Lushnya Congress
The Congress of Lushnja ( Albanian Kongresi i Lushnjës ) is one of several national assemblies on the way of Albania to an independent and stable state. This Albanian National Congress with representatives from all over the country took place from January 28 to 31, 1920 in the central Albanian town of Lushnja .
backgrounds
Occupied Albania after the First World War
Despite the end of the First World War , the territory of the modern Albanian state was still occupied by several other countries. In the armistice treaty of November 11, 1918, the maintenance of the status quo was initially agreed for Albania: French , Italian and British troops were stationed in Albania. It was planned to settle the future of the young Albanian state, which de jure was still a principality headed by the German Wilhelm zu Wied , at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 . There was a risk that the Albanian state would be divided between the neighboring countries of Yugoslavia and Greece .
Paris Peace Conference and Regulations on Albania
The Albanians lacked an official delegation that could have represented their interests in Paris . Therefore, on December 25, 1918, 50 delegates from all over the country came together in Durrës for a national congress. The Italians, who occupied the port city of Durrës, tolerated this meeting, the provisional government it had elected and its small delegation for Paris, both of which were led by Turhan Pasha Përmeti . Italy recommended that the government put Albania under an Italian protectorate in order to avoid the country being divided between Yugoslavia and Greece.
Despite official and several unofficial Albanian delegations, it quickly became apparent that hardly anyone would stand up for an Albanian state. The Albanians also had no access to the negotiations, which began on January 18, 1919. Part of the delegation therefore supported Italy, which wanted to make Albania its protectorate. The demands of the Italians, however, also had little prospect of success. As a result, Rome and the Greek government agreed to cede parts of southern Albania to Greece if at least Vlora on the Strait of Otranto with its hinterland would become Italian. The victorious powers agreed to the Greek-Italian agreement on December 9, 1919, although the exact course of the border in the south had yet to be clarified. In the north they wanted to leave the borders unchanged. But Yugoslavia should be allowed to build a railway to the Adriatic Sea .
decisions
Voices were raised in Albania who wanted to do something against this division of the country, while this was somehow possible. As the (provisional) government in Durrës was not trusted, a national assembly was convened in Lushnja. The central location was suitable because it was on fairly neutral ground and the risk of foreign troops intervening was low. At the end of January 1920, 50 representatives from all parts of the country gathered, including local rulers such as tribal princes and large landowners as well as envoys from the big cities. The congress met in the house of Kaso Fuga , which was equipped with benches from the nearby school.
The Congress spoke out vehemently for the integrity of the territory of the Albanian state. He ousted the government in Durrës and made Tirana the new capital . The small town with around 17,000 inhabitants and so far rather insignificant had similar advantages as Lushnja: central, but outside the sphere of influence of important Albanian politicians and the occupying powers, but a little larger than the market town of Lushnja, which is located on a bogus plain. Also, it was not in either of the two dialect zones of Gegish and Tuscan , but was in the transition zone. In addition, Tirana was not far from the port of Durrës .
On the second day they agreed on a provisional constitution , the Statute of Lushnja . This provided for a high council (Këshilli i Lartë) and a national council (Këshilli Kombëtar) . The high council had to designate a government which was to be confirmed by the national council. In the event of disagreement between the High Council and the National Council, a national congress was planned. The high council was composed of representatives of the four religions of the country : the Catholic Bishop Luigj Bumçi , the Bektaschi Aqif Pascha Elbasani , the Orthodox Mihal Turtulli and the Sunni Abdi Toptani , who should also serve as head of state, were elected. The National Council consisted of 37 people.
The new government was headed by Sulejman Bej Delvina . One of the ministers was soon to stand out in particular: the young interior minister Ahmet Zogu quickly became one of the country's most influential politicians and later even became king of Albania .
Effects
The Lushnja Congress took place at exactly the right time, so that the Albanian state - taking advantage of a power vacuum or the temporary lack of interest of the occupying powers, which probably had enough other problems after the end of the war - could be steered onto the path of independence. In contrast to many predecessors and successors, the government achieved in a very short time to be recognized and supported by almost the entire population of the country. In this way, the Albanian state was able to consolidate quickly and also gain foreign recognition. The French withdrew from Shkodra and Korça in the first half of 1920 , with the two cities subordinating themselves to Tirana. An amicable agreement was also found with Greece. The weakened and unmotivated Italian troops began to withdraw from Vlora , despite their large majority , after Albanian militants had some successes. Even border conflicts with Yugoslavia were settled after negotiations and under pressure from the great powers. On December 17, 1920 Albania was admitted to the League of Nations , whereby the regulation of the borders was expressly reserved. In November 1921, a conference of ambassadors in London confirmed the borders under the 1913 regulation.
To call the Lushnja Congress the birth of the Albanian state is beyond its significance. On the other hand, without Lushnja, the modern Albanian state would not exist today in this form and within these limits: the Congress saved the Principality of Albania and formed an independent state from it , which - only interrupted by the occupations in World War II - has survived to this day.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Miranda Vickers: Shqiptarët - Një histori modern . Bota Shqiptare, 2008, ISBN 978-99956-11-68-2 , Kongresi i Lushnjës, p. 153 (English: The Albanians - A Modern History . Translated by Xhevdet Shehu).