Greece Condemns Albanian President's Presence at Cham Commemoration

On Tuesday, Greece expressed strong disapproval of Albanian President Bajram Begaj's attendance at an event honoring members of the Cham community. The event commemorated those allegedly killed during their expulsion from Greece's western Epirus region between 1944 and 1945. Greece viewed Begaj's presence as promoting irredentism.

Begaj, a close ally of Prime Minister Edi Rama, paid his respects at the memorial located in Konispol, near the Greek border. The memorial commemorates the estimated 2,900 victims of what is described as the "Greek genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Chams." The nationalist Party for Justice, Integration, and Unity (PDIU) organized the event.

Greece maintains that the Chams, Albanian-speaking Muslims, collaborated with the Nazis and have no legitimate grounds for claims.

Greek diplomatic sources characterized Begaj's act of laying a wreath at the memorial as "unacceptable nationalism" that evokes a bygone era. They argue that the monument perpetuates historically inaccurate and false accusations while implying territorial ambitions against Greece.

The same sources further stated that such actions, contradicting historical truth, hinder the development of positive relations between the two countries.