Albanianization in Macedonia

[Droog]

@julie, Niko: What is so disturbing about the Albanian minority getting one of the three diaspora seats? Both ethnic Macedonians and ethnic Albanians are Macedonian citizens and this arrangement is quite proportionate.

@Niko you can't compare the worst possible photo of a house with that of a newly built mansion. It's obvious that not all Albanians live in mansions as not all Macedonians live in small 100-old houses. Few(and not a few) people are rich and few are very poor, but most live in the same post-communist Balkans conditions.

[Prolet]

Pustec is becoming Macedonianized now, it wont be long till other Albanian towns and cities follow suit like Golo Brdo,Gora,Pogradec,Elbasan etc

[Droog]

@Liqenas/Pustec was and is an area in which the minority existed and was always recognized(nothing got macedonianized) and if you really think that there are Macedonians in Elbasan etc. why don't you check that for yourself?

[julie]

Droog, when 3 Macedonians obtain seats in your Albanian parliament, you can chastise me then!!

[George S.]

The albanians do what they do in macedonia because of laxity of our politicians.Macedonia is mean't to be a tatkovina for the macedonians.THe albanians do not look at themselves as it's citizens & do not cooperate so openly.That's why they work elsewhere save their money & come back to macedonia where it's easier to buy land & houses,probably even cheaper.they look forward to where there is more of them & less of us.THey don't respect the macedonians at all & simply want to take over.

[Droog]

Droog, when 3 Macedonians obtain seats in your Albanian parliament, you can chastise me then!!

Well, julie that's not up to me or anyone else except for the electorate itself. The Macedonians of Albania have one official party, which belongs in the coalition of the ruling democratic party and its zone of influence is that of Liqenas and maybe some villages in the areas of Golloberde(Golo Brdo). If they had enough electoral power, they would be represented in the parliament like the Greek minority. According to their electoral power they manage to elect the mayor of Liqenas(Pustec), which has bilingual road signs as you can see etc.

I'm not chastising you. You said that you consider it disturbing that they get 1 seat out of the three diaspora ones and I'm asking why? The law itself isn't uncommon at all, because it exists in Kosovo, Romania and many other countries. In fact it is a rather limiting law, because it says that one seat belongs to Albanians and two to Macedonians, which means that even if all Albanians of Switzerland and Germany voted they would still get one seat and vice-versa. The law exists since the late 19th century and it basically protects the electoral rights of a large enough minority without allowing it to get parliamentary power that is disproportionate to its documented demographics.

[fyrOM]

Niko, lets get real about these photos. They only prove one thing.
shiptarite vo tie sela se po rabotni lujge. a nashite.........
they wait for the EU to be the Saviour,
just like the Christians wait for Christ to come.

One of them will definitely happen. The EU saving Macedonia and give them wealth, never in a million years.

But also how many Macedonians see going to work in the West as an 'escape' and have no real intentions of coming back to Macedonia to live there permanently? It becomes a numbers game.

[Bill77]

But also how many Macedonians see going to work in the West as an 'escape' and have no real intentions of coming back to Macedonia to live there permanently? It becomes a numbers game.

Mate i don't have any statistics to prove anything, but i can go by personal experience and its up to you to believe me or not.

Here is a couple of instances,
A cousin of mine made plans to get a visa to go to Slovenia. His plans were to settle down in Slovenia (where he had relo's to help)and then bring his family over. Keep in mind Slovenia is only a stone throw away and not so foreign to the Macedonians. It took him almost a year to get the go ahead. He took off and he lasted 1 week. I never found out if it was work that scared him or the life style. This one incident proves to me "ne je rabotnik chojek" or "nema zivot kako vo makedonia". on the other side of the coin, Albanians leave in droves not just to Slovenia, but countries where Language culture is completely foreign such as Germany, Italy etc. There are reports here on MTO, that since the borders were opened, majority are Ethnic Albanians that leave and attempt to not come back.

