Renowned Greek newspaper: Erdogan's Balkan ambitions can only be stopped by Albanian nationalism

The biggest Greek newspaper “Kathmerini” says that Albanian nationalism is the only means to prevent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ambition in the Balkans.

Through an editorial titled Albanian “Nationalism is the bastion against Erdogan's ambitions in the Balkans”, Kathimerini writes that Albanians are the only people in the Balkans who can prevent the Turkish president from extending influence in this region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has opened several war fronts in the Middle East and is also threatening the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean. This does not mean that the Balkans is not in his attention. Erdogan's plan is to eradicate from the region any associate fugitive cleric Fetullah Gylen, who are located in schools and other institutions linked to Gylen's movement. Shortly ago, he forced governments to shut down schools and hand over “terrorists”. Only last month, six Turkish citizens were kidnapped in Kosovo by Ankara Intelligence Service agents.

Erdogan, meanwhile, has launched a propaganda campaign to intimidate Albanians, claiming that the gylenists planned coups. The Turkish president's efforts to manipulate ethnic Albanians in the Balkans through religious radicalism appear to have gone too far in the eyes of Albanians. That's because he's hit a sensitive topic, which is nationalism. Their national poet, Pasko Vasa, who has written that Albanian worship is Albanian, is a fact that acts as an obstacle against the neo-Otoman indigation effort. Albanians can welcome Turkish investments or money for mosque construction, but very few want to live under a democracy according to Erdogan's line.

Most of them have eyes toward the West, where they see a future for themselves, and most importantly, for their children. Above all, they think that Islam, especially radical Islam, undermines their national identity. After all, they know from the history books that their ancestors fought to free themselves from Ottoman rule. Several months ago, a hydropower plant was inaugurated near Shkodra, whose construction was launched by Turkey. Local residents destroyed the Turkish amur that was located on the hydro-powered facade. It was a provocation. We fought the Ottomans who had enslaved us for centuries. We cannot wake up in the morning under that amur”, one Tirana television resident said. Erdogan may see himself as leaders of Muslims living in the Balkans, but recently when he visited Macedonia, the leader of the largest Albanian political party, Ali Ahmeti refused to accompany him during stops in villages with Albanian populations and also stopped his ministers from accompanying him“./ Kathimerini/