Tiranapakt
Two treaties ( Albanian Paktet e Tiranës ) between Italy and Albania , which were signed in the Albanian capital Tirana in 1926 and 1927, are referred to as Tiranapakt . The two agreements increased Albania's foreign and financial dependency on Italy to such an extent that the government of the Balkan state could hardly make a significant decision without Mussolini's consent .
prehistory
After Ahmet Zogu had seized power in Albania with Yugoslav help in January 1925 , he sought to limit Belgrade's influence. At the same time, he urgently needed donors in order to invest in the country and to be able to cover his state spending, not least to stabilize his rule. Fascist Italy offered itself as the only partner - other great powers showed no interest and did not want to anger the Italians. Mussolini pursued expansive interests in the Balkans, and Albania now had the opportunity to exert direct influence.
Since May 1925, the two countries signed a series of treaties that tied Tirana closely to Rome. First, Italian companies were given the exclusive right to mine in Albania. Then the Albanian parliament approved the establishment of an Albanian central bank with Italian capital. The institute's headquarters were in Rome; there, Italian bankers decided on the Albanian currency policy . Italian shipping companies obtained the monopoly for passenger transport to and from Albania.
At the end of 1925, an Italian-dominated society for the economic development of Albania was founded. This company lent money to the Albanian government for projects in road construction, agriculture and various public works such as B. the construction of the government building in Tirana. Even the palace of Zogus was financed by this company when he became king in 1928. The interest on the loans was extremely high. Because the poor Albania was not creditworthy and could not raise capital elsewhere, its government was completely dependent on the development company. It was completely illusory that Albania would be able to service the loans or even be able to repay them. That is why the Italians converted them into grants, as was probably planned from the beginning, but the Albanian government had to buy this with further political concessions. The expansion of Italian power in Albania was then enshrined in the two Tirana Pacts.
Above all, the Italians wanted to influence the Albanian police and the military . Zogu had initially resisted, as requested by Italy, to allow military advisers into the country. But when he came under pressure from an uprising in northern Albania, he gave in.
First Tirana Pact
The five-year friendship and security pact was signed on November 27, 1926. Among other things, it was agreed that neither party should conclude unauthorized contracts with third countries if this would run counter to the interests of the partner. In doing so, he was potentially directed against the SHS state . In reality, however, this provision only bound the Albanian side. Albania has also been granted new Italian loans and assistance in arming and training the police. Domestically, Zogu was strengthened by the pact because he could continue to fall back on the Italian financial aid and because the police apparatus that he needed to suppress his political opponents was strengthened.
Second Tirana Pact
After renewed tensions in Yugoslav-Albanian relations in the summer of 1927, the Albanian government concluded a defensive alliance with Italy on November 22, 1927, which went down in history as the 2nd Tirana Pact. The alliance was concluded for a period of 20 years. The treaty contained not only military but also - like the 1st Tirana Pact - economic provisions. Albania received loans and, among other things, ceded the rights to oil production to the Italians. Rome received further influence over the Albanian army and the Italian navy was granted access to the ports of Vlora and Durazzo . Agreement was reached on the construction of some strategically important roads, and Albania now suffered Italian influence even in education.
Effects
With the conclusion of the 2nd Tirana Pact at the latest, Albania had de facto become an Italian protectorate . Neither foreign nor domestic policy, Zogu was in a position to do anything that the Italians did not like. In 1934 the attempt to loosen the one-sided dependency by concluding trade agreements with Greece and Yugoslavia failed. Italy suspended its financial aid until Zogu suspended the contracts. As early as 1932 and 1933, the government was unable to meet its payment obligations to the Society for the Economic Development of Albania . Instead, it had to make further concessions: Italy gained control of telegraph connections and a monopoly in the electrical energy sector. Ultimately, Italian colonists were to be allowed into the country - but there was hardly anyone who wanted to settle in Albania permanently.
The two Tirana Pacts initiated a development that ended with the Italian annexation in April 1939. In the end, this act was only a formality, because long before that Albania was in fact no longer a sovereign state.
literature
- Schmidt-Neke, Michael: Development and expansion of the royal dictatorship in Albania (1912–1939). (= Southeast European works. 84) Munich 1987.
- Giovanni Zamboni: Mussolini's Policy of Expansion in the Balkans. Italy's Albania policy from the 1st to the 2nd Tirana Pact in the context of the Italian-Yugoslav conflict of interests and the Italian "imperial" aspirations in Southeast Europe. Hamburg 1970.