The Albanians in Yugoslavia from the late 1960s to the early 1980s

The paper focuses on the events after the Brioni plenum of the Central Committee of the LCY in 1966. The turning point for the development of the national relationships in the Yugoslav federation became namely the Brioni plenim. This plenum and its decisions led to a liberalization of the national relationships in Yugoslavia, thus to the outburst of the Albanian problem, which was severely suppressed to this moment. This is the first major victory for the Albanians in Yugoslavia. In this regard, a movement has begun among the Albanian population in the multinational federation with the main goal of achieving full national recognition, including republican status for Kosovo. This new policy towards the minorities in Yugoslavia was introduced after the middle of the 1960s. Its expression became the new constitutional definition of “Yugoslav peoples and ethnoses”, which had to substitute the term “national minorities”. That led to changes into the rights of Albanians in Yugoslavia, and as a result their socio-political activity drastically aroused. The Yugoslav party leadership started again to look for a solution of the Albanian issue. Significant Yugoslav financial aid and investments were directed towards Kosovo, aiming at a closer incorporation of the Albanians in the Yugoslav federation and an interruption of their connection with Albania. After the Brioni Plenum, the Albanian problem in the Yugoslav Federation entered a qualitatively new state. The events in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and the neighboring Republic of Macedonia at the end of 1968 played an important role in the further development of this problem and in the changes in the constitutional, legal and socio-political development of the Yugoslav Federation. So after the demonstrations of the Albanian population in Kosovo and Macedonia at the end of 1968, a “creeping Albanization” started in Kosovo. The Albanian political elite and intelligencia played the most important role in the imposition of the “Albanization” as a political line at the end of the 1960s. Albanians hold all important posts in administration, culture, education and political life of Kosovo. That led to an increasing mistrust between the Albanian population and the Serbian-Montenegrin minority, and the last was forced to leave its homes and to migrate in other republics and regions. The political leadership in Prishtina insisted the autonomous region to get equal rights with the republics as a federal unit. That is how at the beginning of the 1970s Kosovo issue transferred into a problem of the whole Yugoslav federation, not only a Serbian one. The Albanians in Prishtina were involved into the confrontation Zagreb-Belgrade and acquired a support from the Croatian side, as well as the Slovenian one in the efforts to take their problem out of Serbia and to put it on a federal level at the League Communists of Yugoslavia (LCY) and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). The processes in the political life of the autonomous region Kosovo were not isolated and were connected with the events in the Yugoslav federation as a whole, and precisely in Croatia at the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 70s, which culmination was so-called “Zagreb Spring” in 1971. The Croatian crisis had an important influence on the national relationships in the federation and led to an inflammation of the national disputes. That had a direct impact on the political life of Kosovo. Searching for allies against Serbian hegemony and unitarism, which were the main danger for the Croatian republic, Zagreb’s political leadership supported Kosovo pretensions for the extension of the autonomous rights and the freedoms of the Albanians. The amendments to the federal system of Yugoslavia (1968-1971) and the new Yugoslav constitution from 1974 are reflected in Kosovo, which makes the Albanian problem not only a problem of Serbia, but also a common Yugoslav problem.

Spatial planning and flood risk: The case of the Buna River, Shkoder, Albania

<p>In the last years, Albania underwent a rapid development, which resulted in an uncontrolled building boom and general land degradation. For these reasons, an ever-greater portion of the Albanian population is exposed to natural risks, whose major threats are represented by floods and earthquakes. Spatial planning and hydraulic risk management are a worldwide necessity which is best achieved when natural and artificial elements located closely to watercourses are known in detail. A geodatabase is a practical tool to store and manage such information. Land use and land cover changes have negative consequences on watershed management in Buna River Basin. They increase impervious ground surfaces, decrease infiltration rate and increase runoff rate, hence causing flood during the dry seasons. This study was undertaken to achieve the natural and artificial elements connected to hydraulic risk and fluvial dynamics in Buna River. Through a GIS overlay and GPS measurements where mapped elements include buildings, hydraulic works, weirs, drainage outlets, riverbanks, structural damages, fluvial bars and eroding banks. Consequently, a GIS geo database was built to visualize the spatial distribution of the mapped elements and to store a series of technical data, including the present preservation condition for man-made objects. GPS data was integrated in GIS to examine the extent of land use and cover change in the sub catchment of Buna River. Both quantitative and qualitative data were used for this study.  The geo database provides an overview of the territories connected with the fluvial dynamics, highlighting that in the studied territory; the more is urbanized, the more it is exposed to hydraulic risk.</p><p><strong>Key word;</strong> spatial planning, natural hazards, relief drill, Buna river, Shkoder.</p>

