FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Mayor Tavo's meeting with the Maarif delegation created immediate tension, while OMONIA accuses of pressure on the local community and demands a reaction from the Greek government.
Elisa Spiropali's visit to Athens is being preceded by a maneuver by Edi Rama that immediately increased tensions. The delegation of the Turkish state foundation Maarif appeared at the office of the mayor of Himara, sparking concern and irony among the residents, as well as a harsh reaction from OMONIA. The Greek minority organization warned of conflict and described the initiative as an intervention in the identity of the area. Tavo denied the agreement with the Turks, but did not clarify any sensitive element for the language and the community. Rama's move seems like a provocation for media consumption, but risks damaging relations with Greece, a strategic partner in NATO and the EU.
In ten days, Elisa Spiropali will visit Greece, in what is being called the opening of the season of Tirana-Athens relations, relations that have been frozen since Edi Rama came to power.
The start of these talks, as is often the case, is being accompanied by aggravation of the climate, as a tactic to create preliminary tension so that things don't go well. The parties are using provocations to trap each other.
Greece started it first by declaring journalist Artan Hoxha non grata, hoping to create an anti-Greek atmosphere in Tirana and then use this climate in the Greek public and media. The move did not have the expected effect.
Edi Rama responded to the Greek cunning with a Turkish provocation, in the fullest sense of the word. He sent a delegation from the Turkish state foundation Maarif to the office of the mayor of Himara, Vangjel Tavo. This foundation administers schools and universities in Albania. For this meeting, Vangjel Tavo published an official announcement, which immediately ignited the sparks between Tirana and Athens, but also created anxiety in the local community in Himara.
Tavo's first announcement
In the announcement, Vangjel Tavo stated that he had met with Maarif representatives about initiatives in the field of education in Himara. He mentioned the opening of a vocational school, the creation of a language course center with German, English, Turkish and French, and scholarship opportunities for excellent students at partner universities.
The possibility of introducing Turkish courses in Himara caused both hilarity and concern. Residents immediately reacted: “Good English and German, but what about Turkish, aman?” wrote one. Another wrote: “Bobo, Erdogan came to us.”
OMONIA's reaction was not long in coming. As a prelude to the official Greek stance, the Greek minority organization described this initiative as a dangerous provocation and warned of tensions, saying that the indigenous Greek inhabitants were being threatened and that the real goal was control and pressure on the local community.
Tavo's second reaction
After OMONIA's reaction, Tavo published a second statement. He said that there was no agreement with the Turkish foundation and that he did not compromise with the language of the inhabitants of Himara. However, in both the Albanian and Greek versions, he never mentioned the Greek language of Himara or the Greek community, leaving the statement unclear.
He said that the identity of Himara is not negotiable and that education, language, traditions and memory cannot be part of political bargaining. But he did not clarify which identity he was talking about, because Himara is not a minority area according to Albanian legislation. Himara has public schools in Albanian and a private Greek college “Omiros”, funded by the Orthodox Church.
A provocation by Rama that demands attention
This maneuver seems to be a deliberate provocation by Edi Rama to get attention in the Greek media in the few days before Spiropali's visit. But it risks turning into an own goal, because playing games with a sensitive community like that of Himara has serious diplomatic consequences.
Relations with Greece are important and cannot be managed with Turkish-style or Greek-style maneuvers. They require a state strategy approved by the Albanian Parliament and a platform that protects the country's interests without compromising relations with a neighboring state, NATO ally and EU member, which in recent years has become very close to the US and the West./ Pamphlet
E po mirë more Gjergj, edhe për grekun të vjen keq? Po përse jeni kaq përvesë. Himara është territor shqiptar dhe mund të kryhen investime siç në çdo hapësirë tjetër shqiptare. Ç'na plasi ne se çfarë bën omonia greke siku e ka Himarë të nënës dhe babës? Përse i del përkrahë omonias?
Jeni budallenj apo beni? Analizat ose komentet qe beni konfirmojne ate qe thone greket, Himara eshte greke dhe per kete arsye nuk duhet te kete vizita apo prani te turqve.Nuk kam asnje simpati per turqit por t'i japesh ze dhe jehone kesaj ngjarje nuk eshte as me pak dhe as me shume te pranosh se edhe shqiptaret te krishtere dhe muslimanet jane nongrata ne vendin e tyre. Gjergj Zefi t'i ka zene mendjen dhe syte armiqesia dhe urrejtja per Edi Ramen dhe po kalon ne antishqiptarizem. Po kush eshte Edi Rama,Shqiperia jone e shtrenjte! Thirri mendjes o katolik se perfundim logjik I kesaj qe po ndodh apo qe po e interpreton sipas midese tende te nxjerr ne rruge te gabuar!
Ne nje vend te lire, shoqatat Jo fitim prurese, le te ndertojne shkolla te cdo lloji ku te besojne qe do ju shkojne nxenes, nuk ka çi duhet grekut, dhe po u merziten himariotet le ti drrejtohen gjykates. Po ky artisti jone kaq kohe aty si nuk beri nje ligj te voçkel si Serbia e Greqia, e ti ndalonte si brenda e jashte per perdhosje te identitetit kombetare, urrejtje, perçarje, etj. e ti shpallte non grata ata qe e benin, gjithashtu edhe institucione, shoqata, e kolegje , siç na qenka “Omiros”-(qe perkthehet, dikush qe eshte kapur peng) -“pengu”. Domethene ne paskemin kapur Himaren peng ne mes te shqiperise, dhe ata po bertasim nepermjet kti kolegji! Gjithashtu të behen nongrata dhe financusit e ketyre individeve, shoqatave, e kolegjeve, sepse nuk ishte budalla Vladimirovichi qe i futi shqelmin mjekrrave te zeza greke, do kene pasur qellime jo miqesore…
Kryetari i bashkise besoj se e ben nga vetja per t'u ngritur ne syte e ekstremisteve dhe provokatoreve qe per fat te keq nuk mungojne.Duke mos qene vet nga Himara,nuk erdhi se e pranuan banoret pasi e njifnin.Erdhi i emeruar .Himara ka histori,e ka mbrojt me gjak.Nuk i lejohet te na sjell turqine me dinakeri.Eshte e papranueshme.Himarjotet i takojme europes ,nuk ka ne dore asnje te bej pazare te pista ne dem te tyre. Historia e Himares nuk mund te erresohet nga firma e nje te ardhuri kushdo qofte ai.Si himarjot autokton ,i drejtohem atij te mos ndermare asnje hap qe do cenonte qetesine e komunitetit tone.