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. The final law that nationalized the whole properties of Muslim Cham Albanians and other Albanian nationals in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
was passed in 1937. This law confiscated all properties of Albanians in Greece and the compensation that it provided were delayed, something which was seen as a provocation.
Nationalization
After World War II, Cham Albanian's properties were put under escrow, by the Greek state. In 1953, the Greek parliament passed a law, that considered as "abandoned" the rural immovable properties, whose owner had left Greece without permission or passport. After three years the properties were nationalized. While homes were nationalized in 1959, when a law passed by the Greek parliament considered them abandoned and allowed their conquest by other inhabitants of the region. These two laws nationalized Chams properties, and allowed others to settle in their homes, but the ownership was under the Greek state.Under these laws, a number of other inhabitants of Epirus settled in Chameria, especially, Vlachs
Vlachs
Vlach is a blanket term covering several modern Latin peoples descending from the Latinised population in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. English variations on the name include: Walla, Wlachs, Wallachs, Vlahs, Olahs or Ulahs...
. The homes and properties of Chams came under their administration, but the new inhabitants did not have neither the legal ownership, nor the right to sell or buy other properties of Chams. In the decades of '60s and '70s an ad hoc
Ad hoc
Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning "for this". It generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalizable, and not intended to be able to be adapted to other purposes. Compare A priori....
commission for the property alienation in Thesprotia gave by draw the rural properties to farmers with and without land, while homes and urban properties in Igoumenitsa
Igoumenitsa
Igoumenitsa , is a coastal city in northwestern Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit Thesprotia. Its original ancient name used to be Titani....
, Paramithia, Margariti
Margariti
Margariti is a village and a former municipality in Thesprotia, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Igoumenitsa, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 3,032 .-History:...
, Filiates
Filiates
Filiates is a town and a municipality in Thesprotia, Greece. It is located in the northernmost part of the prefecture, bordering western Ioannina Prefecture and southern Albania.-Municipality:...
, Perdika
Perdika
Perdika is a village and a former community in Thesprotia, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Igoumenitsa, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 2,272 ....
and Sybota
Sybota
Sybota is a genus of Uloborid spiders. They are mostly found in the warmer regions of South America....
were given to homeless people.
Minority issue
Another problem in the Cham issue is the minority status. Cham Albanians not only demand their repatriation and minority rights, but they have asked minority rights even for Orthodox Chams residing in Greece. This position is supported even by politicians in Albania. In January 2000, the current Prime Minister of Albania, Sali BerishaSali Berisha
Sali Ram Berisha is an Albanian politician and cardiologist, currently the Prime Minister of Albania and the leader of Democratic Party of Albania ....
, then head of the opposition demanded more rights for the Cham minority in Greece, which includes cultural rights for Albanians living in Greece, such as the opening of an Albanian-language school in the town of Filiates.
Diplomatic incidents
In 2005, a diplomatic incident occurred, when the President of Greece, Karolos PapouliasKarolos Papoulias
-Honours:*Knight Grand Cross with Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic *Knight Grand Cross of the Grand Order of King Tomislav *Knight of the Order of the Elephant- External links :*...
canceled his planned-meeting with Albanian homologue, Alfred Moisiu
Alfred Moisiu
was the fourth President of the Republic of Albania from July 24, 2002 to July 24, 2007. He is the son of Albanian Army general Spiro Moisiu....
, in Saranda, because 200 Cham Albanians, were demonstrating for the Cham Issue. The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Albanian authorities did not take adequate measures in order to protect the Greek President "by deterring known extremist elements, who are trying to hinder the smooth development of Greek-Albanian relations". Albanian president's office stated that President Moisiu expressed deep sorrow at this unexplainable decision, which was based upon misinformation, of the "small, peaceful and well monitored demonstration".
Liberation Army of Chameria
Liberation Army of Chameria is a reported paramilitary formation in the northern Greek region of EpirusEpirus (periphery)
Epirus , formally the Epirus Region , is a geographical and administrative region in northwestern Greece. It borders the regions of West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, West Greece to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and the country of Albania to the north. The...
