Greeks in Albania
The Greeks in Albania are ethnic Greeks who live in or originate from areas within modern Albania. They form the largest minority group in the country. They are mostly concentrated in the south of the country, in the areas of the northern part of the historical region of Epirus, in parts of Vlorë County, Gjirokastër, Korçë, and Berat County. The area is also known by them as Northern Epirus. Consequently, the Greeks hailing specifically from Southern Albania are also known as Northern Epirotes. The Greeks who live in the "minority zones" of Albania are officially recognised by the Albanian government as the Greek National Minority of Albania.
In 1913, after the end of five centuries of Ottoman rule, the area was included under the sovereignty of the newly founded Albanian state. The following year, Greeks revolted and declared their independence, and with the following Protocol of Corfu the area was recognised as an autonomous region under nominal Albanian sovereignty. However, this was never implemented.
In the communist era the Greek population suffered from the prohibition of the Greek language if spoken outside the recognised so-called "minority zones" and even limitations on the official use of its language within those zones. During the same period many formerly Greek place-names were officially changed to Albanian ones. Greeks from the "minority zones" were also frequently forcibly moved to other parts of the country since they were seen as possible sources of dissent and ethnic tension. The Communist system did not discriminate the Greek minority based on ethnicity, and overall the minority faced the same issues as the rest of Albania's population under a dictatorship. A considerable number of Greeks integrated into Albanian society, acquired higher education and positions in the political, intellectual and military elite of the country. Around 1990, most Western estimates of the number of ethnic Greeks in Albania were around 200,000 but in the 1990s, a majority of them migrated to Greece. In post-1990 era, these issues, including the emerging subject of private property rights, continue to persist to an extent.
In the 2023 census around 23,485 self-declared as Greek. Approximately 189,000 people from Albania that migrated to Greece had received special identity cards, which are reserved for ethnic Greeks, although in 2022 this number was down to 13,329 as most of them had by then acquired Greek citizenship and no longer needed the special cards. Apart from ethnic Greeks, many Aromanians and Albanians claim to be Greeks to get the status of homogeneis and later citizenship.
Southern Albania
The Greek minority in Albania is concentrated in the south of the country, near the border with Greece. After 1912, in Greece part of this area became known as Northern Epirus. The Greek community is located in the former districts of Sarandë, Gjirokastër, part of Delvinë and in three villages of Himara and the two villages Nartë and Zvërnec, which form the northernmost island of Greek speech in Vlorë County. The areas where the Greek community forms the main part of the population are not a uniform region, but areas interspersed by Albanian communities, except for Dropull which is located along the border with Greece.Recognised Greek "minority zone"
The communist government, in order to establish control over the areas populated by the Greek minority, declared the so-called "minority zones", consisting of 99 villages in the southern districts of Gjirokastër, Sarandë, and Delvina.Tirana's official minority policy defines the Greek origin of Albanian citizens according to the language, religion, birth and ancestors originating from the areas of the so-called "minority zones". The Albanian law on minorities acknowledges the rights of the Greek minority only to those people who live in the areas which are recognized as minority zones. The last census that included ethnicity, from 1989, included only the numbers of the Greek minority in the minority zones. Ethnic Greeks living outside those areas were not counted as such. This has had a practical effect in the area of education: With the exception of the officially recognized Greek minority zones, where teaching was held in both the Greek and Albanian languages, in all other areas of Albania lessons were taught only in the Albanian language.
Aromanians
Work in Greece is of importance in Albania, and people who declare to be members of the Greek minority or prove their "Greek origin", receive special benefits and identity cards. A substantial number of Aromanians in south-eastern Albania, as well as some Muslim Albanians, have claimed Greek identity based on pro-Greek social networks and identity idioms of the past. Also, Aromanians from villages around Vlorë, who identified as "Helleno-Vlach", were able to obtain visas and work permits without any difficulties. It has been suggested that a certain number of Aromanians have claimed to be Greek in exchange for benefits; such as Greek pensions, passports and visas.Other Greek communities in Albania
However, the official Albanian definition about minorities did not recognize as members of a minority ethnic Greeks who live outside the 99 villages in mixed areas inhabited by both Greek and Albanian speaking populations, even in areas where ethnic Greeks form a majority. Consequently, the Greek communities in Himarë, Korçë, Vlorë and Berat did not have access to any minority rights.Contrary to the official Albanian definition, which generally provides a limited definition of the ethnic Greeks living in Albania, Greek migration policy defines the Greek origin on the basis of language, religion, birth and ancestors from the region called Northern Epirus. In that way, according to the Greek State Council, the Greek ethnic origin can be granted on the basis of cultural ancestry, Greek descent, language, and religion.
