ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the particulars surrounding the emergence and evolution of the Albanian state, and identifies both historical and issues associated with the Kosovo and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Albanians, as well as the Greek minority in Albania. The thaw in the East-West confrontation, coupled with the breakup of Yugoslavia and the downfall of the isolationist regime in Albania, brought the issues of the Kosovo and FYROM Albanians to the forefront. The issue of FYROM Albanians is perhaps a bit less emotional than Kosovo, but equally complex and important. Albanian historian Paskal Milo writes that after the collapse of the communist dictatorship in Albania a large space was created for the expression and activity of Albanian nationalism and for the defense of the national rights of the Albanians in the neighbouring countries. The epicenter of conflicting nationalisms, the area is considered the citadel of Serbian Orthodoxy and national consciousness, and the birth place of Albanian nationalism and statehood.
