“Not trusting the Serbs, I will bring you sophisticated weapons with a long range vepr” / Secret document for the 1989 visit to Albania…

Dashnor Kaloçi

Memorie.al publishes an unknown archival document that for a long time had the logo “secret” and now declassified, which belongs to 1989 and contains information of the Committee for Friendly and Cultural Relations with the Outer World, chaired by Jorgo Melica , which is sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from where that institution and the Central Committee of the ALP had a kind of subordination, where they are informed about a visit made to Albania by two Albanians living in California, USA: Adem Dukaj originally from Dinosha e Tuzit and Agim Ziba originally from Struga.

According to the information compiled by Jorgo Melica, Adem Dukaj who “was not educated, but very good and had made a big name and money in America”, had come to Albania based on a recommendation given to him by the Diplomatic Mission Albanian at the UN in New York, as he had a private company for small mechanical works with about 50 employees with which he had won the first prize in America for companies under 100 workers.

Adem Dukaj, who “showed strong feelings of patriotism and hatred against the Serbs”, was accompanied by Agim Zibaj, a well-known name for the Committee headed by Melica, as he had been involved for years in distributing and propagating books, magazines and various video tapes he received in Tirana.

The whole agenda of the two US Albanians in their homeland, where they paid homage and laid a wreath at the grave of Enver Hoxha, makes numerous visits and meetings in institutions, work centers and production, where they were received by executives, cadres and senior officials, where they exchanged experience in the field of Mechanical Industry, suggesting many things and leaving the respective tasks for some of the leaders of Albanian companies they met, in order to further improve production … ?!

Given the miserable and almost catastrophic state of the Albanian economy in the late 1980s, the senior leadership of the ALP, led by Ramiz Alia, seems to have “given up a bit” and made it possible since then. to open the way for different individuals or groups to come to Albania, both “for work problems” and as visitors to their relatives. But along with many Albanians who came to their homeland with longing for their homeland and with very sincere intentions, at that time there were also frivolous individuals and various adventurers, who taking advantage of the extreme poverty that had plagued the country, the lack of information about many things there was the world, the mythology for foreigners, as well as the Albanian economy on the verge of catastrophe, made various promises, saying that they would bring the latest equipment and technology, or would they do this and that for Albania ?! Two of them seem to have been the Albanians of the US Diaspora, Adem Dukaj and Agim Zibaj, who visited Albania in 1989, following a recommendation given to them by the Albanian Diplomatic Mission to the UN. While Agim Zibaj, originally from the village of Livadhe in Struga, for almost a decade was engaged in distributing propaganda materials of the communist regime of Enver Hoxha in the US, such as books, magazines, brochures, leaflets, videocassettes, etc., where i echoed the “achievements of socialist Albania”, Adem Dukaj turned out to be a businessman who operated in the small works of the mechanical industry. But, although uneducated, he was “very good after making a big name and money in America” ​​?! And according to the report-information of the Chairman of the Committee for Friendly and Cultural Relations with the Outer World, Jorgo Melica, sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Central Committee of the ALP, from which that institution depended, the whole “visit successful” made in Albania by two compatriots living in the USA. What is noticeable and impressive in this information, are not only the promises they made (mainly Adem Dukaj), but the reception reserved for them by senior officials of the Albanian state and managers of major enterprises of the Albanian mechanical industry and beyond, such as: Durrës Seaport, “Enver Hoxha” Tractor Plant, “Dinamo” Plant, Mechanical Plants in Patos and “Stalin City” etc. So, company executives and chief engineers who had put to work and managed for years those giant works of the Albanian mechanical industry, were already receiving lessons from a completely anonymous individual, who before leaving, left you with the relevant tasks?! Not only that, but in the meetings with the high officials of the Albanian state, they left to them in writing the priorities that the mechanical industry should have in Albania?! This humiliation that was done to them, was a “gift” from the senior leadership of the ALP, which after having brought the Albanian economy to the brink of disaster, sought salvation from such anonymous people, the only thing they knew how to do, were “Feeling of patriotism”?! Which is more or less what this archival document that Memorie.al publishes for the first time as it is in the relevant file.