. The organisation is reportedly linked to the Kosovo Liberation Army
Kosovo Liberation Army
The Kosovo Liberation Army or KLA was a Kosovar Albanian paramilitary organization which sought the separation of Kosovo from Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the 1990s....
and the National Liberation Army
National Liberation Army (Macedonia)
The National Liberation Army , also known as the Macedonian UÇK, was a militant organization that operated in the Republic of Macedonia in 2001 and was closely associated with the Kosovo Liberation Army ....
, both ethnic Albanian
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
paramilitary organisations in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
respectively. As of 2001, the Greek police reported that the group consisted of approximately 30-40 Albanians. It has not the official support of the Albanian government.
See also
- Axis-Cham Albanian collaborationAxis-Cham Albanian collaborationDuring the Axis occupation of Greece between 1941 and 1944, large parts of the Albanian minority in the Thesprotia prefecture in Epirus, northwestern Greece, known as Chams collaborated with the occupation forces. Fascist Italian as well as Nazi German propaganda promised that the region would be...
- Expulsion of Cham AlbaniansExpulsion of Cham AlbaniansThe expulsion of Cham Albanians from Greece was a forced emigration of thousands of Cham Albanians after the Second World War to Albania, by the Resistance National Republican Greek League forces. The EDES and the Joint Allied Military Mission in the Axis-occupied Greece accused Chams for...
- ChameriaChameriaChameria is a term used today mostly by Albanians for parts of the coastal region of Epirus in southern Albania and northwestern Greece It was also used by Greeks till the mid of 20th century and is frequently found in Greek literature. Today it is obsolete in Greek, surviving mainly in Greek folk...
- Cham AlbaniansCham AlbaniansCham Albanians, or Chams , are a sub-group of Albanians who originally resided in the coastal region of Epirus in northwestern Greece, an area known among Albanians as Chameria. The Chams have their own peculiar cultural identity, which is a mixture of Albanian and Greek influences as well as many...
- AlbaniansAlbaniansAlbanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
- Minorities in GreeceMinorities in GreeceIndigenous minorities in Greece are small in size compared to regional standards. The country is largely ethnically homogeneous. This is mainly due to the population exchanges between Greece and neighboring Turkey and Bulgaria , which removed most Muslims and those Christian Slavs who did not...
- Treaty of LondonTreaty of LondonThe Treaty of London may refer to:* Treaty of London , which ceded western France to England, repudiated by the Estates-General in Paris on 19 May 1359* Treaty of London , a non-aggression pact between the major European nations...
- Treaty of BucharestTreaty of BucharestFive peace treaties were signed in Bucharest:# Treaty of Bucharest - May 28, 1812, at the end of the Russo-Turkish war, Turkey cedes Bessarabia to Russia# Treaty of Bucharest - March 3, 1886, at the end of the Serbo-Bulgarian War...
- Treaty of LausanneTreaty of LausanneThe Treaty of Lausanne was a peace treaty signed in Lausanne, Switzerland on 24 July 1923, that settled the Anatolian and East Thracian parts of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. The treaty of Lausanne was ratified by the Greek government on 11 February 1924, by the Turkish government on 31...
- Expulsion of Germans after World War IIExpulsion of Germans after World War IIThe later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
- Axis occupation of Greece during World War II
- Collaboration during World War IICollaboration during World War IIWithin nations occupied by the Axis Powers, some citizens, driven by nationalism, ethnic hatred, anti-communism, anti-Semitism or opportunism, knowingly engaged in collaboration with the Axis Powers during World War II...
- Greek ResistanceGreek ResistanceThe Greek Resistance is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis Occupation of Greece in the period 1941–1944, during World War II.-Origins:...
External links
- "Document of the Committee of Cham Albanians in exile, on Greek persecution of the Chams, submitted to the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations in 1946". http://www.albanianhistory.net/texts20_2/AH1946.html
- Vickers, Miranda. The Cham Issue - Albanian National & Property Claims in Greece http://www.da.mod.uk/colleges/arag/document-listings/balkan/G109
- Vickers, Miranda. The Cham Issue - Where to Now? http://www.da.mod.uk/colleges/arag/document-listings/balkan/07(01)MV.pdf