Albanians in Montenegro Waiting for Godot?

I #2067 12 - 14 KORRIK, 2011 Albanians in Montenegro Waiting for Godot? By Cafo Boga & Stefan Wolff skirts of the Montenegrin capital of Pod - tact among themselves and across bor - them membership, although, some after a gorica. Albanians in Montenegro are a na - ders. considerable delay. tional minority (members of an ethnic group “Why are we here, that is the question. And who live within a host-state , but are simul - The signatory states of the CSCE further The regional environment in which these we are blessed in this, that we happen to taneously ethnic kin of another, often neigh - committed themselves to protecting the eth - dynamics unfold continues to be shaped know the answer. Yes, in this immense con - bouring kin-state . As such, Albanians belong nic, cultural, linguistic, and religious iden - significantly by hostility, mistrust, and re - fusion one thing alone is clear. We are wait - to a type of minority group that is very wide - tities of their minorities and to creating con - sentment in both majority-minority and in - ing for Godot to come…” spread across Europe. Its country was cre - ditions in which these identities can be terstate relations. At the same time, the un - ated and shaped by the redrawing of Eu - promoted, including, “appropriate local or precedented involvement of the “Let us not waste our time in idle discourse! rope’s political map following conflicts in autonomous administrations corresponding international community—especially of Eu - Let us do something, while we have the its region—primarily the Balkan wars of the to the specific historic and territorial cir - ropean and transatlantic regional organi - chance! It is not every day that we are early 20 th century, World Wars I and II, and cumstances” of their minorities, wherever zations as well as the United Nations and needed. But at this place, at this moment of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and possible. its sub-organizations—has helped sustain time, all mankind is us, whether we like it or Czechoslovakia as well as the collapse of crucial conversations around minority rights not. Let us make the most of it, before it is Yugoslavia after the Cold War. Albanians’ The approval of the Copenhagen Document and protections. While the commitments too late!” minority status within Montenegro, there - in 1990 was not accidental. After the Eastern made around these issues are often vaguely fore, is not a matter of choice, but one of Bloc collapsed in 1989, minorities’ rights defined, third-party organizations can offer –Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot historical circumstance: inhabiting a con - and protections have become recurring po - a lot of value by mediating talks and helping tiguous homeland, nations were divided be - litical issues in central, eastern, and south - to define accountability in regards to these tween expanding nation-states either in the eastern Europe. Not only did the dissolution commitments. process of direct territorial contests, as a and disintegration of multinational states INTRODUCTION consequence of post-war border changes, lead to the creation of new host-state mi - Despite the fact that the protections of na - or after the disintegration of multinational norities, but also liberalization and democ - tional minorities has been a high-profile It is surprising that some don’t even know states. ratization in these states set the stage for item on the agendas of international organ - about the Albanians in Montenegro, though competition among new or redefined izations, NGOs, and national governments, they have been living in this area since the National minorities living in European host- groups. Group interests were increasingly progress in many cases has been incremen - antiquity. As a matter of fact, the Albanians’ states have been tolerated citizens at best. defined in ethnic terms, and ethnic groups’ tal at best. Albanians in Montenegro, for ancestors, the Illyrians, laid the very foun - But in most cases, they continue to suffer claims to resources and security became in - example, have seen much political change dations of modern Montenegro. the consequences of past and present dis - fluential factors in domestic and interna - in the Western Balkans over the past two crimination. At the same time, it is a widely tional politics across the region. decades but little improvement in their own Montenegro was founded as a state under held belief among academics and policy - group’s situation. They are worse off in cer - its present name during the 15 th century, makers that members of national minorities Confronting these issues, governments have tain aspects than they were during the com - continuing the tradition of the Illyrian state deserve and require specific legal protection had to formulate and implement policies munist regime in former Yugoslavia. Having of Genta or Zenta, later the Roman state of in order for them to express, maintain, and that address a wide variety of minority-re - been subjected to discrimination for almost Dukla. During next three centuries, the Re - develop their own identities without fear of lated issues—from separatist demands to a century in the various incarnations of Yu - public of Venice dominated much of the discrimination or disadvantage: EU accession conditionality—as one part of goslavia, Albanians welcomed the democ - costal area, which became known as Albania creating more fair and open societies. ratization process and hoped it would usher Veneta. Following Ottoman invasion much “Persons belonging to national minorities Against the background of foreign and do - in a new dawn. They expected to work with of today’s Montenegro fell under Ottoman have the right freely to express, preserve mestic policy goals, governments have had Montenegrins and other communities as control, except the costal area, which re - and develop their ethnic, cultural, lin - to strike a balance between the interests of partners in building a new democratic and mained under the Venetian control. With guistic or religious identity and to main - their majority and minority populations. multi-ethnic state, and thus voted over - help from Russia, the central Montenegro tain and develop their culture in all its Often the majority sentiment is more tra - whelmingly for their nation’s independence. (the Slavic speaking area) was able to main - aspects, free of any attempts at assimi - ditional and nationalistic while minorities’ The reality of what has since transpired has tain its quasi-independence during the Ot - lation against their will.” 1 top priorities include equal rights and recog - fallen far short of their expectations; most toman Empire’s reign in the Balkans; its in - nition. Albanians now find themselves disillusioned dependence was formally acknowledged at This fundamental assertion of national mi - about their future. the Congress of Berlin in 1878, which also nority rights was approved by the partici - The former Yugoslavia has seen this type brought about a substantial expansion of pating states of the Conference on Security of interest conflict play out more often than Montenegro’s privatization process and eco - its territory at the expense of Albania. After and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) at the most other regions. Here the debate on how nomic reforms have created significant so - World War I, it was absorbed into the King - 1990 Copenhagen Meeting on the Human best to achieve such a balance of diverse cial dislocations, economic hardship, and dom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which Dimension. Section IV, Article 32, of the and often competing interests has taken corruption, all of which has contributed to later became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in Copenhagen Document that resulted from place in a setting shaped by the character rising tensions between Albanians and Mon - 1929. Montenegro was also later part of var - the meeting details particular rights of mi - and consequences of violent conflicts within tenegrins. These tensions could easily es - ious incarnations of Yugoslavia, until it re - norities such as: and between several states. Moreover, with calate, which could, in turn, spread to other gained its full independence from the fed - the exception of Albania, all the states of nationalities and minority groups, threat - eration of Serbia-Montenegro in June 2006. • The right to speak their ethnic language this Western Balkans region are essentially ening the very existence of Montenegro. A freely in private and in public (including new states. That is, they had to build up or heightened conflict also could seriously Montenegro is a small country with a pop - the right to disseminate, receive, and create their identities as individual states— destabilize this still volatile region, which ulation of approximately 630,000 people. access information in that language); rather than merely redefine themselves— includes Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedo - Montenegrins and Serbs are the predomi - • The right to establish and maintain ed - and obtain legitimacy both domestically and nia, Serbia, and Kosovo. A weak economy nant ethnic groups, together forming about ucational, cultural, and religious insti - internationally. In this context in particular, has exacerbated tensions between the dif - 74 percent of the population. Albanians in tutions and organizations (including questions concerning minority rights have ferent ethnic groups in Montenegro as each Montenegro account for approximately 8 the right to participate in international played a crucial role: they have

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