Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al publishes an archival document issued by the Central State Archive in Tirana (fund of the former Central Committee of the ALP), which belongs to May 8, 1981, where is the political diary of the communist leader of Albania, Enver Hoxha, with notes on the events of Kosovo which had begun in the first days of the spring of that year, first with the protests and demonstrations of the student youth and then of the people of Kosovo, who rose to demand freedoms and their legal rights, as well as all other peoples and ethnicities that were then in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The complete diary of Enver Hoxha, from the messages given to Ramiz Alia to send all the pages of foreign newspapers from all over the world that had covered and commented on the events in Kosovo, the preparation for an article in the newspaper “Zeri i Popullit” regarding with those events in the period March-April 1981, the response to the politician and former Serbian diplomat, Milos Minic, a member of the Presidency of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, who had made a dangerous provocation against our country, “stating that “The Albanian leadership, through the activity of its intelligence and diplomacy bodies, including its embassy in Belgrade, revealed its full commitment and complexity in the events that took place in Kosovo”, etc.
“The statement made by Mr Minic is a problem for us, so the position to be taken should be discussed. During the conversation, Ramiz told me that this statement of Minic and the statements made by other Yugoslav leaders require a reaction from us. He said it right, but I do not think we should make an official public protest by our Government, nor any statement by ATSH. The latter could be a variant to publicly express our view. Yet both last night and today, I have thought a little deeper into this issue. First, the stance taken by the Titoist leaders of every level cannot be left without an answer on our part. But before we do that, before we answer, we need to analyze why Yugoslav leaders do so. This action of theirs, which is accompanied by all sorts of accusations against our country, I consider a provocation, which they make us fall into it and not just remove our ambassador from Yugoslavia, doing so to give them to right for all those who have acted against us, but to go even further, to withdraw our embassy from Belgrade, because even Miniçi did not say the Albanian ambassador, but the Albanian embassy. This is a great provocation, except they want the consequence it brings, not to do it ourselves, but urge us to do it. What they do is punishable. “We even condemned him, so we do not fall into their provocation.”
This is stated, among other things, in the political diary of the leader of communist Albania, Enver Hoxha, dated May 8, 1981, where he kept notes about the events in Kosovo, which had begun in the first days of March. that year, when the student youth of Kosovo came out in protests and demonstrations which were later joined by the people of Kosovo, demanding their freedoms and legitimate rights, like all other peoples and ethnicities that were in Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. For more about this and all the attitude held by the leadership of communist Albania and personally Enver Hoxha towards the communist leadership of Yugoslavia, we know this archival document that Memorie.al is publishing in full starting from this issue.
Enver Hoxha’s political diary of the events in Kosovo in the period April-May 1981
FRIDAY, MAY 8, 1981
HOW TO DENIAL AND DESTROY THE ANTI-ALBANIAN ACCUSATIONS OF THE TITIS RELATED TO THE EVENTS IN KOSOVO
I told Ramiz today to give an order not to send me the translations of copies of foreign newspapers anymore. I made this request because it is impossible for me to start reading what all the newspapers in the world have written since April about the events in Kosovo, etc. But such materials, I think, need to be kept on standby, in our archives, to use when we need them. Then I told Ramiz to work on the rapid preparation of an article on the events that took place in Kosovo during the months of March-April 1981. What did I ask for? To collect and send me all the materials of the meeting of the League of Communists in Kosovo, the Central Committee of the League of Serbia and the meeting of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia that took place last night. Here I do not mean the full speeches that have been held in these meetings, but to send me only those parts where issues arise that attack us. So, I do not even need those issues with which Yugoslav revisionists of all levels explain the demonstrations, the faults of the leaders. main etc., that now they serve us for nothing. Therefore, I think this work can be done quickly. In these materials we must be concretely told that so-and-so said so, the other stated so, and so on.
