
By Ekrem Spahiu
The figure of the great Albanian statesman, Ahmet Zogu, shines more and more. The researcher Tanush Frashëri has brought new facts in his work "Italo-Albanian Relations 1910-1939", which, in terms of the archival wealth it brings and the analyzes and evaluations it makes, surely belongs to the unique works both for the subject and for the time to which it is addressed.
By evoking these values and contributions, the very topic that Mr. Frashëri has chosen to research, brings us back a geopolitical assessment that is universally acceptable: Albania's interest in Italy and reciprocally, Italy's interest in Albania, which have been, are and will remain strategic level. Italy, unlike other large and medium-sized powers interested in Albania, is the only power directly neighboring it geographically.
In this context, the author brings us a significant reference from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy at the beginning of the 20th century, Tommaso Tittoni: "The true value of Albania lies in its ports and coast. Their possession either by Italy or Austria-Hungary means superiority in the Adriatic. This Italy would never allow to Austria-Hungary, just as the opposite, Austria-Hungary would never allow to Italy".
Geography has connected Albania with Italy with a strategic security interest. And the real Albanian statesmen of every era could not but consider this interest carefully.
In this context, the relations of the Albanian Kingdom with Italy constitute a chapter that is as complicated as it is intriguing, for which the author enlightens us impartially, through authentic documents.
The author has formulated a fundamental conclusion when he evaluates "King Zog's efforts to break Albania from Italy's suffocating embrace". So, it has separated the equal Italian-Albanian partnership on which the relations between the two countries should be based, from the humiliating aim of fascism.
For this, he brings a lot of archival data and judgments on capital issues of relations between the two countries. Thus, for example, the renewal in 1930 of the 1926 Pact of Friendship and Sobriety.
The Italian side had thought this renewal easy because it prejudiced King Zog as a statesman who "gives in to an Italian pressure against his will or his own interests". Within this bias, the Italian side had thought that the financial threat could be used as pressure to accept the renewal of the Pact and that "the policy of tightening the screws, cutting off aid, that is, suspending the payment of the loan installment... would be leverage of Archimedes who would break the King".
Mbreti Zog pati edhe presione të tjera nga të vetët por, sikurse ka hulumtuar autori, “këto lajme nuk arritën ta tundnin nga qëndrimi i tij i pakthyeshëm”, përkatësisht nga pranimi vetëm i ndryshimeve që e trajtonin Shqipërinë të barabartë në identitet me Italinë, jo vasale të saj.
Autori sjell material të bollshëm arkivor që vërteton se pala italiane ushtroi presion të fortë për bashkim doganor, të cilin Roma përpiqej ta bënte dinakërisht dhe ta paraqiste si nismë të Shqipërisë. Sigurisht që Shqipëria gjithnjë ka patur e do të ketë nevojë për një qarkullim të dëndur mallrash me Italinë. Por evidentohet qartazi se vetë Mbreti këmbëngulte që “qeveria shqiptare dëshiron që ujdia e re të jetë e tillë që të ketë disa rrugëdalje për prodhimet e vendit” dhe se vetëm mbi këto kushte “nuk përjashtohet mundësia e formës së bashkimit doganor”.
Për vetë orintimin e tij gjithëperëndimor, por edhe i ndodhur përpara një presioni të tillë, Ahmet Zogu thirri ekspertizën më të mirë juridike, ekonomike, ushtarake dhe diplomatike të shteteve perëndimore.
Statuti Themeltar, Kodi Civil, Kodi Tregtar, Kodi Penal, Kodi i Procedurës Civile etj, të hartuara nën këtë ekspertizë, shënuan shkëputjen e plotë nga legjislacioni i periudhës osmane dhe e orientuan zhvillimin e Shqipërisë për nga potencialet e veta shtet-ndërtuese.
Në libër gjejmë afirmimin e bollshëm të konceptit të Mbretit Zog për organizimin, përhapjen, arsimimin dhe stërvitjen e ushtrisë. Ai ishte veçanërisht i ndjeshëm ndaj fizionomisë kombëtare të ushtrisë dhe xhandarmërisë.
Nuk mohohet që ushtria kombëtare shqiptare e Mbretërisë gëzoi një mbështetje te Italia për arsimimin e ushtarakëve shqiptarë. Por Mbreti krijoi një kuadër institucional që koncepti i sigurisë dhe mbrojtjes të bazohej në ekspertizën më të mirë nga çdo vend perëndimor. Në ilustrim të këtij koncepti, autori na sjell të dhëna se Mbretëria kishte kërkuar nga qeveria angleze oficerë të lartë të shtatmadhorisë.
Po kështu, u sigurua ekspertizë lidershipi nga Austria, ku spikat përzgjedhja e gjeneral Gustav Mirdaç, në pozicionin më të lartë ushtarak të Shefit këshilltar të Shtabit të Ushtrisë Shqiptare.
Autori ka hulumtuar dokumente të bollshme autentike që lidhen edhe me pushtimin fashist të Shqipërisë. Në këtë kuadër, ai sjell një detaj mjaft interesant, ku referohet se ambasadori italian në Berlin i kishte deklaruar Gjermanisë se Italia “e konsideronte Shqipërinë një problem të familjes, ashtu si Gjermania e sheh Austrinë dhe Çekosllovakinë”. Nga ky libër hulumtues, mësojmë se, në vijim të kësaj deklarate, Tirana ngarkoi përfaqësuesin e akredituar në Berlin, diplomatin e shquar Rauf Fico të hetonte se sa dëm do t’i sillte vendit tonë afrimi italo-gjerman.
Gjithnjë në këtë kuadër, autori vërteton me dokumente se Mbreti Zog po kërkonte alternativa të reja për ekonominë dhe sigurinë kombëtare. Atëherë, Musolini përzgjodhi një politikë afrimi me Shqipërinë përmes ndihmave financiare dhe ekspertizës këshillimore, sidomos në ushtri.
As affirmed by the author's findings, Italy used these to carry out "an increasingly vigorous and useful infiltration", of course in favor of Italian interests to prepare the fascist invasion. Even at this critical point, the author assesses that "From the middle of February 1939, the Italian-Shiptaro relations took a further turn for the worse when the king of the Albanians started playing with open cards".
The author proves with authentic documents that, King Zog's efforts to denounce Italian subversive activity, the Italian side sought to suffocate them through its efforts "to eliminate King Zog", as the main obstacle to the invasion plans.
The book sheds new light on the most reasonable solutions that the Albanian King conceived and implemented for military resistance, for state continuity and for further diplomatic resistance. Mr. Tanush Frashëri's book will constitute a new source of reference for the objective rewriting of history, which Albania still lacks.
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