For months, Himara has been the center of many harsh comments between Albania and Greece.
Albania’s urban regulation plan for the coastal town with a large Greek minority was considered by Greece as a violation of property rights.
Tensions were on the rise when the plan passed at the National Council of Territory Regulation, but negotiations that Greece and Albania held behind closed doors made it possible for Athens almost to support the Albanian government on the day when they started demolishing some of the buildings.
Himara citizens protested with Greek flags in their town and Athens as well, but without support from Athens, which said that the buildings that were demolished had no property titles.
The Greek opposition sent their concerns about Himara in Brussels, and the Albanian opposition gave support to the Himara protesters, turning it into an important parliamentary discussion.
The Court of Vlore suspended the demolitions until further notice, and the bulldozers haven’t moved, waiting for the next order.
23 buildings will be demolished in total for the project to take place, eight of which are already turned to rubble.
However, despite the Courts suspension, the Himara citizens don’t own property titles of the buildings they constructed without permission.
One of them is Thoma Neranxi, a 93-year-old, who refuses to take compensation money about the building, and insists that he wants to keep his property.
The area where the government will build a promenade has many buildings that have not been registered. Most of the owners have only what they had before the fall of the communist regime, but they have not registered additional constructions.
Minister Gjiknuri promised that they would open a special office for property registration in Himara, while the compensation fund mounts up to 1 million EUR.
Institutions in Vlore are helping many residents to complete the legalization documents the soonest possible, for a proper expropriation, but many other residents encourage protests.
The Mayor of Himara, Jorgo Goro, says that although the project is for the citizens’ interest, political interferences have escalated the situation.
The promenade costs 3.5 million EUR and will be completed within 12 month, but for the head of the OMONIA association, which represents the Greek Minority, the expectancies are far from what is happening.
Residents, same as the government, are now waiting for a decision from the Court of appeal, which will be decisive for the situation.
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