The Cham issue is a controversy which has been raised by Albania since the 1990s over the repatriation of the Cham Albanians, who were expelled from the Greek region of Epirus between 1944 and 1945, at the end of World War II, citing the collaboration of the majority of them with the occupying forces of the Axis powers. While Albania believes that the issue should be re-opened, Greece considers the matter closed. However, it was agreed that a bilateral commission should be created, but only in regard to the issue of property, as a technical problem. The commission was established in 1999, but has not yet functioned. During the course of the First Balkan War, a majority of Cham Albanians, perhaps reluctantly, sided with the Ottoman forces against Greek forces As a response to this action, Greek guerilla units were organized in the region. After the Balkan wars and during the interwar period, the Muslim Chams were not integrated into the Greek state and faced discrimination. They were enumerated for the 1923 Population exchange between Greece and Turkey, and some were relocated to Turkey, while their property was confiscated by the Greek state, as part of the Treaty of Lausanne. In addition, Orthodox Cham Albanians were counted as Greeks, and their language and heritage were under great pressure to assimilate.

In the interwar period, Italy's fascist regime initiated an aggressive pro-Albanian propaganda campaign and cultivated Albanian irredentism by committing to the expansion of Albania to include Chameria in Greece as part of a Greater Albanian state and mobilized ethnic Albanians in tactical army units and fascist militia inside Albania, and groups of spies, saboteurs and irregulars in Greece. The latter had orders from Galeazzo Ciano to create unrest in Chameria, while Italy was preparing for an invasion of Greece in October 1940 from Albania, then a protectorate of Italy. In August 1940 the killing, possibly by Greek police, of an Albanian perhaps acting as a saboteur, was used by Italy as a pretext to worsen relations with Greece and as propaganda in Albania. When Italy began its invasion of Greece on 28 October 1940, there were at least two battalions of Albanian fascist militia opposing local Greeks in the Korca area. Italy's Prime Minister, Benito Mussolini claimed publicly that two Albanian battalions were attached to each Italian division that invaded Greece. During the German-Italian occupation of Greece (1941–1944), the Italians gained control of Greek Epirus and proposed its annexation to Albania but the Germans opposed this. However, a small portion of Epirus came under the administration of Tirana, known as "Këshilla".

Political positions

Chams' position

In January 1991, as the Communist Party of 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 demand of the Muslim Cham Albanians is the restoration of Greek citizenship, in addition to continuing citizenship of their country of current residence, and the recognition of a minority status. Restoration of property is another substantial issue, some seeking only financial compensation. According to most Chams, money is not as important as citizenship.

A peaceful resolution of the Cham issue is sought, in regard to the following matters:

Although the Albanian government has 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.

Greece's position

The Greek government considers the Cham Issue closed. The official Greek position is that 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".

When the former Albanian Prime-Minister, Ilir Meta raised the issue with his counterpart, Kostas Simitis, the latter believed it was done so mainly 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.

When they were expelled, in 1944, the citizenship of 1,930 Cham Albanians was removed after they were sentenced to death in absentia as collaborators. They have asked the Greek government to have dual citizenship, 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 on 15 February 1923, which alienated the lands and second homes of Muslim Cham Albanians, in order to give it to Greek refuges for Asia Minor and to Greek farmers, that had no land. This statement was opposed and criticized by the Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Kotzias, who asked the Commissioner to withdraw and correct his declaration, in what can be considered as one of his harshest tones, with a direct and threatening speech. Meanwhile, on the Albanian Parliament this statement of the Commissioner was greeted by some MP's, including Shpëtim Idrizi, leader of the Party for Justice, Integration and Unity, whose primary aim is the promotion of the cham issues and also by the Foreign Minister of Albania Ditmir Bushati.

Liberation Army of Chameria

Liberation Army of Chameria () is a reported paramilitary formation in the northern Greek region of Epirus. The organisation is reportedly linked to the Kosovo Liberation Army and the National Liberation Army, both ethnic Albanian paramilitary organisations in Serbia and North Macedonia respectively. In 2001 the Greek police reported that the group consisted of approximately 30-40 Albanians. It does not have official support from the Albanian government.

See also

  • Axis-Cham Albanian collaboration
  • Expulsion of Cham Albanians
  • Chameria
  • Cham Albanians
  • Albanians
  • Minorities in Greece
  • Treaty of London
  • Treaty of Bucharest
  • Treaty of Lausanne
  • Expulsion of Germans after World War II
  • Axis occupation of Greece during World War II
  • Collaboration during World War II
  • Pursuit of Nazi collaborators
  • Greek Resistance

References

Further reading

  • Sadiku, Blerina Namik. Lindja e çështjes çame 1820-1943. Naimi, 2011.
  • "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". [https://web.archive.org/web/20100617224752/http://www.albanianhistory.net/texts20_2/AH1946.html]
  • Vickers, Miranda. The Cham Issue - Albanian National & Property Claims in Greece [https://web.archive.org/web/20090418122720/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]