Abstract: Based on relevant historiographic literature and unpublished archival documents the paper examines the scope of emigration of ethnic Albanians to Turkey during the 1950s and if the process was voluntary or not. Various factors contributing to desire to emigrate are also examined.

Keywords: Ethnic Albanians, Turks, Turkey, Muslims, Macedonia, emigration

Summary

Emigration of Muslims from the Balkans was a phenomenon of long duration. After WWII it was first other minorities who emigrated. The Muslims started emigrating to Turkey after a “gentlemen’s agreement” of 1953 between Tito and Turkish Foreign Minister Fuat Köprülü. The agreement foresaw emigration of ethnic Turks from Macedonia, but other Muslims tended to join them. Because of that the Yugoslav authorities strove to limit emigration only to Turkish-inhabited parts of Macedonia. This failed because Muslims came to Macedonia from other parts of the country in order to emigrate. Among these emigrants there was a certain number of Kosovo Albanians. Like the Turks, they emigrated for religious, economic and social reasons. However, until late 1957 emigration from Kosovo was prohibited and very soon the emigration waned due to internal Turkish reasons. The article shows that the Yugoslav authorities in no way supported Albanian emigration, but rather that they tried to stop it.