We owe a lot to Northern Epirus Hellenism!

Οι μεγάλες επιτυχίες του Ελληνικού Στρατού κατά του Μουσσολίνι από τον Οκτώβριο του 1940 μέχρι και την άνοιξη του 1941 (επιχείρηση Primavera) έλαβαν χώραν στη Βόρειο Ήπειρο, δηλαδή στην περιοχή της Αλβανίας, η οποία κατοικείται κυρίως από την Ελληνική Εθνική Κοινότητα. Πήραμε το Αργυρόκαστρο, νικήσαμε στο Τεπελένι, απελευθερώσαμε την Κορυτσά, ήσαν τα πρωτοσέλιδα των αθηναϊκών εφημερίδων που σκορπούσαν ρίγη συγκινήσεως. Οι Βορειοηπειρώτες περίμεναν με ελληνικές σημαίες τον Στρατό μας και όλοι μαζί, άνδρες και γυναίκες, μοιρολόγησαν τους νεκρούς.

We owe a lot to Northern Epirus Hellenism. Not only for its contribution to the victory over Fascist Italy, but also more generally. Through many conquests and oppressions, it kept the Orthodox Faith and preserved the Greek consciousness. Even when the Greek language was lost and its place was taken by dialects, such as Vlach, the Northern Epirus people remained closely attached to the Greek Orthodox Genus.

Today, the problems of our compatriots in Albania are many and are adding to the strained climate of greek-Albanian relations.

I recall the main points of disagreement between Athens and Tirana.

A) The albanian state's challenge to the property rights of the Greeks of Himara.

B) The ban on an autonomous Greek party from running in the elections, because the electoral law forces them to join a coalition with Albanian parties and even with anti-Greek Chams.

C) The circulation of school textbooks, which present greek territories as being part Of "Natural Albania".

D) Ignorance of the exact number of Northern Epirus residents due to the lack of an objective census.

E) The refusal to operate minority primary schools in large cities. So many years after the fall of Communism, Albanian governments recognize as Greeks only the 58,000 that Hoxha and Alia recognized.

F) The propaganda about the rights of the Chams - collaborators of the German-Italians in the Occupation - and the characterization of Thesprotia as "Tsamouria".

G) The Tiranas' propaganda that the Greek Arvanites are Albanians.

H) The rama government's questioning of The agreement between costas Karamanlis And sali Berisha On the delimitation of the maritime zones between the two countries.

I) The new law on minorities passed by the Albanian Parliament, which limits the rights of the Greek Minority.

I) The creation of obstacles to the Greek request for the collection of the bones and Christian burial of the Greek soldiers of 1940-41.

Let the celebration of the anniversary of OXI lead all of us, Government, parties and citizens, to stand in action on the side of the people of Northern Epirus. If the people of Northern Epirus and the historical rights of Hellenism are not respected, Tirana will not approach the European Union.

Konstantinos Holevas – Political Scientist

Article in DEMOKRATIA, Saturday 28 – Sunday 29 October 2017