One other incident was when i tried to bye an apartment in Bitola. I jokingly suggested we swap house's and life styles where i go there and he comes here. (well i was half joking)
His reaction was like he had just seen the grim reaper.
I know this one reaction does not prove anything, but if i add all the Macedonians that have come to Australia, make comments like "kako budali rabotate" and run back to the airport to get out of here quick smart, it suggests something about their priorities.

[julie]

kako budali rabotate - Bill, that comment seems to be a catch phrase
Od na tate stranata imam prvi bratchedi shto se najogat vo Bitola, samo eden e raboten chovek i nivnite vo seloto samo 5 km daleku od Bitola gi rabota sam. Mnogu mesto dedomi im ostave na niv, i se mrzlivi, i mi e duri stram da kazhuvam za niv. Ne sakat da znat, mnogu zemja imat, i samo eden od prvite brachedi rabota, a detsata shetat po korzot bez rabota i se falat so shto imaat, i pojke pari da pushtime od tuka. Majka i tatko tuka se prekershea od rabota po tie pusti glasoi da berat domati i da rabotat po fabriki. Mrzlivi a brkat moda, i plachat za pari. Bratmi se vrate od Makedonia beshe so tate na odmor i mi reche koga odam jas vo Avgust mesetz, kako shto kazhuvash, ke vidish kako shiptarite rabotat, a nashite mrzlivi se, mi e stram. Diasporata Makedonska se rabotni lujgje, i se budali shto pushtvat pari doma kaj Makedonia, a shiptarite se vrajkat oti parite shto gi berat vo stranstvo mozhat da zhiveat milionerski zhivot.
Imash pravo shto kazhuvash
Koga im dadova Makedonija pravo do kupvat shiptarite zemja, nie nishto nemozhime da pravime so toa, samo ke se nervirame

Isto i jas kako prilika, rabotam tuka kako dzver so opasni bolesti za pokriv na glava

[Niko777]

Pustec is becoming Macedonianized now, it wont be long till other Albanian towns and cities follow suit like Golo Brdo,Gora,Pogradec,Elbasan etc

Prolet, I am really happy that this was done, it's a start, but we can't compare it to what is happening in Macedonia. There are Albanian signs in Macedonia's capital, in front of places like the constitutional court, the government buildings, etc. And it is all paid by the Macedonian government, UNLIKE Albania - they did not pay 1 cent! The signs were donated by Skopje city administration.

[indigen]

The Albanians are big criminals, they are drug dealers, that is where there money comes from, it is not honest work that got them those mansions.

It is good to read (see) that there are still some Macedonians able to use their brains (logic and rationale) when analysing Macedonian issues! But I would also not make blanket generalisations about anyone, including the Ghegs.

NB: There were some good articles from around 2001 - 2004 covering this issue and may be found on Antiwar.com or in articles by Chris Deliso. The "Albanian Mafia" is VERY BIG in Europe and they must launder their money somehow, which means Macedonia (amongst other places) is a good money laundering factory.

-----------------

On the Front Lines in Tetovo
by Christopher Deliso
January 25, 2002

Skopje, Macedonia – For the past year, the Albanians in Macedonia have claimed that repression, economic inequality, and a general lack of rights have justified starting a war. Tetovo, a town in the sparsely-populated west of Macedonia, where more than 60% of the population is Albanian, would seem an ideal place to test this assumption. Visiting Tetovo, however, one discovers a completely different reality. The rapidly increasing prosperity of the Albanians there is witnessed by the large car dealerships, hotels, bars, and retail stores lining the downtown and the entrance road from Skopje. Many of these are still under construction, grand skeletons of what will become essentially a reborn city. All throughout Tetovo, new houses and newly-laid foundations dominate. They are almost entirely Albanian.

