Post by rex362 on Dec 8, 2015 14:06:40 GMT -5
Stipe Mesic: I have a soft spot for Albanians
If he were not a Croatian, his other natural motherland would be Albania. It does not take much to understand Croatia's second President, Stipe Mesic soft spot for Albania.
It takes only a glimpse in his office to see Tirana's Tower clock, Honorary Citizen of Shengjin and a medal from Kosovo, standing on his working table, under the shadow of tens of other titles gathered throughout his career.
He links his admiration for the Albanian people to his days in a Yugoslav jail, where he shared his cell and his food with other Albanians, their contribution for the independence of Croatia, current bilateral relation, and the role of Albanian and Croatia for the future of the Balkans.
Mister Mesic, you are known for your excellent relations with Albanians. Where does it come from?
Mesic: When I was in jail in former Yugoslavia, I used to share the cell with 35 other, among them 5 Albanians. I shared the same space, same food... same toilet. That's how we became good friends. That was my first contact with Albanians. First of all, I am the kind of person who always knew the reality, and it became more apparent to everybody that the world has never been generous to the Albanian people, especially those living outside its borders. In the Serb-Croatian-Slovene Kingdom, Albanians had no rights whatsoever. They had no rights in their nationality, language, culture. In Tito's Yugoslavia, they were given the right to their culture, language and nationality, but regardless of their number, which was higher than other nationalities such as Slovenians or Montenegrins, they were not equal, and they were not given the status of a Republic. Since then, I always defended the idea that the Albanians should be treated as any other nation within Yugoslavia.
read more :
www.gazetaexpress.com/en/interviews/stipe-mesic-i-have-a-soft-spot-for-albanians-88492/?archive=1