Working for peace and prosperity is never less, is never too late. The idea of creating a Diplomatic Mission in Albania, which through development promotes peace and prosperity in Balkan and further, is a courageous and challenging idea, as its author himself, Richard Holbrooke, the American Ambassador. That’s because it is not even easy working for peace and prosperity. But the most important thing is the point of view with which are seen the relations between nations all over the world, the relations between peoples.
For example, Israel assures its peace with many difficulties, which means that peace has its own cost. In an interview with the well-known businessman George Soros, the Nobel Prize winner for peace, the Jewish politician, Shimon Peres said that the politics brings war, whereas business brings peace. I have the feeling that Diplomatic Mission Peace and Prosperity as well, has the same scope, the promotion of peace and prosperity also through development and business. Exchanging goods between nations by respecting laws and international conventions brings profit and benefit for all the parties. This profit brings with it positive developments also that can be interpreted as peace and prosperity.
The Balkans is a “hot-head” zone – there’s not a long time ago, since the region has come out from the bloody wars in ex – Yugoslavia. In its problematic story, the Balkans is considered as a powder-keg, exactly due to the low and aggressive level of the politics played in this region, and also from the hot heads, who have determined the political developments here. That’s exactly why this zone needs different concepts. Concepts that bring development and prosperity through peaceful politics and, the solution of problems and misunderstandings through negotiations and not through weapons. This is diplomacy.
There was needed the power of arms to accomplish the dismemberment of Kosova from Serbian invaders but, before the settlement of this conflict was reached, Albanian political leader, Ibrahim Rugova, was promoting peace and intelligibility in front of western world for the problem of Kosova. After that, he was appointed the First President of Kosova after-war and his ideas illuminated the way of Kosova toward independence, where today, the people of Kosova live in peace and entente among different nations which populate the country.
The efforts of Chams as well, to get back what is theirs property from the stolen lands decades ago by Greek nationalist and chauvinist, are peaceful efforts and reasonable requests to respect international laws, agreements and conventions. These are not efforts of war – these are peaceful efforts that aim to bring to the end a great injustice.
But the Greek government, seeing the interests of those Greeks who have taken the lands of Chams decades ago and being afraid from a possible social conflict, refuses to recognize this problem and leaves in an indeterminable abeyance the inalienable rights of Chams, which have been displaced by the use of force from their homes. In this way, the Greek state is defending a historic injustice.
The problem of Chams must be treated seriously, not only by those who support the cause of Chams, but from international structures of human rights as well, especially from diplomats who take care of the resolutions of international conflicts. And even more by the Greek government as well. In this case, Diplomatic Mission Peace and Prosperity has a hot cause to find peaceful ways of resolution through national and international negotiators and notably through the development of diplomacy in action, in the European integration perspectives and developments.
During the Second World War, a German poet, Nazi-soldier, who fell in love with a Jewish girl trying to run away from the Germany of that time, said more or less: “today’s warriors are tomorrow’s business partners…” We will remain in this idea. Today, we are in peaceful conditions, but the diplomacy which promotes peace and prosperity is the challenge of the time for regions that still need justice, peace and progress. And the best Diplomacy is the one which is offered through development, as business partners – diplomacy for peace and prosperity.
Arben Çokaj,
Journalist
Krahu i Shqiponjës 