Is Himara a Greek minority? Historian Elena Kocaqi "dots the i": Before 1821, there were only Arvanitas and Vlachs in Greece! The Albanian state should show its place to Greece

The issue of Fredi Beleri's arrest has ignited not only a political but also a historical debate between Albania and Greece.

The neighboring country claims a Greek minority that does not live in Himara, which is not based on any historical facts or documents. However, the Greek policy for the Hellenization of Epirus, and for calling as "Greek" all those who are Orthodox, seems not to have been without results.

This was explained by the well-known historian Elena Kocaqi, during a television interview.

"Greece dreams and hopes that with Himara it will fulfill its dreams of Epirus. She calls it a minority violation because there is a minority candidate. This is not only a problem that has to do with the minority but with all of Albania. The SP should have appealed the result in parallel with the prosecution doing its job. How can a candidate who is arrested for buying votes swear in and be sworn in as mayor," she said.

Asked if there are Greek minorities in Himara, Kocaqi said that until the declaration of Greek independence in 1821, the term "Greek" was not known even in Greece. In that period, the majority of the population in the Peloponnese, Athens, the Aegean islands and beyond, were Arvanitas.

"Attica is 100% owned by Albanians, where did these Greeks come from in Himare, when in Athens, the Peloponnese, in the Aegean islands the population was predominantly Albanian. Greece uses some policies to extend its claims, as if it is the successor of Byzantium. He uses some funny things from the side of history, but with these things he managed to convince international politics. For me, it is the fault of Albanian politics, the Albanian Academy of Sciences, for not showing the place. Albanians who, for reasons of monetary interests, declare themselves Greek. But for their personal interests, we cannot affect the interests of Albania. In America, it does not go to Greece, because in the USA, Albania is a priority.

It started to be talked about after the creation of the Greek state. Looking at all the documentation, before 1821 there were no Greeks in Greece. Most were Arvanitas and Vlachs. The Greek term is a religious term. Anyone can become a Greek. Therefore, this is dangerous for the interests of Albania, this is within the framework of the Russian Pan-Slavic policy", declared Kocaqi.