The Legal Position of National Minorities and the Formation of State in Years’20

Marenglen Cobo

doi:10.26417/ejms.v1i2.p157-163

Abstract

Albania came out of World War I in an economic – political difficult situation. State institutions lack of consolidation and the difficult living conditions in which was the population, adding even more the future uncertainty of this small state. Furthermore, Albania is not yet recognized by other states and the League of Nations as an independent state with full and equal rights. This small state during the years 20 ' occupied an area of 27,539. 10 km2 and had a population of 803 959 inhabitants. As belonged to the territorial organization and administrative division, it was divided in 9 prefectures, 31 sub-prefectures and 80 provinces. Its population belonged to three different religious faiths: Muslim, Catholic and Orthodox. The number of residents who claimed to belong to the religion of Islam was about 529,694, and those who belonged to the Orthodox religion were 168 215 and those who belonged to the Catholic religion were 96,050 . But related to the ethnic composition of the population, the Albanian state is presented as homogeneouswhere national minorities occupied a small percentage, no more than 10%. The small presence of minority in Albanian territory probably was also one of the reasons that explain the reason for the lack of labor conflicts with ethnic character. Minorities that were identified as non-Albanian minorities were divided into ethno-cultural and national minorities. In the first group were included Rom and Vlachs, while on the second group were included: Montenegrin minorities, Macedonian and Greek national minorities.

Highlights

Vlach or Arumanianethno – cultural minority, had an early presence in the Albanian territory
The end of the First World War left serious consequences for the Albanian state economy and for the population that is within the territory
Indicators for the good will of the Albanian government in this direction were the concern that it took before the League of Nations, at the moment when Albania was admitted as a member state of this international organization

Summary

Introduction

Vlach or Arumanianethno – cultural minority, had an early presence in the Albanian territory. Permanent Court of International Justice of the League of Nations, in an advisory decision on July 31, 1930, regarding the issue raised by the Bulgarian-Greek community, to give a definition It was defined as: a collective of people who lived in a state or locality, who had a race, a religion, a language and its traditions, united by the identification of her race, religion, language and tradition in a sense of solidarity, in order to preserve their traditions, their forms of worship, to guarantee the education and upbringing of their children, according to the sentiments and traditions of theirrace and that are mutually supported. The right of identity in itself presupposed, on one hand the action of the members of minority group finalized for recognition of their rights and the preservation of identity, on the other the stock prohibition of the States that lead to genocide and ethnic cleansing

Albania and its commitment taken by the League of Nations

Improvement of the internal legislation

Conclusions

Findings

Official documents