Tinnitus Profiling in an Albanian Population (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Characteristics of tinnitus, the perception of sound in the absence of an external acoustic stimulus, can vary from one individual to another. This heterogeneity has been blamed for the lack of success in finding a cure. To our knowledge, no previous study on tinnitus in Albania has been published, although some studies in eastern Europe are available. A study investigating the characteristics of tinnitus in this region would be important, providing the basis for further research on tinnitus in Albania and contributing to a wider understanding of tinnitus heterogeneity across different geographic locations. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to develop an Albania translation of a standardized questionnaire for tinnitus research (the European School for Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Research-Screening Questionnaire - ESIT-SQ) and use it to investigate characteristics of tinnitus in the Albanian population. METHODS Three translators were recruited to create the Albanian ESIT-SQ translation following good practice guidelines for translating questionnaires. This questionnaire was subsequently used to collect data from people attending otolaryngology clinics in Albania. RESULTS Self-report data from 107 people with varying degrees of tinnitus severity were collected using the Albanian ESIT-SQ. Using a Random Forest approach, we found that self-reported hearing difficulty, tinnitus duration, tinnitus pitch, and temporal manifestation of tinnitus were predictive of tinnitus symptom severity (cross-validated accuracy of 0.64, confidence Interval 0.54-0.73). CONCLUSIONS Overall, our study in an Albanian sample demonstrated that the ESIT-SQ can be used to investigate phenotypical characteristics and subgroup distinctions.

World cultural heritage monuments in Kosovo and Metohija: Problems and perspectives of protection

In 2006, the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Committee inscribed four Serbian medieval shrines from Kosovo and Metohija on the World Heritage List, in danger due to difficulties in their preservation and management, as well as the damage they suffered during ethnic conflicts, namely: the Church of Bogorodica Ljeviška in Prizren and the Peć Patriarchate, Dečani and Gračanica monasteries. In accordance with United Nations Resolution 1244, they are currently under the control of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo and Metohija. However, in addition to these monuments, the cultural and demographic identity of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija is illustrated by over 1,500 established cultural assets (monasteries, churches, cemeteries, etc.) that testify to the centuries-old presence of the Serbian people and Orthodox faith in this area and their material and spiritual culture, as works of the overall European cultural heritage created in the intertwining of the influences of Eastern and Western Christianity and culture. The inclusion of these four cultural assets of great importance for Serbia in the international system of protection and monitoring has led to initiating the consideration of a comprehensive and long-term view of cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija at the international level as a key element in establishing better cultural and overall relations between Serbs and the Albanian population. The paper discusses the problems and possibilities of improving the protection and presentation of World Cultural and Natural Heritage in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as the expansion of the list, through the integration of international, national and local protection, and understanding of this area as a specific cultural landscape. Presenting the value of the heritage as a comprehensive cultural landscape which combines natural tangible and intangible aspects, as well as the organization of cultural, educational and other activities, would encourage respect for the diversity, integrity and identity of others, which is an unavoidable condition in the process of European integration currently opposed by ethnic groups.