In marked contrast to the Albanians, the Macedonian minority in Tetovo lives in either drab, Yugoslav-era high-rise apartments, or else in dilapidated old houses in Tetovo's "old town." This section of town is located on the base and side of the Sar Planina mountain. Tetovo was effectively cleared of some 20,000 Macedonians at the height of the fighting. Of the 6,000 people who have not yet returned, most lived here. The Macedonian houses once spread up the mountainside, but are now pillaged and destroyed. The NLA hid inside them when firing down on the Macedonian army, thus ensuring that the latter would have to shoot at their own property.
Funding the trend

The wave of Albanian building projects in Tetovo and environs boils down to one factor: money. Lavish new houses are being built in record numbers by wealthy expatriate Albanians from Switzerland, Germany, the US and other countries. These activities are mirrored by a quite visible growth of businesses such as hotels, bars, and car dealerships – some of which are no doubt funded by Albanian mafia bosses from Kosovo and Macedonia.

All throughout the west of Macedonia, and especially in Tetovo, the increased construction of luxurious homes and businesses by Albanians has gone on simultaneously with the forced expulsion of Macedonians from the region. Several villages in the desolate stretches of Sar Planina, that were part or all Macedonian a year ago, are now entirely Albanian. Strongholds like Sipkovica, for example, feature almost palatial Albanian mansions. Consequently, one should be skeptical of those who insist that this war was not fought for the consolidation of territory.

The relatively recent phenomenon of very wealthy Albanians (owing not a little to the rise of an all-powerful Albanian Mafia), coupled with the economic hardship of the past ten years in Macedonia, made the current situation almost inevitable. For poor Macedonians who are used to surviving on a typical salary of $150 a month, it is impossible to say no when offered up to $500,000 for their property. Faced with such an "offer they can't refuse," many Macedonians have already pocketed the money and moved out. One might argue that those Macedonians who claim to be so patriotic should do what it takes to remain in their ancestral lands. Money talks, however, and few are so patriotic as to turn down the chance to renew their own lives, either in Skopje or out of the country entirely. Surviving on the wages that the state and state-owned industry pays requires frugality at best. Yet for many Macedonians, this is the extent of their opportunities at present.

The supreme irony of all this is that the Albanians have been complaining that they can't get state jobs. As a factory supervisor explained, "these jobs aren't good enough for them. Why would they work for so little when they could have so much more money (smuggling drugs or weapons)?"

[...]

http://www.antiwar.com/orig/deliso26.html

The Instability Myth, Free Markets and Macedonia's Future
by Christopher Deliso in Skopje
December 21, 2002

http://www.antiwar.com/orig/deliso63.html

Europe's New Terror Profile and the State of Play in the Balkans
by Christopher Deliso August 8, 2005

balkanalysis.com

http://anti-war.com/deliso/?articleid=6899

13 Feb 2002 - WMC-News - Show me the money, says Macedonia

SHOW ME THE MONEY, SAYS MACEDONIA
By: Christopher Deliso

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MakNed/message/596

Interview with Pravda - Macedonia, Now and Then

Christopher Deliso Interviews Sam Vaknin, Ph.D.
Excerpted in Pravda on August 14, 2001


Q: What duties did you have as economic advisor? When was this post created? By whom?

A: The post was created in autumn 1999, immediately after the elections. Two outside consultants were hired: Mr. Ante Markovik, Yugoslavia's last Prime Minister, and myself. My job consisted of gathering economic data, analyzing it, proposing policy alternatives, drafting laws and international tender documents and reviewing decisions made by various economic Ministries. The post was created by the Prime Minister of Macedonia, Mr. Ljubco Georgievski and by the then Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Vasil Tupurkovski. I left the position last month.

Q: How significantly did the forced influx of Kosovar Albanians from Spring '99 affect Macedonia economically?

