Macedonian Human Rights Movement International
Resolution and Declaration for Promotion of the National Minority Status and Rights in the Republic of Albania

ACCORDING to the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal declaration for human rights, the European convention for protection of human rights and elementary freedom, the International convention for elimination of all forms of racial discrimination, the Convention for children's rights, the Final Helsinki document, the document from the Copenhagen meeting of the Conference for human dimension of the Conference of security and cooperation in Europe, the Paris charter for new Europe and the European convention for national minorities, and HAVING IN MIND that 30% of the total population in the Republic of Albania are national minorities, The representatives of the national minorities in the Republic of Albania - Greeks, Macedonians, Wallachians, Serbo-Montenegrins, Egyptians and Romany, at the Conference of national minorities in the Republic of Albania held on 17, 18, and 19 June 2002 in hotel Bellevue in Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia, organized by the Center of Ethnical Studies from Tirana, established the following:

RESOLUTION for promotion of the national minority status and rights in the Republic of Albania

(1) The representatives of the national minorities in the Republic of Albania (hereinafter referred to as: Signatories) respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Balkan states and the inviolability of the borders between them. The signatories support the declaration of the Balkan states for not having mutual territorial claims towards the neighboring countries.

(2) The signatories will encourage development of mutual friendly and good neighbor relations and will strengthen the economic cooperation between the Balkan countries in all spheres.

(3) The signatories agree that the Republic of Albania should be raised as multiethnic, multicultural and multi-confessional society, with equality of the citizens before the Constitution and the laws, irrespective of their opinion, ethnic origin, religious beliefs, political denomination and property and social status.

(4) The signatories request amendments and supplements in the Constitution of the Republic of Albania, which will guarantee the following rights and freedoms.

(4.1) In the Preamble of the Constitution of the Republic of Albania, together with the Albanian people to name all ethnic minorities living in Albania - Egyptians, Greeks, Macedonians, Serbo-Montenegrins, Romany and Wallachians.

(4.2) Respective and fair representation of the citizens belonging to all communities (the Albanian people and the national minorities) in the government bodies and other public institutions at all levels.

(4.3) On the entire territory of the Republic of Albania and in its international relations the official language is the Albanian language and its Latin alphabet.

(4.4) In the local self-management units the language and alphabet used by at least 20% of the citizens is an official language, besides the Albanian language and is the Latin alphabet. Decision for the use of languages and alphabets spoken by less than 20% of the citizens in the local self-management units, is made by the bodies of the local self-management units.

(4.5) The ethnic minority members receive their identity papers in two languages, the official Albanian language and the language of their ethnic minority.

(4.6) The community members have a right to express, foster and develop freely their identity and the characteristics of their communities and to use the symbols of their community. The Republic guarantees protection of the ethnic, lingual, cultural and religious identity of all communities. The community members have a right to teaching in their own language in the elementary, secondary and university education. At schools and faculties with education on some other language, the Albanian language is also taught.

(4.7) The communities in the Republic of Albania have at least two members of parliament in the Parliament of the Republic of Albania elected directly by the community members on the proportional lists.

(4.8) Concerning the laws directly referring to culture, use of languages, education, identity papers and use of symbols, the Parliament of the Republic of Albania decides also by majority votes from the present members of parliament belonging to the communities who are not majority in the Republic of Albania. The Committee solves any dispute concerning application of this provision for community relations formed by the Parliament of the Republic of Albania.

(4.9) In any case, if more than 20% of the population in the local units, municipalities belong to the same community, the native ethnic language is used officially together with the Albanian language. The state takes measures for this and guarantees that right to the community.

(4.10) The Parliament of the Republic of Albania elects the public attorney by majority votes of the total number of members of parliament, but there must be majority votes of the total number of members of parliament who belong to the communities, which are not majority in the Republic of Albania.

(4.11) The Parliament of the Republic of Albania forms a state Committee for relations between the communities and elects its members. The Committee considers the issues about community relations in the Republic and gives opinions and suggestions for their solving. The Parliament is obliged to consider the opinions and suggestions of the Committee and to make suitable decisions. A special law proposed and prepared by the ethnic minority communities and passed by the Parliament forms the work of the state Committee for community relations.

