Abstract: This paper is a critical response to the views expressed by Dr. Zoran Janjetović, who argues that the emigration of Kosovo Albanians, along with other Muslim populations from Yugoslavia to Turkey after World War II, was voluntary. Contrary to his thesis, I argue that the emigration of these groups, including Albanians from Kosovo, was politically driven rather than a voluntary act, despite how it might initially seem. The proposed argument is substantiated by the ultimate outcomes of this process, which unfolded as a result of covert activities by high-ranking officials of the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia.

Keywords: Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Turkey, Turks, Albanians, Muslim population, emigration

Summary

Dr. Janjetović's assertion that the emigration of Kosovo Albanians to Turkey in the 1950s was voluntary, based exclusively on documents from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the State Security Administration (UDB-a), lacks scientific rigor and overlooks significant archival materials from other countries that address the same issue. My critique is supported by the following points: First, a serious researcher should approach the content of archival documents—such as those examined by Mr. Janjetović—or any other sources with caution and critical scrutiny. Second, conclusions about historical events require more than a narrow reliance on archival records. Such events must be analyzed within a broader historical and socio-political context. For instance, the cleansing of Muslim populations from the Balkans cannot be divorced from the wider historical trend of expelling Muslim populations from Europe, a process that began with the removal of Arab Muslims and Jews from the Iberian Peninsula in the late 15th century.