A: Politically, Kosovo was and is a threat to Macedonia's very existence as a unitary, unified, sovereign, and autonomous homeland to the Macedonians (by the way, I am an Israeli, not a Macedonian). Economically, though, it was a mixed blessing. On the one hand the burden of accepting, harbouring, feeding, and accommodating c. 300,000 refugees (equal to 15% of the population) was crushing. Macedonia's infrastructure nearly collapsed under this sudden onslaught and due to the heavy use by NATO/KFOR. Macedonia was never fully compensated for these outlays. The West has honoured less than 25% (!) of pledges it made in donor conferences. Moreover, the imminent threat to the very social fabric of Macedonia caused Western firms (mainly Germans and American - less so Greek) to cancel manufacturing orders and sub-contracting of textile production. Agriculture has suffered badly due to the effective blockade imposed by NATO's siege of Kosovo, the devastation of the Danube bridges and the throngs of refugees. The wine and tobacco industries were virtually demolished. Still, NATO has spent hundreds of millions of DM's in Macedonia since 1999. An influx of 10,000 well-earning foreigners (mainly employed in more than 60 branches of NGO's established here) also offset some of the damage by revitalizing the services sector. And Macedonia was rewarded by being integrated into pan-European structures (e.g., its stabilization and association agreement with the EU) or southeast European ones (e.g. the Stability Pact).

Q: George Soros' organizations pumped a lot of money into Macedonia in the 90's. Some have alleged that this was a case of "Greeks bearing gifts" and that he was trying to buy the country's future policy direction. Is this a legitimate criticism?

A: No, it is not. Soros invested close to nothing here. He did encourage a series of modest cultural efforts and did provide free internet ISP services to NGOs, the media, and academic institutions but that was just about it. Perhaps Macedonia - with 3.5 billion US dollars in GDP - is simply too marginal and inconsequential...))

Q: Is Macedonia now in better or worse shape economically than it was in '99? Why?

A: In some ways it is better off, in others much worse off. The young and dynamic Minister of Finance of Macedonia, Mr. Nikola Gruevski, has succeeded to pass through parliaments dozens of modern economic laws, thus equipping Macedonia with an advanced economic legal infrastructure. The state sold or shut down most of the loss making industrial behemoths, thus considerably reducing budgetary strain. Foreign direct investment (mainly Greek, but also German and Slovenian) has qauntupled. Privatization made great (and highly controversial) strides. The local telecom was just sold to MATAV. Macedonia's biggest bank, Stopanska Bank, was sold to the Greek National Bank. At the beginning of the year, the introduction of VAT caused the budget to be in surplus and allowed the state to accelerate the repayment of its obligations to its citizens. GDP has increased by 5% and things looked rosy. The country was even contemplating obtaining a sovereign credit rating and issuing international bonds. The only blight was an ever growing trade deficit which may have been the outcome of an overvalued currency. But the eruption of the insurgency by the NLA has changed all this painfully. With the exception of some deals with the Greeks already in the pipeline, all FDI ceased. Trade collapsed by 20%. Industrial production plummeted by almost 9% (from an already dilapidated base). Manufacturing orders and production contracts were called off. Airlines cancelled their routes to Skopje. Most foreigners left the scene. The IMF did not renew the arrangement with Macedonia and the EU has suspended credit and aid facilities in an effort to exert pressure over Macedonian decision makers to show more transigence in the negotiations with the Albanians. The damage to the country's image as an investment destination is irreparable and irreversible. As taxes collected diminished and the need to finance what became a civil war became more pressing, the budget swung to deficit.

Q: Northern Macedonia, along with Kosovo, is the lawless European crossroads for drug, weapons and sex trafficking. Albanians have been largely linked with this. Are there only Albanian gangs, or are there also Macedonian ones? Is organized crime permitted in Macedonia (i.e., corrupt politicians)? And is suppressing the black market in Macedonia's best interest, anyway?