This is the technical side of the work that needs to be done, the technical side, but necessary so that we can have a clear picture of the accusations that the Yugoslavs are making against us. We, of course, will wait for what Tanjug will give, but if I am not mistaken, because I do not know Serbian, I heard something said by Milos Minic, a member of the Presidency of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia and which is a provocation dangerous in the address of our country. In the discussion he had at the meeting of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, among others, Milos Minici spoke about the role of Albania in the events in Kosovo. He more or less said: “The Albanian leadership, through the activity of its intelligence and diplomacy bodies, including its embassy in Belgrade, revealed its full commitment and complication in the events that took place in Kosovo.” From these statements of Mr. Minic, we can draw some conclusions: His statements are baseless, they are lies, fabricated and intended to justify their lost cause. But, in addition, it is clear that the nerves of this former ambassador have weakened so much that he can no longer control himself. This lack of composure, among others, shows that Mr. Minic has put under surveillance of the Yugoslav security service all the intelligence and diplomacy bodies of the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania, wherever they are in the world, in particular the embassy of the People’s Republic. Socialists of Albania in Belgrade.
I think that these statements do not belong to the government of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, why then the issue would be serious, but are the opinions of a so-called politician. But this former diplomat should know that when a person. a group of persons or an entire embassy of another country acts subversively and contrary to the known rules in the country where it is accredited, the government of this country demands the removal of this or that person or the closure of the entire representation. Such a thing to our embassy was neither requested nor done by the Yugoslav government, why there was no reason. Likewise, the Albanian Government has not requested or done such a thing, even to a functionary of the Yugoslav embassy in Tirana, why there was no reason. Therefore, to affirm such things, as Milos Minic did, means to provoke, or at least seek to weaken diplomatic and state relations between the Socialist People’s Republic of Albania and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. We tell Mr. Minic that the Albanian Government has strong nerves and will not fall into this provocation, but will continue as always to develop and maintain good neighborly relations, diplomatic relations, trade relations and cultural relations with the Socialist Republic. Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on the basis of the principle of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs and without ever confusing the issue that these relations prevent the ideological contradictions that exist between our two parties.
This position has been affirmed at all times and clearly by the Labor Party of Albania and the Government of the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania. They affirm it even now and declare that they will fight for good neighborly relations, trade and cultural relations to walk this path, in the interest of both countries and our peoples. The statement made by Mr. Minic is a problem for us, so the position to be taken should be discussed. During the conversation, Ramiz told me that this statement of Minic and the statements made by other Yugoslav leaders require a reaction from us. He said it right, but I do not think we should make an official public protest by our Government, nor any statement by ATSH. The latter could be a variant to publicly express our view. Yet both last night and today, I have thought a little deeper into this issue. First, the stance taken by the Titoist leaders of every level cannot be left without an answer on our part. But before we do that, before we answer, we need to analyze why Yugoslav leaders do so. This action of theirs, which is accompanied by all sorts of accusations against our country, I consider a provocation, which they make us fall into it and not just remove our ambassador from Yugoslavia, doing so to give them to right for all those who have acted against us, but to go even further, to withdraw our embassy from Belgrade, because even Miniçi did not say the Albanian ambassador, but the Albanian embassy. This is a great provocation, except they want the consequence it brings, not to do it ourselves, but urge us to do it. What they do is punishable. We have even condemned him, so we do not fall into their provocation.
So, after this issue should not be left unanswered, it is also the second that we should not fall into their provocation, on the contrary, to work to turn this event against them. Certainly, at the international level the Yugoslav Titoists have failed, they have been badly unmasked, because everywhere in the world it is said that none of their accusations against Albania are true. stands. Their goal, too, is to, as far as possible, cut off all relations with our country, or at least reduce these relations greatly and then try to find – the “reasons” and “arguments” for to say that Albanians cut off state relations, which means that there is no longer a connection between the two countries. This will then serve to say that if they, namely us Albanians, will interfere in the future in our internal affairs, namely Yugoslavia, it means that we (in Yugoslavia) have their own agency, that is, they intervene through other channels, so they are aware of what is being done in Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro. This is unacceptable on our part. Now how to do this work, because this statement was made by a person like Milos Minic, who has no government functions in Yugoslavia and the relations between our states are in the competence of the Presidency of their Federation and the Yugoslav government. If the Presidency of Yugoslavia and the Yugoslav government, we will say in the article, accept the accusation of a person, whoever and in whatever position he may be, then both the Albanian Government and the Presidium of the People’s Assembly of the Socialist People’s Republic of Albania will decide based on the charge and the requests made.