It has been noted that Albanians have declared themselves as Greeks in the past 20 years in exchange to reside and work in Greece. This allegedly encouraged the process of Greek irredentism in "Northern Epirus". Albanian sources often use the pejorative term filogrek in relation to ethnic Greeks, usually in a context disputing their Greek ancestry.
The Greek minority in Albania is located mostly compactly, within the wider Gjirokastër and Sarandë regions and in four settlements within the coastal Himarë area where they form an overall majority population. Greek speaking settlements are also found within Përmet municipality, near the border. Some Greek speakers are also located within the wider Korçë region. Due to both forced and voluntary internal migration of Greeks within Albania during the communist era, some Greek speakers are also located within the wider Përmet and Tepelenë regions. Outside the area defined as Northern Epirus, two coastal Greek speaking villages exist near Vlorë; Nartë and Zvërnec. While due to forced and non-forced internal population movements of Greeks within Albania during the communist era, some Greek speakers are also dispersed within the Berat region.
Human rights violations in Albania
are violated by the Government which have targeted the Greek population via police and secret service according to Human Rights organisations. Greek communities have been targeted by development projects and had their homes demolished in alleged ethnic targeting of Greeks from Southern Albania.Also, according to Amnesty International there were cases of mistreatment of members of Greek minority by the authorities.
Also, the ethnic Greek minority complained about the government's unwillingness to recognize ethnic Greek towns outside communist-era "minority zones," to utilize Greek in official documents and on public signs in ethnic Greek areas, or to include more ethnic Greeks in public administration.
The 2012 USA annual report mention that the emergence of strident nationalist groups like the Red and Black Alliance increased ethnic tensions with the Greek minority groups.
Demographics
In the 2023 census in Albania, 23,485 people declared themselves Greek. In the Vlorë County 12,044 people were self-declared Greek, in the Gjirokastër County 8,552, and in the Korçë County 740.The Greek minority in Albania is located compactly within the wider Gjirokastër and Sarandë regions, and also in four settlements within the coastal Himarë area where they form an overall majority population. Other Greek-speaking settlements are found within Përmet municipality, near the border, and two coastal villages near Vlorë outside the area defined as Northern Epirus. Some Greek speakers are also located within the wider Korçë region. Due to both forced and voluntary internal migration of Greeks within Albania during the communist era, some Greek speakers are also located within the wider Përmet and Tepelenë regions. While due to forced and non-forced internal population movements of Greeks within Albania during the communist era, some Greek speakers are also dispersed within the wider Berat, Durrës, Kavajë, Peqin, Elbasan and Tiranë regions. In the period 1945-1989, during the Hoxha regime, 99 settlements were officially recognized as being inhabited predominantly or exclusively inhabited by ethnic Greeks. Scholar Leonidas Kallivretakis who conducted demographic research in the region a few years after the regime's end, identified 92 settlements exclusively or near exclusively inhabited by ethnic Greeks, with another 16 mixed settlements with a Greek minority or plurality.
The vast majority of ethnic Greeks from Albania have emigrated to Greece since the 1990s. According to a 2005 estimate more than 80% had migrated to Greece by then. In Greece, they were issued a "special identity card" in the 1990s. The special identity card was acquired not only by ethnic Greeks but by Aromanians from Albania or people who could demonstrate an Aromanian heritage as Aromanians were recognized by Greece as being of Greek origin and Orthodox Albanians. In 2005, the right to obtain the special identity card was extended to non-Greek members in the families of ethnic Greeks. About 189,000 individuals acquired the special identity card by 2008. After Greek citizenship was made available, the number of special identity card holders has declined to about 13,000 in 2023.