A: Drug trafficking is only one of a series of criminal economic activities typical of the region. Cigarette smuggling, white slavery, illegal immigration, cross border trading in light weapons, piracy of intellectual software and much more besides. Macedonian and Albanian gangs collaborate in these activities under the protection (and profit sharing) of corrupt politicians and officials in the kleptocracies that pass for governments in these countries. The informal economy is comprised of both criminal activities and tax evasion. I think that the informal sector is the most vibrant, entrepreneurial and employment-creating one in Macedonia and should be left to its own beneficial devices until the state sorts out its own act. In the absence of impartial and functioning institutions - courts, banks, tax administration, customs - Macedonia is blessed to have a black economy.

Q: It is well-known that the ethnic Albanian rebels in Macedonia are financed from abroad, particularly by groups in Switzerland and the U.S. Is there any evidence that advocacy groups, such as Joe DiGuardi's Albanian-American Civic League, are involved in this? And, is it known what percentage of their weapons-buying funds are garnered from criminal profits?

A: The NLA is not a monolithic entity. It is more like an umbrella organization with serious and fracturing differences of opinion regarding the ultimate goals the insurrection and the means to obtain these goals. Roughly, it is made up of one third veteran Kosovo fighters, some of them professional soldiers, who also fought in Croatia, or in the Foreign Legion. These people are bitter and disgruntled by what they see as the betrayal of the West in refusing to guarantee an independent Kosovo and the failure of the current Kosovar leadership to integrate them economically into the emerging polity there. Their motives are part emotional and part pecuniary. Another third is made of unemployed, young Albanians, mainly from Macedonia itself. Their fighting is self-interested. They get a monthly salary and perks and, lacking education and skills, they don't have much of a choice outside the killing fields. The rest are diehard, hardcore, idealists who either fervently espouse a Great Albania, or would like to take over Western Macedonian in a "constitutional coup" which will grant them their own police force, municipalities, institutions, universities, budgets, and semi-political structures. The NLA itself is not directly involved in criminal activities, though a few of its members are. But the money that finances it (from the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, and the USA) is tainted by drug dealing, white slavery, illegal immigration, and the smuggling of everything illicit, from cigarettes to stolen cars, to weapons. In this they collaborate with politicians and criminals in Macedonia - both Albanian and Macedonian. Lobby groups, such as the one you mentioned, are not known to be involved in crime, though.

Q: A couple months ago, Albanian terrorists threatened that the northern Greek province of Epiros would be their next target. Should this threat be taken seriously? And if so, do you foresee attempts by Albanian terrorists to disrupt the Athens Olympics of 2004?

A: I think that Montenegro is next in line, followed by Greece. Both have restless Albanian minorities. Albanian terrorists, in both Kosovo and Macedonia, have hitherto never acted in the manner of Palestinian terrorists (hijacking planes, disrupting international events, etc.). They clung to their "constituencies", recruited from the rural population, obtained logistical supplies (food, medicines) from the hinterland via short supply lines and attacked, largely, only the military and the police.

Q: In 1999, could you have been able to predict that this current crisis in Macedonia would be taking place now?

A: I have. In many of my articles. Visit my web site.

Q: Looking five years in the future, what will become of Macedonia? Will there be a "Greater Albania", and will other Balkans countries' borders be redrawn?

A: Look five years into the past and you will see that Balkan borders HAVE been redrawn. Kosovo has been separated from Serbia. Bosnia is divided to three. The border between Slovenia and Croatia has changed. The only long term permanent and stable solution to the Eastern Question involves changing borders and exchanging populations. The great tragedy of the Balkan is the ignorant and self-interested involvement of the Western Big Powers and their agents, the multilateral organizations (such as the IMF) and the NGO's. But then, Big Powers involvement has always been the Balkan's misfortune.

http://samvak.tripod.com/nm100.html

[Soldier of Macedon]

@julie, Niko: What is so disturbing about the Albanian minority getting one of the three diaspora seats? Both ethnic Macedonians and ethnic Albanians are Macedonian citizens and this arrangement is quite proportionate.

Why does it need to be in accordance with proportions? Do you think Albanians should automatically qualify for anything of such a fundamental nature just because their numbers are higher than other minorities? I don't. This should come down to people who have Macedonia's best interests at heart, who consider matters of Macedonian national importance as a priority. Their ethnicity shouldn't come into the picture, and this parallel 'state' and the automatic 'rights' that Albanians seek are divisive and will be the cause of further tension.