Jorgo Melica’s letter to the Central Committee of the ALP

Tirana Committee, on July 2, 1989

Nr_169___

                                                   I N F O R M A T I O N

Based on the recommendation of our Mission in New York, Adem Dukaj, an Albanian living in California, USA, paid a visit to our country from June 11 to 27. He was accompanied by the Albanian Agim Ziba, who during his stay was busy preparing Albanian materials to record videotapes.

Adem Duka comes for the first time and was treated with problems of technical and technological perfection in our country, based on the desire expressed by him to help in this direction. He is 53 years old, was born in the village of Dimoshe in Tuzi near Ulcinj and emigrated to America 30 years ago. According to him, his father was a partisan and was known as brave. During the National Liberation War he accompanied Vasil Shanton 2-3 times to the crossings in Yugoslavia. For this, he also went to Vraka, Shkodra, where he took pictures in front of the bust of Vasil Shanto, to show to the children. He has 5 children (he named the little girl Envera). He has a calm and sober temperament, but he seems to be a good man and has made a fortune and a name in America. Sometimes he said, “I want to use America, not her.” Manifested strong feelings of patriotism and deep hatred for Serbs. He has not completed higher studies, but with practical courses he specializes in small and sophisticated mechanical works and has a wide network of engineers, about 50 people with whom he collaborates.

He showed interest in being informed about Albanian history and traditions. Familiarity with the level of development of our country was general.

As he himself claimed, he had helped his brothers and the village in Yugoslavia with money and tractors, motor pumps, electric saws, etc. He added that these aids for the relatives or the village, some of which have not been implemented at all, are again a little limited and he felt indebted to a wider framework to dedicate himself to what he could. Albania.

For years, Ademi has been working in Los Angeles with chisels for pruning probes, which has brought him great profits. But as the price of oil in the Arab world has plummeted in the last five years and America has reduced its work with the wells, its profits have plummeted and it has been forced to take a different direction, preparing spare parts for satellite planes, buying machinery. last word. Although things have gone very well in this area as well, and last year he won the first prize in the United States among small firms with less than 100 employees, for quality products with a high degree of precision, he has decided that probe machines, who are currently unemployed, transfer them to the Turkish Stock Exchange. For this he has been buying the land for two years and has started the construction and next year or later he intends to move with his family to Turkey. In these conditions, Ademi welcomed with great pleasure the arrival in Albania and expressed his readiness, saying: “I am ready to help Albania with thoughts, work and whatever needs arise”.

Based on his willingness and the needs of our mechanical industry, a program of visits to work and production centers was organized to see directly the areas where he could help. He visited the “Enver Hoxha” Tractor Plant, the mechanical plants in Patos and Stalin City, the Seaport “Enver Hoxha”, and the shipyard in Durrës and had a series of meetings and talks with management and engineers. He also met with his friend Gani Qemo about these problems.

Adem Dukaj in all visits and meetings expressed love and respect for Albania and satisfaction for our achievements. “Enver Hoxha” left Albania flourishing, with cultivated lands, with established factories, with capable cadres, with happy people, with strong protection. I saw them with my own eyes, so each of us would like to leave them to our descendants. We Kosovars need to visit Albania because here we see what socialism is, not in Yugoslavia, where labor and bloodshed in war, tradition and man are not respected “.

He followed the events in Kosovo with interest and concern and sometimes got nervous. At the beginning it was said why the Albanian youth does not protest and do not make demonstrations in support of the Kosovar brothers, but gradually getting better acquainted with all our attitude and policy towards Yugoslavia and for Kosovo was clarified and rightly called our attitude. After reading Comrade Ramiz’s speech at the 6th Front Congress, he said he had given the right answers to everyone. They gave you and took with you our press articles as well as videotapes with the opening of the 6th Front Congress and with the speech of Comrade Ramiz, which Agim Ziba will multiply and distribute in America.

Ademi praised the people who have served the Homeland throughout the history of the nation and the high level of realization of works dedicated to them such as the museum “Enver Hoxha” that of Skanderbeg, the National Cemetery, etc. He and Agim laid bouquets of flowers near the grave of Comrade Enver. He was very impressed by the industrial development of the country, the expansion in all branches, especially in the heavy industry and the mechanical one. He did not think we could carry out so many processes in the mechanical industry. He was surprised and pleased and added “this is independence”. Specifically, Adem Dukaj pledged his help for the following problems:

At the Tractor Plant, Chief Engineer Ismail Sharra presented the necessary perfection of technique:

1. In gear grinding machines. Ademi claimed that they can be found used at low prices but that they do the job better.
2. Milling head for car modification.
3. Electric rackets to replace the arm work done now.
4. Metal cutting saws after the existing ones have a series of disadvantages.

