The distribution of property titles for all inherited houses in cadastral areas with systematic problems, such as Thethi, Vermoshi, Tropoja in the north, and Himara and Saranda in the south, began today.

Prime Minister Edi Rama was today in Himare, from where this long-awaited process for the residents started, with the distribution of 437 property titles. 

In the meeting with the residents of the area, the Prime Minister said that “There is not a single square meter from Llogara to Ksamil that was taken from a legitimate owner or an heir and given to someone else by the state. The idea that Tirana has a plan to dispossess the Himarjots of their properties and make those properties available to the oligarchs is a propaganda abomination that is not based on any real facts.”

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Good afternoon and thank you very much for being here today for an activity that is important for many reasons, but I want to explain a little bit what Vangjeli said, the matter of long procrastination at the time of issuing the certificates for the inherited houses, because it has been much talked about and much abused, evincing this matter as something related simply to Himara, and even this abuse has been very mischievously exploited by those who have no other purpose than to exploit the legitimate concern of residents to advance their very narrow political interests, narrow political interests that have nothing to do with the substance of our relations with our neighbors. 

I want to tell you this, that these concerns are shared between the residents of Theth, the residents of Tropoja, the residents of Kukës, the residents of Malësi e Madhe and the the inhabitants of Himara, down to Saranda. There has never been and there will never be any kind of intention or any kind of hindsight to prevent the solution of this problem.

This issue has to do with the registration of properties after the political system change and since in many areas, the 7501 law has not been accepted and on the other hand, many crimes have been committed with the so-called AMTP, which you know better than me, has prevented even the registration of inherited houses, which were there and are there in the first place. Here, another layer of propagandistic meanness has been added, as if this is done to take the properties from the inhabitants and legitimate heirs of Himara and give them to the so-called oligarchs.

Now you know better than all, because you live here, that there is not a single square meter from Llogora to Ksamil, that has been taken from a legitimate owner, or an heir and given to someone else by the state. But there are definitely serious situations that have developed in the years before we came to government, where a very dirty, criminal game has been played with the AMTPs and where at certain points, individuals connected to the political power have appeared as owners, – you know well how they are and where they are, – putting the heirs before a choice, to agree to sell their property, there is not a square meter here that has not been sold by the owners, but at that time, the sale carried the threat that “if you sell it, you will never enjoy it”. This has been the story before and whoever says that the properties were taken from the Himarjots, the heirs and passed on to someone else without their approval, is telling a very big lie.

This has never happened, while we know a lot and you know better than us, that here, properties are sold by residents, by heirs who may be here, may be abroad, and they are sold at prices that are sometimes double or triple the prices in Corfu, but they are also sold twice, they are sold three times due to the fact that the developers do not have problems when someone else appears after they have made a contract with one and tells him “look, I have it here”, they pay him the third time for the same land, so that we can be very clear and tell things as they are. 

So, the idea that Tirana has a plan to strip the Himarjots of their properties and put those properties at the disposal of the oligarchs, is a propagandistic abomination that is not based on any real facts. Let someone come out and say “they took my property and I didn’t know anything at all”. There is no such thing. And once again, just to be clear, we are talking about formalized properties, attached to residents here. Let’s not confuse these things. I speak facts, not fantasy. The claims are endless here, “I have it, you have it”, among you because of what I said, the lack of registration. These 437 documents, certificates that we have here today, plus some others that are ready, but are not here, and there are 4000 to be done, they were done, through a strong advocacy to the City Prefect whom I have been asking since day one. I told him: You have the number one priority, the granting of certificates for the inherited houses of all Himarjots. Here you have the Prefect and the General Director of the Cadastre to testify what difficulty it is to apply and then to make the application properly because the papers must be done properly.

Thankfully, myself and my late wife never asked for anything again. You know very well where we originate from. Never! Not a square meter. That does not mean I do not know the history, even of our property here, and other properties, and cousins and cousins’ children and cousins’ nephews and cousins’ nieces and all!

What belongs to the state belongs to the state. What is yours is yours, so take responsibility for yourself. Our responsibility is related to what I said before, and the fact that we are doing this process today is not because Himara alone has such a problem. You will see me in a few weeks, I believe at the end of June I will be in Theth. And the same thing there, the houses of the first ones who have not received the certificates yet, but not because of anyone’s fault or any plan to take their houses. It is one of the most visited spots today. Even there the prices increase, even there the hotels are full. So this is a problem that has nothing to do with all the propagandistic fantasy we hear.

Everyone knows where he comes from, everyone knows where his roots are. Everyone knows their own history, but we do not divide the Albanians either in the north, nor in the south. Be very clear about this. Albanians do not eat the carrot or the stick of politics. They are the people with the strongest political instincts. Their instincts have been strengthened because they have dealt with all kinds of situations over the centuries. But, among Albanians, Himarjotes are unique. 

Politics and not local politics, global politics. When I was little and I used to stop at that cafe in Vuno, the elders of Vuno talked about the world and looked like the Security Council, that would make a decision in the end about whatever happened to South Africa. 

That is where I first heard Nelson Mandela’s name, for example, at a cafe in Vunoi.

You know well what the sea holds, both day and night. Nothing escapes you. Do not fall prey to these fools because no one loves Himara more than you who live here or those who have left it for known reasons. There are no others who love it more than you and there are no others who can cry for your plight, as I cry, because I am one of you, whether you like it or not! I am one of you!

Today you will receive the certificates, we will give a part symbolically, the rest, if you have patience, they are all there, one by one, take them. And the one who shouted there, how much do they cost? They cost zero. Zero! All for free, without a single penny. These are your homes. 

Himara needs calmness, it needs development, it needs to rise to its potential, it will climb very high and all of you will benefit from it.

I am telling you something and I want everyone to hear it. Apply to get the property and make the application correctly, we will help you. 4000 certificates of the inherited houses will be issued within this year, and please, the Prefect is the address for any kind of problem you have. For any type of problem, the Prefect has the main task of solving this issue, helping, orienting, communicating.

I thank you all very much and for the 4 thousand houses we will give the certificates within the year, within the autumn even.