Memorie.al / During the 50 years of the communist regime, Albania had 22 embassies across all continents. However, the number of countries with which we had diplomatic relations was several times larger. According to the well-known Albanian diplomat Lisen Bashkurti, during the communist system, Albania had diplomatic relations with 72 countries worldwide. But diplomats say that the small number of embassies compared to the official relations between our state and others is explained by the fact that one ambassador could cover entire states on a continent.
The majority of countries with which Albania established diplomatic relations during that period were countries of the Communist Bloc. At the same time, relations with many developed Western countries were also not lacking.
The First Embassies
The first country with which the communist government established relations after the country’s liberation was its neighbor, Yugoslavia. The communist leaders of the Yugoslav government had given considerable help to the Albanian communists during the War. Relations between the two countries were established in early 1945, and the first ambassador to Yugoslavia was appointed Hysni Kapo, one of the highest leaders of the Communist Party.
Immediately after the establishment of diplomatic relations, Yugoslavia and Albania signed several economic agreements, as well as the Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Assistance. Also, from 1945 to 1947, according to the well-known diplomat Lisen Bashkurti, Yugoslav policy had extended to Albania in all fields, from economic to educational.
“In Albanian schools, the Yugoslavs managed to introduce Serbo-Croatian as a second language,” says the well-known diplomat Bashkurti. In fact, according to historians, during that period, the communist leader of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito, wanted to create a Balkan Communist Federation, which would include Albania and Bulgaria.
But if Yugoslavia was the first country with which we established diplomatic relations, it was also the first with which we broke them off. In 1948, after Tito’s clash with Stalin, Albania severed relations with Yugoslavia. In fact, the cooling of relations between the two countries had begun in 1947. This period also marks the beginning of Albania’s close relations with the Soviet Union. Even though relations between the two countries had been established in December 1945, they always went through Yugoslavia.
The first ambassador to the Soviet Union was appointed Koço Tashko. Immediately after breaking away from diplomatic dependence on Yugoslavia, Albania established relations with many Eastern European countries. Close relations with the Soviet Union lasted until 1960, when official Moscow unilaterally broke off relations with our country.
This came after Enver Hoxha’s support for China, going against the Soviet Union’s line. This led to the mutual severance of relations in 1961. But while Albania re-established relations with Yugoslavia in the late ’50s, those with the Soviet Union were reconnected again after 30 years, in 1991. But during the communist regime, Albania did not have relations only with communist countries, but also with many Western countries.
Relations with the West
The only country with which Albania’s diplomatic relations were almost never interrupted was France. This Western country was one of the few powerful democratic countries that recognized the communist government of Tirana, established in 1946. This led to the immediate establishment and uninterrupted continuation of relations between the two countries.
The second Western country with which Albania established relations was its neighbor, Italy. Although Italy had occupied Albania during the Second World War, in 1946, it would recognize the newly established communist government. Also, in 1946, Albania and Italy signed the Peace Treaty, which paved the way for the establishment of relations between the two countries.
Italy’s signing of this treaty also brought Albania the benefit of a sum of 5 million dollars. This amount of money was set as compensation for the damages Italy caused to Albania during the war. After this, diplomatic relations between the two countries were established immediately. But in 1957, Albania also established diplomatic relations with Austria, as it had been declared a neutral country during the Cold War period.
The biggest boom in the establishment of diplomatic relations during the communist regime, according to the well-known diplomat Lisen Bashkurti, was in the ’70s. According to the diplomat, from 24 countries with which Albania had relations in the ’50s, in the ’70s it would have relations with nearly 72 countries worldwide.
The two countries with which the communist regime established relations in the last years of its fall were two Western countries, West Germany and Spain. They were established approximately in 1987 and 1988. / Memorie.al
Embassies of Albania around the world before the ’90s
Bulgaria
Czechoslovakia
Algeria
Austria
China
Romania
Soviet Union
Poland
Vietnam
Italy
Hungary
German
Democratic Republic Yugoslavia Greece
People’s Republic of Korea
France
Egypt
Turkey
Cuba
Sweden
Argentina
Federal Republic of Germany
Tanzania
Mexico
Switzerland