At the Seaport in Durrës:

1. Elevator for unloading bulk goods with a capacity of 10-15 thousand tons / 24 hours.
2. Parallel cranes 25 tons high
3. Wheel cranes 20-25 tons high
4. Large bulldozers

At the Shipyard in Durrës

1. Milling cutter for module 16 = 800
2. Floating dock 15-20000 tons / hour
3. Torno L = 6, m = 1m
4. Motor shaft rectifier equipment (Kollodok)

For the oil industry we will look at the possibility of solving the following problems:

1. Literature on constructive design of pruning chisels
2. Literature on the technology of production of drilling chisels with strong bonded teeth (Wolfram carbide)
3. Data on anti-friction material for drilling outlets (to improve bearing performance) and their production technology.
4. For material and technology of preparation of bearing seals (nibber seal).
5. Constructive drawings for drilling chisels that may be available.
6. Different offers for different control apparatus and equipment, drilling chisels during production and finishing.
7. Chisel tooth reinforcement technology and the possibility of the welding process mechanism.
8. For bump pump repair technology.
9. Technology of exploitation of oil field by steam injection (in Venezuela has 30 years of experience in this field). For this we can help with end packages in steam injection etc. Methods of calculating columns in steam injected wells.
10. Latest edition of the API standard for oil equipment instruments, pipes, etc.
11. Mechanical processing technology and the corresponding machine for the production of the depth pump pump with a length of 300-600 mm according to the given drawing.
12. The machine needed to crack the wheels with gears and gearshift shafts according to the drawing.

Ademi saw and approved on the spot these requests, the list of which he took with him along with a sketch and a sample of the electrode for wearing the drilling rigs chisels. We were told that the work will teach us about the way and time of their realization. First, Ademi will look at the problem of chisels, looking after the analysis he will do on the material he received if he ensures the right quality. It also pledged to verify other requests and return responses to key indicators and ways in which they can be obtained. Easier he presented the provision of contemporary literature which he will start immediately.

To meet these requirements materials, he said it is good to use 2 ways:

1. Through a third party, a firm that would reach out to you in Turkey or elsewhere.
2. Attach your people to foreign firms or yours that you can set up in these countries in order to give them the opportunity to come there to me and take them where you want to contact what you need and how to be better. That would be very fruitful.

Since he had a rich library, he expressed the desire to send a number of books in various fields to the National Library from them or from new publications.

He will also send magazines for architecture and video types of constructions, for construction institutes.

Having prepared the machinery for the production of electricity by wind, he helped with sketches and projects.

He promised to find us and quickly send us adhesives (silicone) for gluing metal to glass at the “Enver Hoxha” Museum.

In the conversation, Ademi told his companion: “By not trusting the Serb, who has the power, I am ready to take risks and provide you with sophisticated long-range weapons from which they have been sold out of government control this year. in February, but can still be sold. He said that he has credit and company with a former senior American officer now retired and with many military firms with the authority for which he has prepared tools “.

During various visits he made suggestions:

-To perfect the technique of cutting and packing marble, which opens working fronts, but also increases the selling price of marble. Do not sell stone, but blocks.

-To get in touch with the Minister of Export of Egypt to buy water in Albania. Liaison, he said, I will become because I have a friend and he listen to me. We will act as soon as we receive an answer from Adam.

-The Instrument Factory in Korça to prepare equipment for dental clinics in order to reduce imports, since it has all the equipment.

Before leaving, Ademi expressed his satisfaction and benefit from this visit as well as the commitment to complete the things he undertook by keeping in touch with the Committee as well as with the specialists in the enterprises. Leaving, he said that in California there are about 300 Albanians who ask about the achievements why they do not know Albania well today. Especially to the elderly, I will say: “We should praise the Party, which flourished in Albania, and not God, who for centuries gave something”.

The visits to the work centers were accompanied by representatives of the Ministry of Industry. The problem he dealt with them was raised by his friend Gani Qamo, who spoke to him about the perspective of the development of our Economy and the forms of exchange./Memorie.al

K R Y E T A R I

Jorgo Melica