Macedonia – nowe wyzwania i trudne kompromisy (2016−2019)

Macedonia – New Challenges and Difficult Compromises (2016−2019) After the SDSM (Socijaldemokratski sojuz na Makedonija – Social Democratic Union of Macedonia) took over the government in 2017, the party proposed reforms which, although fundamental for the future of the country, were difficult to accept by the majority of Macedonian society. Nevertheless, SDSM’s policy, approved and monitored by the European Union and the US, was to lead to Macedonia joining NATO and EU structures in the near future. It should also be noted that both the US and the EU are strategic partners of the Republic, which actively support the processes taking place there. Having signed the agreement with Greece, on 17 June 2018 the Republic of Macedonia changed its official name. After the entry into force of the amendments to the Constitution and ratification of the Greek-Macedonian bilateral agreement by both parties, the country adopted the name of the Republic of North Macedonia (mac. Република Серверна Македонија). In February 2019, just after the parliaments of North Macedonia and Greece ratified the Prespa Agreement, the accession process of North Macedonia to NATO began. The condition for accession was the consent of the parliaments of all members of the Alliance for enlargement. Immediately after such approval, on 27 March 2020, the decision on membership was announced in Brussels by its chairman, Jens Stoltenberg. Macedonia’s relations with Bulgaria and Serbia have also changed, and the Albanians have been granted further privileges and rights in this country – in the opinion of the Macedonians it is very difficult to accept and implement. The escalation of nationalist sentiment in the country’s internal relations is important, caused not only by foreign policy but also by concessions to the Albanians. The Law on the Use of Languages, also known as the ‘language law’, criticized not only by the Macedonian scientific elite, but also by the Venice Commission, which sees certain threats to Macedonia in granting such extensive rights to the Albanian population, strengthens the opposition. On 26 March 2020, the EU gave its consent to start accession negotiations with Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia. Negotiations with Bulgaria are ongoing and it will be difficult to find a compromise. The biggest challenge for the government will be to convince the public that it is in the interest of its citizens to make compromises with both Greeks and Albanians and in the future with Bulgarians. In this case, the EU position will be very important, both in relation to the Albanian and Bulgarian demands.

ЗЛОУПОТРЕБА ПРОШЛОСТИ У ПОЛИТИЧКЕ СВРХЕ КРИТИЧКА АНАЛИЗА РАДОВА АЛБАНСКИХ ИСТОРИЧАРА И ЛИНГВИСТА THE ABUSE OF PAST FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF WORKS OF ALBANIAN HISTORIANS AND LINGUISTS

Рад се бави проблематиком дугогодишње активности албанских истраживача да на основу превасходно анализе назива места и личних имена на простору Косова и Метохије, докажу како је албанско становништво већински староседелачко, а да је присуство српског етничког елемента пренаглашено приказивано у српској историографији. The paper examines the long-standing activity of Albanian researchers to prove, based primarily on the analysis of the names of places and personal names in the area of Kosovo and Metohija, that the majority Albanian population are indigenous, and that the presence of the Serbian ethnic element is over-represented in Serbian historiography.

The Distribution of the ABO and Rhesus Blood Groups among the Albanian Population in the Southwest Part of Kosovo (District of Prizren)

ABSTRACT The data present distribution of the ABO and Rh (D) blood groups between inhabitants of southwest Kosovo (District of Prizren). It is shown that frequency of allele O is higher followed by frequency of allele A and B. the frequency of Rh- negative varies from 8 to 21 percent. The present study shows to be similar with results reported in West European Countries.

Burden of non-communicable diseases and behavioral risk factors in Albania

About 85% of the overall burden of disease in Albania is attributable to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases. Furthermore, NCDs account for about 94% of proportional mortality in the Albanian population. The three main risk factors responsible for the disease burden in the Albanian population include arterial hypertension, nutritional-related risks, and smoking. High systolic blood pressure accounts for about one-third of the overall mortality rate in Albania. In turn, dietary risks account for about 30% of the total mortality rate and about 15% of the overall burden of disease in Albania. Conversely, the proportional mortality attributable to smoking is about 16%. Smoking epidemics affects predominantly Albanian males and this trend is likely to increase. The proportion of Albanian females who smoke is still quite small (less than 10%) compared with other countries in the region, but female smoking is considered be steadily increasing. Differences in smoking prevalence amongst males from different socio-economic strata are not significant, whereas among females significant socio-economic differences are noted. Smoking epidemics in the future are expected to demonstrate large socioeconomic differences with lower social classes in both sexes smoking the most. Similar to other countries, actions and measures for tackling NCDs in Albania should include promotion of healthy nutrition; promotion of physical activity; and antismoking policies starting with school age children and have a gender specific component targeting different settings, enhanced by the intensive use of social media.