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| Mustafa Uğur Gonulal |
Another wave of emigration was in the '900s where a good part of Albanians emigrated to Turkey while the country was under Ottoman vassalship. Many of them still today and generation after generation have not forgotten their roots, the language, or traditions and there are those who want and obtain Albanian citizenship, but have an obstacle: There are no archival documents before 1930, as a birth certificate.
Mustafa Uğur Gonulal from Malatya, Turkey, is one of them, whose family is originally from Gruda, Shkodër with the surname Ivziku, and who, in order not to lose his roots, has applied for Albanian citizenship.
Mustafa tells Tirananews the story of his family's emigration. “My paternal grandmother Hanife (Ivziku) Gönülal was born in 1919 in the village of Grudë, Shkodra Province, Albania. They were engaged in wine production and livestock in the center of Shkodra and in the village of Grudë. Together with her father Rrustem, mother Fatma and brothers Hajrullah and Emrullah, they first migrated to Şarköy district of Tekirdağ province after crossing the border and becoming citizens. When they emigrated, they had their passports from the time of the Kingdom of Albania and the necessary documents for emigration. When he became a citizen of Turkey, all documents were handed over to the authorities. Turkish citizenship documents were then issued. Her father started working for the State Railways of the Republic of Turkey, and then, after being appointed, they emigrated to Malatya after working for a short time in Diyarbakir. As a result of the state housing policy, he was given a house and a plot of land. "My grandmother also went to the school of midwifery and nursing, which provided education at the time, and worked as a nurse and midwife in health centers and maternity for a while," Mustafa says.
But how many Albanians are in Turkey today? Mustafa says that this data can be found in the Ottoman archive located in Istanbul and the Republican one in Ankara. Ten years ago he started looking for his relatives in Albania, with whom he continues to maintain contacts today.
Regarding the obstacles he has encountered in gaining citizenship, Mustafa says that he does not have birth certificates before the 1930s, the Civil Registry itself has them after this year and back.
"The birth certificate, which is one of the documents required for the application for citizenship of the Republic of Albania, can not be found in the Albanian archives. The first reason for this is that most of the emigrants from Albania to Turkey were before 1930. In some municipalities and in the General Directorate of Civil Status there are no data before 1930. If the people whose ancestors were born / citizens of Albania can not get this document in the archives, applicants are not responsible for this. Birth certificates or supporting documents obtained from the countries where they emigrated should be considered equivalent to documents that can not be found in the archives in Albania. A solution to the archive problem must be found. An alternative must be produced for the birth certificate. "I want all the authorities and MPs to hear our voices on this issue," he told.
According to the Albanian law, "Application for Albanian citizenship with recognition", which has to do with persons of Albanian origin, along with other documents is required and what proves that he is an Albanian descendant up to three degrees. "Supporting documentation proving that he is a direct descendant of an Albanian citizen (up to three degrees) and that the firstborn and the applicant have not renounced the possession of Albanian citizenship", it is stated in the instruction to apply for citizenship.
Mustafa tells us that he has not contacted the Albanian authorities, except that he has raised his voice on social networks. Mustafa tells that he does not know the exact number but six people have applied with him for Albanian citizenship. "There may be many people who want to apply, but applicants may experience difficulties due to conditions such as the new citizenship law In Albania, the inability to extract documents from the archive, the need to apply in person to the local police in accordance with the new law. "Many people can not go and apply or continue their application due to the situation of going to Albania and applying in person," he says.
Mustafa and many other Albanians in Turkey are already waiting for a reaction and a solution from the Albanian authorities, as they never want to forget where the traditions come from, as Mustafa himself says.
"In terms of language, traditions, and customs, especially the Albanians living around Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara have been able to preserve because of their crowded and collective life. But unfortunately, many Albanians who have settled in Eastern Anatolia, Southeastern Anatolia, and the Black Sea region have not been able to preserve their language, traditions and customs over time. Most Albanians, on the other hand, never forget their homeland. They always remember with longing and love. Everyone says: “I am proud to be Albanian. "Albania is my mother," said the young man of Albanian origin.