Albania Grants Self-Identification Rights to Greek Minority, Boosting Ties with Greece

For this Albania’s groundbreaking recognition of self-identification rights for its Greek minority has significantly improved relations with Greece and opened doors to resolving long-standing disagreements, including property claims.

New laws, implementing a 2017 framework, allow ethnic Greeks, regardless of where they live, to declare their identity without official documentation. This self-declared identity must be recognized within 30 days, streamlining a previously cumbersome process.

This landmark decision comes as Albania navigates EU accession talks, with both Greece and the EU playing key roles. Greece, previously critical of Albania’s human rights record, dropped its objections to Albania’s EU progress, citing these positive changes. High-level officials from both countries, including close advisors to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, collaborated, primarily in Brussels, on these measures and additional ones addressing the minority’s linguistic rights, expanding their application to historically Greek-inhabited regions.

Recent tensions, particularly the imprisonment of ethnic Greek politician Fredi Beleri, highlighted the delicate bilateral relationship and its impact on Albania’s EU ambitions. This positive shift offers hope for further cooperation on contentious issues like property disputes and recognizing Albanian pension entitlements for Greeks. However, analysts suggest Albania’s May elections could influence future progress, as Prime Minister Rama has made EU integration a central campaign theme, emphasizing collaboration with Greece as crucial for achieving EU benchmarks.

As discussions continue, Athens and Tirana aim to address maritime boundary delimitation, historical grievances, and the preservation of Greek war cemeteries in Albania. These developments represent a significant opportunity for lasting improvement in bilateral ties, provided diplomatic engagement remains consistent.