Vangjel Dule reacted after the statement of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who said in Athens that the Greek state forced Albanians to change their names in order to admit them to schools or institutions.
Dule said in an interview with journalist Çim Peka that, according to him, Albanians changed their names willingly in Greece by being baptized. According to the head of PBDNJ, this was done because during communism, Albanians were forbidden to have Christian names.
Excerpts from Dules' statement:
He makes this meeting as a demonstration of strength, but also as a seduction. No one would have the slightest skepticism about a Prime Minister who meets immigrants. But this whole meeting was too far. Mr. Rama has been to Greece several times, the opening of the exhibition, lunch with Miçotakis, did he think about the immigrants? No, when he had good relations with the Greek government, he was not interested.
Turned you into a boomerang. Emigration in Greece is organized, we find them in universities, in political parties. When Lord Rama mentions the change of names, he must tell us why he changed his name. Why were there different names? After the year 19607 in Albania there was a list of names that they could choose, in this list there were no names with religious connotation. All these names that they did not have the opportunity to choose, when they went to Greece, were returned through baptism in Christian names.