Albania was fought only in Kosovo, Shkodër and Ioannina

By: Kastriot Dervishi

The journey of Ismail Qemal Vlora, from Istanbul to Vlora, and some issues of independence

– November 2, 1912, departs from the "Pera" hotel in Istanbul via the Black Sea and arrives in Constanta, Romania.

– November 5, 1912, in Bucharest.

– November 10, 1912 in Vienna.

– November 12, 1912 in Budapest.

– November 19, 1912 in Trieste, from where he leaves by ship.

– November 21, 1912 he arrives in Durrës.

– November 27, 1912 in Vlora.

– November 28, 1912, the National Assembly declares independence and forms the provisional government. Not all delegates signed, as they did not come that day. Those who came late did not sign. The Assembly closed its work on December 7, 1912.

Beyond these facts, we remember that the ethnic Albanian territory, found at that time as part of the Ottoman Empire, was militarily attacked by the Balkan alliance. The First Balkan War started on October 8, 1912 with the attack of Montenegro on the Albanian territory. This war ended on May 30, 1913. The entire Albanian territory was occupied, with the exception of a triangle between Kavaja, Berat and Vlora. From this situation, the great powers intervened, holding a conference of ambassadors in London. Austria-Hungary and Italy defended the Albanian cause. Russia was against it, Germany and Great Britain were a little more neutral. The compromise reached was that independence was recognized in half of the territory, for which the invaders were ordered to leave, but they (the invaders) were recognized as the occupied half. On July 29, 1913, the great powers recognized the new Albanian state, for which they became guarantors. In 1925 and 1926, border protocols were signed with Greece and the Serbo-Croatian-Slovenian Kingdom.

The lesson of history: the Albanians partially solved the issue of their state with diplomacy. The solution lay in the struggle and timely understanding of the situations. With the exception of a short stay in Kosovo and long battles in Shkodër and Ioannina, there was no fighting anywhere else. In fact, in many cities, the Serbs were received peacefully. Internal contradictions and numerous experiments have eroded over the years the small Albanian state, which has never managed to consolidate, but is always stuck by illusions and the unclear path where it should go.