(5) The signatories agree that the citizens can freely express their ethnic origin and denomination. In this sense, the signatories respect the ethnic, lingual, cultural, religious, historical and state identity, continuity, heritage and space of the Greeks, Macedonians, Wallachians, Serbo-Montenegrins, Egyptians and Romany - citizens of the Republic of Albania and announce that they will not disturb and discriminate their identity and characteristics, verbally or actually.

The signatories respect the ethnic, lingual, cultural, religious, historical and state identity, continuity, heritage and space of the Albanian people and announce that they will not disturb and discriminate their identity and characteristics, verbally or actually.

(6) The signatories consider that adoption of the amendments and supplements in the legislature of the Republic of Albania and implementation of the items of this Resolution:

(6.1) Will raise the integration level of citizens in the society

(6.2) Will establish and strengthen the law control

(6.3) Will provide peace and common life, social justice, economic welfare and progress of individual and common life.

(6.4) Will increase mutual trust between the Greeks, Macedonians, Wallachians, Serbo-Montenegrins, Egyptians and Romany with the Albanian people and will promote the national minority status and rights, and

(6.5) Will increase the parliamentary democracy level and the respect of human and civil rights and freedoms.

(6.6) Will raise the spirit of understanding and cooperation between the neighbor states where these minorities come from.

(7) The signatories request from the government institutions to respect and to guarantee freedom of speech, public appearance, public information and free establishment of public information institutions.

(8) The signatories request respecting freedom of movement, right to joining and right to public peaceful meeting and they condemn each kind of violation used to attain political and other aims.

(9) The signatories request two members of the national minorities into the Council of the national Albanian radio-television.

(10) The signatories request organizing of extraordinary census by the end of 2003 with international monitoring in all phases of the census, possibility of free expression according to ethnic and religious denomination and publishing the census data in the Republic of Albania.

(11) The signatories expect concrete support and engagement by the Parliament, the President, the Government and the Albanian society and have faith that the Europe structures: the European Union, OSCE, the Council of Europe and the United Nations will have good understanding for implementation of the items of this Resolution and attaining Euro-Atlantic standards for the national minority rights.

(12) This Resolution comes into force when signed by authorized representatives of the signatories.

(13) This Resolution will be sent to: the President, the president of the Parliament and the Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Albania, the diplomatic choir and the representative offices of international organizations in the Republic of Albania, the media and a copy to each of the signatories of the Resolution.

Signatories

For the community of the Egyptians ...................... Behar Sadiku
For the community of the Greeks .......................... Vangel Dule
For the community of the Macedonians ............... Cvetan Mazniku
For the community of Serbo-Montenegrins .......... Milan Brajovic
For the community of the Romany ......................... Skender Veliu
For the community of the Wallachians .................. Kristo Gochi
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We, the representatives of the Egyptians, Greeks, Macedonians, Serbo-Montenegrins, Romany and Wallachians - citizens of the Republic of Albania, participants at the Conference for minority rights in the Republic of Albania, held on 17, 18 and 19 June 2002 in Ohrid, established the following:

DECLARATION

We greet the holding of the First Conference for minority rights in the Republic of Albania on 17, 18 and 19 June 2002 in Ohrid, the Republic of Macedonia.

We estimate that holding the Conference for minority rights in the Republic of Albania is an acceptable method of work, for exchanging opinions, for coordination and agreement between the representatives of the national minorities as well as for common attitude for the issue of promoting the status and the rights of the national minorities within the government institutions in the Republic of Albania and before the international organizations.

We accept holding of further conferences for minority rights in the Republic of Albania, in Albania and its neighboring states, and the invitation for a host state is opened for all national minorities.

We agree with the Resolution for promoting the status and rights of the national minorities in the Republic of Albania and we greet its superstructure acceptable by all, as a common platform for promoting the status and the rights of the national minorities in the Republic of Albania.

We express our gratitude to the Center of ethnical studies from Tirana for organizing the holding of the Conference of minority rights in the Republic of Albania and we declare that we keep the right to use further its services of good will. We express our gratitude to the Wallachians in the Republic of Macedonia and the World Macedonian Congress for their sponsorship in holding the Conference of minority rights in the Republic of Albania.

We agree with coordination between the organizations of national minorities in the Republic of Albania in implementation and superimposition of the Resolution for promoting the status and rights of the national minorities in the Republic of Albania.