In other words, we tell the Yugoslav leaders to do as they please, but we reject your accusation. Of course, everything that we will say and write will be formulated in diplomatic terms, as we have done on other occasions, so that the public can give us the right. So: with full reason we reject Minic’s accusation, that it is slander and that our embassies, in any country, never deal with such activities, etc., etc. That, I think, is our answer. It is not time for a protest by the Government, because neither the Yugoslav government nor the Presidency of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has done anything in this regard. Lazar Kolishevski did not say such a thing when he spoke either, but the Titoites do this provocation with devilishness. So, on the governmental side – we cannot protest. I once thought that our Minister of Foreign Affairs would call the Yugoslav ambassador and tell him that ‘Milos Minic, in this or that position, has declared such a thing. We want to know: Is this the opinion of your government or not? But even this step I think we should avoid, because there is a possibility and the probability are that the Yugoslavs will accept this because with this we take over the statement that our embassy in Belgrade is spying. Then we have to remove our embassy from Belgrade and find ourselves in an undesirable situation, so we fall into their provocation, despite leaving it to them. But we have no interest in such a thing. So, what do we have to do? It seems to me that in these circumstances it remains for us to prepare an article.
Now, what content should this article have? This article, always with calmness on our part, should have the content we said above and, after all this is over, we should clarify how the issue of Kosovars’ request for “Republic of Kosovo” stands. We will emphasize that with this article we do not intend to return to the events in Kosovo, who caused them, where they have their source and how they should be resolved. We have addressed these issues in our two previous articles in “Voice of the People”, dated April 8 and 23 this year, so we do not see the need to extend, but on this occasion we want to point out the unprecedented hysteria of all bodies and organizations of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia not only against the Kosovo Albanians, but especially against the Socialist People’s Republic of Albania and the Albanian Labor Party, against their policy towards Yugoslavia and their international policy in general. And to define here the accusations they make against us. What are the accusations made by them towards Albania and that we have issued? From them, without going into detail, we must extract the essence, argue with clear, understandable and well-grounded arguments. Among all the others, we must point out something that one of them said, that I did not understand what it was, but many others were repeating an idea, according to which Yugoslavia protects Albania.
We have to answer that to some extent this idea is right, why the interests for the defense of our republics are similar in the direction that, if Yugoslavia is attacked by aggressive superpowers, whatever it is, and if it opposes aggression, Albania, as it has declared worldwide, will be side by side with Yugoslavia. And here the interests of protecting each other meet. If the issue is raised by them that Yugoslavia protects Albania, let us say the opposite, that it is Albania that protects Yugoslavia and explain this. If the Socialist People’s Republic of Albania were to pursue a domestic and foreign policy like that of Yugoslavia, it would be pointed out in the article, this would be a great danger for Albania itself, for Yugoslavia, for the Balkans and for all over Europe. Then they themselves understand all these things and together with them the whole world understands. Therefore, to add to the article, Albania for smart political people makes a very fair, consistent and unwavering policy, a policy that becomes such a factor of peace. This policy is in the continuation of the centuries-old history of Albania for all those who love and know the history of our country, without the need to explicitly mention that Skanderbeg has also defended Europe. (Let us not say this, but express the idea in the way I said.)
