Greece's president, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, has made very fierce statements against the Cham issue.
He said that Albania must accept the historical truth that the Chams have been collaborators of Nazism."Our neighboring country, Albania, for which we feel friendly, must know that everything goes from respecting the truth and history. So Albania must know that the so-called 'Cham issue' is a problem because they became Nazi collaborators. And as long as it supports this issue it's like supporting those criminals who bloody all over Europe. And to not forget that Albania aims to enter in Europe, is the the building that was created to not live any more with those crimes, those atrocities," Pavlopoulos said.
He said that Albania will not have the support of Greece if it opens the Cham issue.
"We say quite frankly, if you love our friendship and good neighborliness, our support in its European path that is otherwise indispensable must immediately acknowledge the indisputable historical truth of the Nazi war criminal past, and do not mention Cham issue never in the relationship between us. Every time they mention the Cham issue, they touches on our honor. It is not a matter of retaliation. It is a matter of justice," said the Greek President.
Pavlopoulos said the Chams left Greece to escape the justice for crimes against humanity.
"The Chams did not leave as persecuted by Thesprotia, as they claim, but not to be judged as collaborators of Nazism, because they should be tried for committing crimes against humanity," he said.
According to him, the Chams are distorting "historical truth".
"Today they present the events differently. Allegedly they fought against the Nazis and were not their accomplices. It is a provocative distortion of historical truth ... I repeat, any support to this distortion from neighboring Albania influences, even determines the relationship between us," said the Greek president.
Pavlopoulos made these comments in Paramithia in a commemoration event for 49 Greeks, who, according to Greek historiography, were killed by "the Nazis and their Cham Albanians associates".