Can you find a single member of the ethnic Albanian minority in or out of Macedonia that is for the preservation of Macedonia as it should be, with one official language and culture (like how it is in Albania)? I hope so, but I doubt it. It's the same usual story of double-standards. They were granted unfair privileges because NATO came in to save the terrorists in Arachinovo - and now all think that this is 'normal' and should be a given.

[Niko777]

"albeu .com" - FALSE NEWS AGENCY - ALBANIAN ANTI-MACEDONIAN PROPAGANDA

A recent article from the so called news agency "Albeu" confirms that its news articles are not trustworthy:

Macedonians do not want the inscriptions in Albanian

17.04.2011, ora 21:28


Municipal and central institutions, shops, cafes and various shops in Skopje and other cities continue to disregard the inscriptions in Albanian.

Macedonian media report that access tables and their indexes are still only in the Macedonian language and Cyrillic alphabet, and on various occasions, used a third language, and ignored the Albanian language.

in the entire length of the route Skopje - Pristina, the highway Skopje - Tetovo, Skopje - Kumanovo etc., all posts are written in Macedonian.

Albania respects the language of a small group of Macedonians in some settlements where they live, while about 30 percent of Albanians in Macedonia are deprived of this right. / albeu.com /

The article claims:
-Albanians in Macedonia are deprived of rights
-Albanians in Macedonia are 30%
-Albanian signs do not exist in Macedonia
-Macedonians in Albania have more rights then Albanians in Macedonia

[Soldier of Macedon]

Niko777, what is your opinion on the below? Is it on par with what the FA provides for the ethnic Albanians in Macedonia?

http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/17968/2/

Boards and road signs into Macedonian language have been mounted in the municipality of Pustec.

Names of populated places and institutions written into Albanian language are now written into Macedonian language as well.

A total of nine road signs, boards for hospitals, health home, two schools, 56 street boards and boards for 11 squares, donated by the municipality of Gazi Baba, have been mounted in the municipality of Pustec.

This move is of great importance for ethnic Macedonians in the municipalities of Pustec, deputy mayor Vezil Sterjovski told media.

Streets, squares and institutions carry the names of prominent figures of Macedonian history as well as significant figures from the history of the Macedonian community in Albania. The names have been approved by the authorities of the municipality of Pustec with the permit by the authorities of the Korca prefecture.

[Droog]

Why does it need to be in accordance with proportions? Do you think Albanians should automatically qualify for anything of such a fundamental nature just because their numbers are higher than other minorities? I don't. This should come down to people who have Macedonia's best interests at heart, who consider matters of Macedonian national importance as a priority. Their ethnicity shouldn't come into the picture, and this parallel 'state' and the automatic 'rights' that Albanians seek are divisive and will be the cause of further tension.

Can you find a single member of the ethnic Albanian minority in or out of Macedonia that is for the preservation of Macedonia as it should be, with one official language and culture (like how it is in Albania)? I hope so, but I doubt it. It's the same usual story of double-standards. They were granted unfair privileges because NATO came in to save the terrorists in Arachinovo - and now all think that this is 'normal' and should be a given.

It is according to proportions in order to maintain the same ethnic balance that exists in the country itself. If it was a simple electoral law, then Albanian emigrants of Switzerland and Germany would probably vote in greater numbers than the Macedonian ones and I'm sure that if that happened many people in Macedonia would consider it an electoral manipulation. As I said before the law exists only to preserve the demographic status in electoral issues. No country has just one language(de facto) and I don't think that I'll find any member of any minority anywhere that doesn't want more rights for his group. That can't and won't change as long as countries are based on ethnic and not civil nationalism. Albania has a one official language in areas where Albanians form the vast majority but in areas that have significant minorities their languages are official too.