The Greek President is Albanian!
Risto Stefov
December 28, 2008
"I can“t believe how much Greeks have changed in the last two or three decades. In the 1980“s I used to go shopping at various boutiques in Greece where signs were readily displayed; “we speak Macedonian“, “we speak Albanian“, etc. I recall meeting a Greek lady of Albanian descent who proudly spoke Albanian and was always happy to show off her knowledge of the Albanian language. In fact she was hired for the job because she spoke Albanian. Greek merchants in those days did everything to attract customers. Today, unfortunately, they say there are no Albanians or Macedonians living in their country. Unbelievable!" These were the words of my Albanian language interpreter, whom I hired to translate for me at my meeting with Albanian publicist, historian and researcher Arben Ljalja.
"Yes, things in Greece today have changed a lot but for the worse especially for the Albanians, Macedonians and Turks but Pandora“s Box for the minorities has been opened. I think Europe is tired of Greece“s politics, especially of the non recognition of ethnic minorities. The question is when will Greece come to terms with its past and start paying for the damages it has caused owing to its unproductive and negative politics", says Ljalja, who himself is as an economic immigrant and has lived in Greece for eleven years. Ljalja has first hand experience of what it is to be an Albanian living in Greece.
Albanians living in Greece have witnessed various forms of repression and scandals involving the Greek police. Only last year two Albanian immigrants were physically beaten by several policemen. We know about it because it became public knowledge only after a video, made through a cell phone, was released. Ironically the video was made by the same policemen who did the beating.
In its latest report the European Committee for Torture has placed Greece at the bottom of its ranking for abusing minorities and immigrants. Similar reports on Greece are published by various international organizations for human rights including Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch.
Fifteen years in a row, the American State Department in its own yearly Publication on human rights has written about Greece“s violations of human rights with regard to its Macedonian, Albanian and Turkish minorities and their non-recognition.
THE ALBANIAN LANGUAGE ALMOST BECAME OFFICIAL IN GREECE
It is estimated that about 3.5 million Albanians live in Greece today (35% of the total Greek population) and like the Macedonian and Turkish minorities; they are not recognized by the Greek state. Let us not forget that there are also thousands of Albanian migrant workers who work in Northern Greece at seasonal jobs and contribute to the Greek economy. Unfortunately Greece only recognizes Muslims without specifying their ethnic background be it Turkish, Albanian, or other.
According to Ljalja“s research however, the number of Albanians living in today“s Greek territory is much larger than currently estimated because during the period from 1856 to 1858 two thirds of the population (66%) living in Greece was Albanian. The Albanians even had their own representatives in the Greek parliament. It was during this period that the Greek Parliament openly debated the issue of making the Albanian language a second official language of the Greek state. But that did not happen.
The first Albanian publication in Greece "Voice of Albania" appeared in 1890. It was published by Anastas Kulorioti in the Albanian language but was quickly shut down by the Greek state and Kulorioti was immediately jailed. Anastas Kulorioti died from poisoning in a Greek prison.
Immediately after the Ambassadorial conference in London in 1913, even though the Chemerija (Chamurija) region was populated by an Albanian majority, it was given to Greece anyway. Greek authorities conducted massive population expulsions not only of Turks but also of Albanians and Macedonians. As a result, according to estimates compiled by Albanian organizations and historians, there were around 260,000 Albanians exiled from Greece in the subsequent 64 years. The 1923 Lausanne agreement which recognized that there was a sizable Albanian minority living in Greece and called on the Greek state to provide basic human rights, such as education and religious rights, did not help at all.
Then in the period from 1913 to 1948, in place of the exiled Macedonians, Albanians and Turks, Greek authorities deposited more than 1.5 million colonist settlers from Asia Minor, Pontus and other regions because they supposedly were the descendents of Alexander the Great.
TWENTY-SEVEN GREEK PRIME MINISTERS HAVE ALBANIAN DESCENT
Things in the Balkans are very much mixed-up and so intertwined that it is normal to assume that people are very much mixed. The Balkans is the place where one can find all kinds of people in a single region which is also the subject for Ljalja“s latest thesis.
According to Ljalja“s findings, 27 out of the 57 former Greek Prime Ministers are of Albanian descent.
Former Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Theodoros Pangalos, a Greek government representative, on occasion openly spoke about his Albanian background
Speaking of Albanians occupying high positions in the Greek government, Ljalja“s investigation has revealed that even the Greek President, Karolos Papuljas is of Albanian descent. According to Ljalja, Papuljas is a Cham (from Chamurija), born in the village Voshtina, one kilometer away from today“s Greek-Albanian border. His ancestors were Muslims with the last name Sulejmani. About 120 years ago Papuljas“s ancestors converted to Christianity and changed their name. Ljalja supports this assertion with evidence which he received from a well-known Albanian actor who studied with Papuljas and with whom the Greek President maintains contact to this day.
