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COPYRIGHT AND USE OF THIS THESIS This thesis must be used in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Reproduction of material protected by copyright may be an infringement of copyright and copyright owners may be entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. Section 51 (2) of the Copyright Act permits an authorized officer of a university library or archives to provide a copy (by communication or otherwise) of an unpublished thesis kept in the library or archives, to a person who satisfies the authorized officer that he or she requires the reproduction for the purposes of research or study. The Copyright Act grants the creator of a work a number of moral rights, specifically the right of attribution, the right against false attribution and the right of integrity. You may infringe the author’s moral rights if you: - fail to acknowledge the author of this thesis if you quote sections from the work - attribute this thesis to another author - subject this thesis to derogatory treatment which may prejudice the author’s reputation For further information contact the University’s Copyright Service. sydney.edu.au/copyright UNIFICATION WITH ALBANIA – THE NEXT STOP FOR KOSOVO? Blerina Rexha A thesis submitted in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy University of Sydney 2015 I declare that the research presented here is my own original work and has not been submitted to any other institution for the award of a degree. Signed:…………………… Date:……………………… 2 Abstract Very few studies have been conducted on the topic of unification between Kosovo and Albania. This is an important issue in the Balkans as such unification could spark yet another conflict, which Kosovo and Albania’s neighbours believe is imminent. The formation of a ‘Greater Albania’ between Kosovo and Albania not only poses a threat to Serbia, but it could also potentially threaten Kosovo’s future within the European Union. Whilst Kosovo’s declaration of independence has been a major positive step for the Albanian majority of the nation, it has nevertheless resurfaced some of the deep-rooted historical issues which have been prevalent in the territory of centuries. A survey conducted by the Gallup institute in 2010 showed that 64% of inhabitant in Albania and 81% of Kosovo Albanians support a union of the two countries. The survey results however, contradict the official governments of both Kosovo and Albania, who do not openly support unification and unification is not a goal on their official political agendas. This thesis considers the available discourse on the issue of unification between Albanian and Kosovo and discusses the degree to which there is support for a ‘Greater Albania’ amongst Kosovo Albanians. The unification issue is a highly politically controversial concept both internally within Kosovo and outside it, which scholars only recently beginning to take the issue more seriously. Whether or not there is a strong desire by the Kosovo Albanians to merge their newly independent country with the Albanian state would not only have a profound effect on the minorities currently living 3 in Kosovo, but the entire Balkans and Europe. This study aims to shed light on the potential for the emergence of a united Albania in order to learn whether there will be a repeat of the turbulent history that the Balkans has witnessed. Not on terminology: The proper Kosovo Albanian spelling for Kosovo is ‘Kosova’, however the world ‘Kosovo’ will be used throughout this study as it is more commonly used in English-speaking countries. 4 Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ......................................................................................... 7 1.1 Historical background of Kosovo within Serbia .......................................... 13 1.2 Purpose and Research Questions ............................................................. 20 1.3 The history of ‘Greater Albania’ ................................................................. 23 1.4 The birth of ‘Ethnic Albania’ ....................................................................... 31 1.5 The Origins of ‘Greater Serbia’ .................................................................. 32 1.6 The Ahtisaari Plan – A roadblock to ‘Greater Albania’? ............................. 35 Chapter 2: Unification with Kosovo: The Albanian view-point historically and at present ................................................................................................................ 40 2.1 Introduction to chapter ............................................................................... 40 2.2 Albania’s stand-point on unification with Kosovo ....................................... 41 2.3 Analysis of the history of unification with Kosovo in Albania ..................... 46 2.4 Communist Albania’s stance on unification with Kosovo ........................... 49 2.5 Post-Communism – The Albanian political establishment’s view on the issue of unification with Kosovo ....................................................................... 53 Chapter 3: The demand in Kosovo for unification with Albania: 1878 to 1981 .... 64 3.1 Introduction to chapter ............................................................................... 64 3.2 Chapter purpose/research question .......................................................... 65 3.3 The fall of the Ottoman Empire – a call for Albanian unification begins ..... 66 3.4 The League of Peja – The Kosovo Albanians awaken .............................. 76 3.5 The Young Turk Programme – Kosovo Albanian division intensifies ........ 78 3.6 The Kaçak movement and the Kosovo Committee – Kosovo Albanians resistance to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia 1913-1918 ...................................... 83 3.7 The Xhemijet/Bashkimi of 1919 ................................................................. 86 3.8 Kosovo and Albania united during World War II ........................................ 87 Chapter 4: The present situation in Kosovo regarding unification with Albania ... 93 4.1 Introduction to chapter ............................................................................... 93 4.2 Background to Contemporary Debates about Kosovo’s Unification with Albania: Kosovar Albanian Perspectives on Unification in the Lead up to War93 4.3 Kosovo Albanian Perspectives on Unification in the Aftermath of War .... 102 4.4 Serbian views on unification during the declaration of independence ..... 105 4.5 Scholarly and ‘Official’ Views on Unification After the War ...................... 106 4.6 Signs of Support and Non-Support for Unification: Flags ........................ 111 4.7 Case Study on Party Politics ................................................................... 118 5 4.8 Vetevëndosje’s Party Leadership: Interview with Albin Kurti ................... 120 4.9 Other Parties: The Movement for Unification (Levizja per Bashkim, LB) . 123 Chapter 5: Conclusion ...................................................................................... 126 References........................................................................................................ 130 Appendix ........................................................................................................... 143 6 Chapter 1: Introduction ‘…an understanding of the past provides a key to an understanding of the present and the future, and there is certainly nothing in Europe more decisively incomprehensible than the contemporary Balkans.’ - (Elsie 2003, p. 9) Since there are very few studies that have explored the topic of unification between Kosovo and Albania, this thesis aims to shed light on the prospects of Kosovo seeking unification with Albania in the near future. Therefore, although the Kosovo government avoids the topic of Albanian unification, there are movements within the country who advocate a union between Kosovo and Albania. The formation of a ‘Greater Albania’ between Kosovo and Albania threatens not only stability in the Balkans, but it could also potentially threaten Kosovo’s future within the European Union. The Republic of Kosovo is Europe’s youngest nation, declaring independence from Serbia on the 17th of February 2008. Landlocked between Serbia, Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro, Kosovo today consists of an 88% Albanian majority population, 7% Serbian minority, as well as a 5% minority of Turks, Bosnians, Romas and Goranis (UNMIK 2005, p. 9). The Albanians of Kosovo are only one part of the wider ethnic Albanian population of the Balkans, apart from in Albania itself, there are ethnic Albanian inhabitants in the regions of western Macedonia, southern Serbia, Montenegro, and northern Greece. For almost five centuries, the Albanians of these regions lived under Ottoman domination, during which they were denied an Albanian nation or identity. The Ottomans feared that a national awakening of the Albanians 7 would result in the weakening of their Empire as the Albanians were considered to be the main pillars of the Ottoman policy in the Balkans. Following the Ottoman defeat in the Russian-Ottoman war in 1878, The Treaty of San Stefano and the Treaty of Berlin assigned Albanian inhabited lands to neighbouring states, leaving almost half of the Albanians of the Balkans outside the newly formed Albanian state. What have resulted are Albanian populations living in Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and predominantly Kosovo. Presently, Albanians throughout the Balkans share linguistic, cultural and religious similarities,