We, to emphasize in the article, criticize and will continue to criticize the domestic and foreign policy of the Federal Yugoslavia, because it is fraught with dangers for itself and for all the countries mentioned and this attitude cannot be considered as if Albania seeks to undermine the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. On the contrary, it seeks to protect this Federation, because with this policy of its own, Albania protects the Albanian people, at the same time protects the peoples of Yugoslavia, the Balkan countries and Europe. Those who do not understand this fair policy, can give Albanians any denigrating epithet, such as “megalomaniacs”, etc., etc., but the reality is so. In the article we should point out that socialist Albania does not move and will never move from the path it has decided to follow. In order for it to move from this road, it must be passed over the bodies of Albanians by the forces of the aggressors, but even then, the aggressors will still lose. We must explain Minic’s case as we said: A certain Milos Minic, regardless of what function he has, reserves the right to speak out in the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, but the Socialist People’s Republic of Albania does not fall into the provocation of his state and friendly ties with the brotherly peoples of Yugoslavia he did not forge. They have forged the peoples of our two countries, fighting and shedding blood side by side.
With what Milos Minic did, he demands that we wait for diplomatic relations with Yugoslavia to make us guilty of what happened, but we do not step on that rotten tooth. If the Yugoslav government and the Presidency of the republic request such a thing, then the problem is put differently. We have said, and on this occasion, we think it is appropriate to repeat once again, that we want to have diplomatic, trade and cultural relations with the Federation, especially with Kosovo, and we say this, especially with Kosovo, openly. In this part of the article we can point out that our cultural relations with both the Yugoslav Federation and the Autonomous Province of Kosovo have not been imposed on them by the Socialist People’s Republic of Albania. They are settled by mutual agreement between the parties, so it is absurd to say the opposite. Both our professors and every one of our national manifestations have in no way affected the internal politics of Yugoslavia, there is no interference on our part in the internal affairs of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Our people who have gone and are going there have in no case expressed the open ideological positions of the Albanian Labor Party that it has and will always have against the anti-Marxist ideology that rules Yugoslavia.
On the contrary, the programs of these manifestations are developed normally. Cultural performances are done by common accord and no one has in hand any document to prove the opposite of these realities. There may be something else we may find necessary to respond to the Yugoslav revisionists with this article. Now let’s come to what the issue of the Republic of Kosovo stands for. In his speech, say in the article, Mr. Minic says: “Albania’s policy has come out openly in defense of the demand for a republic submitted during the riots in the province of Kosovo and that, by doing so, it has committed a brutal act of interference in the internal affairs of Yugoslavia”. Also, in this matter, Mr. Minic makes a flagrant and very dangerous distortion for the relations between our two countries. In previous articles we have said and are saying again that the issue of the Republic of Kosovo is an issue of the people of Yugoslavia and the people of Kosovo themselves and that we have never come out openly in defense of the demands for a republic made during the riots. which were confirmed in March-April in Kosovo. In our article we have emphasized that the status of the federated republic of Kosovo was not requested by us, it was requested by the people of Kosovo themselves. We have only affirmed that it is a right of the Albanian people, who live in their lands in Yugoslavia, to demand what they think is their right within the laws of the Federation and we have added that in our opinion this is not a crime at all…
To confirm what was written in the newspaper “Zeri i Popullit”, black and white, this time we are obliged to use official documents of the main leaders of Tito’s Yugoslavia, such as Moshe Pijade and others since the time of the war. and until late. Here in parentheses write the quotations and make their comment, starting from the principled issues of solving the problem of nationalities by Tito, Tito quotes from AVNOJ meetings then use the quote of Moshe Pijade on the Republic of Kosovo and of Metohija. As a result of these quotations that we will list, we will draw the following conclusions, according to which the people of Kosovo, who participated in the war against the Germans with 50 thousand of their sons and in the words of Tito, quoted above, he has the right to claim his right at any time. So, there can be no denying or not exercising such a right, which the leaders and high forums of the party and the Yugoslav state recognized during the National Liberation War. Why then accuse the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania and the Albanian Labor Party of interfering in the internal affairs of Yugoslavia, when in fact they did not intervene, when Moshe Pijade himself, his closest friend, comrade-in-arms of Josip Broz Tito and member of prominent member of the political bureau of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia has given his opinion with the quote mentioned above? /Memorie.al
Continues in the next issue