Source:
Petre Dimitrov, Forum, December 12, 2008
Translated and edited by Risto Stefov
"Yes, things in Greece today have changed a lot but for the worse especially for the Albanians, Macedonians and Turks but Pandora“s Box for the minorities has been opened. I think Europe is tired of Greece“s politics, especially of the non recognition of ethnic minorities. The question is when will Greece come to terms with its past and start paying for the damages it has caused owing to its unproductive and negative politics", says Ljalja, who himself is as an economic immigrant and has lived in Greece for eleven years. Ljalja has first hand experience of what it is to be an Albanian living in Greece.
Albanians living in Greece have witnessed various forms of repression and scandals involving the Greek police. Only last year two Albanian immigrants were physically beaten by several policemen. We know about it because it became public knowledge only after a video, made through a cell phone, was released. Ironically the video was made by the same policemen who did the beating.
In its latest report the European Committee for Torture has placed Greece at the bottom of its ranking for abusing minorities and immigrants. Similar reports on Greece are published by various international organizations for human rights including Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch.
Fifteen years in a row, the American State Department in its own yearly Publication on human rights has written about Greece“s violations of human rights with regard to its Macedonian, Albanian and Turkish minorities and their non-recognition.
THE ALBANIAN LANGUAGE ALMOST BECAME OFFICIAL IN GREECE
It is estimated that about 3.5 million Albanians live in Greece today (35% of the total Greek population) and like the Macedonian and Turkish minorities; they are not recognized by the Greek state. Let us not forget that there are also thousands of Albanian migrant workers who work in Northern Greece at seasonal jobs and contribute to the Greek economy. Unfortunately Greece only recognizes Muslims without specifying their ethnic background be it Turkish, Albanian, or other.
According to Ljalja“s research however, the number of Albanians living in today“s Greek territory is much larger than currently estimated because during the period from 1856 to 1858 two thirds of the population (66%) living in Greece was Albanian. The Albanians even had their own representatives in the Greek parliament. It was during this period that the Greek Parliament openly debated the issue of making the Albanian language a second official language of the Greek state. But that did not happen.
The first Albanian publication in Greece "Voice of Albania" appeared in 1890. It was published by Anastas Kulorioti in the Albanian language but was quickly shut down by the Greek state and Kulorioti was immediately jailed. Anastas Kulorioti died from poisoning in a Greek prison.
Immediately after the Ambassadorial conference in London in 1913, even though the Chemerija (Chamurija) region was populated by an Albanian majority, it was given to Greece anyway. Greek authorities conducted massive population expulsions not only of Turks but also of Albanians and Macedonians. As a result, according to estimates compiled by Albanian organizations and historians, there were around 260,000 Albanians exiled from Greece in the subsequent 64 years. The 1923 Lausanne agreement which recognized that there was a sizable Albanian minority living in Greece and called on the Greek state to provide basic human rights, such as education and religious rights, did not help at all.
Then in the period from 1913 to 1948, in place of the exiled Macedonians, Albanians and Turks, Greek authorities deposited more than 1.5 million colonist settlers from Asia Minor, Pontus and other regions because they supposedly were the descendents of Alexander the Great.
TWENTY-SEVEN GREEK PRIME MINISTERS HAVE ALBANIAN DESCENT
Things in the Balkans are very much mixed-up and so intertwined that it is normal to assume that people are very much mixed. The Balkans is the place where one can find all kinds of people in a single region which is also the subject for Ljalja“s latest thesis.
According to Ljalja“s findings, 27 out of the 57 former Greek Prime Ministers are of Albanian descent.
Former Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Theodoros Pangalos, a Greek government representative, on occasion openly spoke about his Albanian background
Speaking of Albanians occupying high positions in the Greek government, Ljalja“s investigation has revealed that even the Greek President, Karolos Papuljas is of Albanian descent. According to Ljalja, Papuljas is a Cham (from Chamurija), born in the village Voshtina, one kilometer away from today“s Greek-Albanian border. His ancestors were Muslims with the last name Sulejmani. About 120 years ago Papuljas“s ancestors converted to Christianity and changed their name. Ljalja supports this assertion with evidence which he received from a well-known Albanian actor who studied with Papuljas and with whom the Greek President maintains contact to this day.
Source:
Petre Dimitrov, Forum, December 12, 2008
Translated and edited by Risto Stefov
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