By: Eugen Shehu. Image enhanced and article translated by Petrit Latifi
At a time when the Albanian-inhabited part of Macedonia had been liberated and united with the motherland, plans were being hatched in other areas—involving Serbia and Bulgaria—for the ethnic cleansing of Albanians. It is important to note that, at that time, “Macedonia” was merely a geographical term.
I have based the primary archival material for my book, Maqedonia Shqiptare (Albanian Macedonia, Tirana, 2002), on these documents. I am making the document from the Italian archives available to other researchers.
Transcribed by Petrit Latifi
“MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
TELESPRESSO No. 10
Royal Embassies: Berlin – Ankara
Royal Lieutenancy Gen: Tirana
Vice-Consulate: Zagreb
Royal Representation with the Government: [El]l[en]ic – Athens
Urgent — Bulgaria — Macedonia
3 December 1941, Year XX
The Royal Legation in Sofia has communicated, dated 24 November, the following:
“I have the honor of transmitting a report from the [unclear] in Skopje concerning the Muslims in Macedonia:
“I have the honor to report, for whatever purpose it may serve, that a person who is very well informed has stated to me that he knows for certain that the Bulgarian and Turkish governments have concluded an agreement for the transfer to Turkey, after the end of the conflict, of the Muslims of Macedonia; it is also for this reason that the Bulgarian authorities would now be making efforts to pass off almost all of the said Muslims as Turks, whereas, as is known, they are for the most part Albanians.
“According to the same source, the public notaries of Macedonia are said to have received orders to obstruct, through such procedural maneuvers, purchases and sales of real estate by Muslims, in such a way as to leave them only with property based on [unclear wording] non-Bulgarian [deeds/claims], which would subsequently, at the time of their departure for Turkey, be contested.
The Minister”.
Source
(Italian archives, 1941). Ministero degli Affari Esteri, “Telespresso n. 10,” December 3, 1941, report concerning Muslims in Macedonia, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Archives.
