As a result of the 1944-1945 ethnic cleansing and genocide, 30.000 Albanian Muslims, violently expelled from the Chameria region, were received in the Republic of
Albania, where they still live today. -
There are 205.OOO members of this population, a figure which has increased because of the high birth rate of the population after the genocide.
At present, the community of native Albanians of the orthodox faith of Chameria-Thesprotia(Greece), has reached the figure of 250.000-300.000 persons. Today, as a result of the assimilation policy followed by the Greek circles towards other nationalities on Greek territory, this community is under such circumstances which do not allow it to assert its own identity.
The demographic map of the British military mission sent, to the British government in London, which indicates that on the eve of the Second World War, 75% of Chameria’s population was Albanian, is an authentic testimony by western sources about the Albanian presence in the region.
An incontestable testimony about the presence of the Orthodox Albanians in Chameria (Greece) today are the early kinship links that the Muslim Chams have with them, a fact which the Greek circles try hard to deny.
With the decisions of the Conference of Ambassadors in London in 1913, the region was cut off the motherland and annexed to the Greek state, despite its resistance, the native population of Chameria was subjected to a tragic fate; it was considered an Albanian ethnic minority under Greece.
The destiny of the Albanian minority of Chameria is an Albanian national tragedy not only in terms of territory, but of people as well.
THE GREEK POLICY AND OFFICIAL ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE
ALBANIAN MINORITY IN CHAMERIA
After the annexation of Chameria in 1913 until today, its population during all these years under the Greek state has not enjoyed national or human rights.
•Greek official circles, sticking to the concept of absolute denial of the existence of ethnic groups on Greek territory, have followed a well-studied chauvinistic policy in. two directions:
1. Towards the Albanians of the Orthodox faith it has followed an assimilation policy denying them every ethnic, cultural or language rights, considering them Greeks and intentionally mistaking faith for nationality, an action they still apply today towards Albanians, pretending that all the Orthodox are Greeks.
2.
Towards the Albanians of the Islam faith, they followed the policy of genocide, denying their nationality as well. In many cases, they have intentionally considered them as Turkish Chams and not Albanian Chamas they really are.