Greece aims citizenship for ethnic Greeks of Albania

TIRANA, Nov. 7 – A main topic in the Albanian media outlets Tuesday and the other days was a decision of the Greek government to grant citizenship to ethnic Greeks living in Albania and also those who had immigrated into Greece. So registered members of the ethnic Greek minority of southern Albania will be able to qualify for Greek citizenship under certain conditions, according to a decision reached at a Greek cabinet meeting on Tuesday chaired by Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. Greek Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos said that the delay in settling the long-standing issue emanated from a previous lack of guarantees by the Albanian state regarding the property and political rights of eligible ethnic Greeks in case of dual citizenship. He explained that the decision to naturalize eligible and registered members of the ethnic Greek minority follows revisions to the Albanian constitution and after negotiations with Tirana. That means a constitutional amendment for Albania, a decision that very likely will not attract much support among the Albanian political circles and parliament as well. Naturalization procedures can start immediately, depending on when an individual was registered by the Greek state as a member of the ethnic Greek minority, said the Greek minister. Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis underlined that the government was responding to a long-standing demand by members of the minority, while pointing out that there was broad-based agreement amongst Greek political forces on the issue. She also underlined that the Albanian constitution now guarantees its citizens the right to hold a dual nationality, whereas Albania is taking steps to harmonies its legal framework with the European acquis and to fulfill EU criteria.
The decision sparked mixed reactions in Albania. Sabri Godo, former Republican leader and also a well-known writer in Albania, was totally against the decision considering it an open interference in the country’s internal affairs. He said that could be exploited by Greek nationalistic circles to increase the number of the Greek minority in the country. But Prime Minister Sali Berisha was not of the same opinion. After a meeting with the European Commission delegation head in the country who handed him over the block’s annual report, Berisha said that was a good move on the part of the Greek government to give that right to the Greek minority that lived there and also in Albania He did not consider it a violation of any right, on the contrary, a good omen for thousands of Albanian-Greek inhabitants. “It is the least Athens could do for the ethnic Greeks living out of Greece”, he said.
On the other side, the Cam minority, who claim to have been expelled unfairly from northern Greece at the end of World War II as if they had supported fascist Italy, said that move should serve to grant them the Greek citizenship as well.
It is estimated that some 75-80,000 Albanian citizens with Greek origin living in south Albania will exercise the right for double citizenship.
Pellumb Xhufi, historian and one of the leaders of the opposition Socialist Movement for Integration, considered the Greek government decision as tendentious which aimed at artificially increasing the number of the Greek minority in Albania by including many other Albanian citizens who will be obliged to change their name and religion because of their economic conditions. Xhufi has also been former vice foreign minister. “That is dangerous because it runs counter to national interests, it is directed toward bilateral ties between Albania and Greece,” he said in an interview to Shekulli newspaper. “The Albanian government should consider very seriously such an issue.”
While Vangjel Dule of the Human Rights Union Party or the one representing the Greek community in the political circles, supported the decision of the Greek government. He said that is an individual issue and Greek minority living in Albania was not obliged to lift the Albanian citizenship after receiving the Greek one. “That decision is in accordance with the legislation of the European Union which guarantees double citizenship,” he said.