"After the Italian minister, my father spoke and the next day, 12 London newspapers wrote..."/ The unknown history of Albanian diplomacy

"In Zog's time, it was more difficult to become a diplomat than it is today." Uran Asllani, one of the researchers of Albanian diplomacy from 1914-1944, as well as the son of one of the most prominent Albanian diplomats of the 1930s, shows that a diplomat in that period had to pass several "sieves" to be appointed to this position. In an exclusive interview, he recounts all the criteria that a person who claimed to become a diplomat had to meet. He also tells when Albanian diplomacy originated, with which countries we established diplomatic relations and what their mission was.

Who are the most important figures of Albanian diplomacy of that time? In this article we are also publishing the list of names of diplomats from 1914-1944 and in the next issue, we will publish the list of all diplomats from 1944 to 2007.

Mr. Asllani, what role did Albanian diplomats play in the international arena during that period?

It was June 1933. As the representative of Albania at this conference, the Minister of Finance should have been, but Zogu appointed my father (Fuat Asllani), since he was an Englishman. As a member of the delegation, he also appointed the honorary consul in Vienna, who was in London. The conference was held and on one of the days of the Conference, as usual, the delegations were hosted for dinner by large corporations in honor of the hospitality. At one of those dinners, my father and some 27 other delegations were invited to the steel corporation.

However, the steel corporation was a corporation that did not know the diplomatic rule, protocol and ceremonies. In diplomatic protocol, the person with the highest diplomatic rank, that is, the ambassador, was placed in the place of honor. At that time, only former empires had embassies. The others had Ministers Plenipotentiary. After the ambassador, the Minister Plenipotentiary of the first rank, but of the most important state, was placed.

They didn't know this, but in alphabetical order it was Albania, and so they placed the father next to the president of the corporation. The president gets up and gives a quarter of an hour of greeting speech, with archaic English jargon, honorable, very honorable, etc. Now one of the delegations had to return the greeting. The father was next to the president.

At the end of the hall was an enemy of Albania, and consequently also antipathetic to my father, the Italian Minister of Finance, Dino Grandi, Mussolini's right-hand man, who later shot him. At that time he was both Minister of Finance and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. He says to my father: "Get up and give your answer," - not knowing that my father knew English perfectly. My father gets up, gives a speech in the same slang that the president of the corporation used. The next day, 12 London newspapers mentioned Albania for the speech.

How many plenipotentiary ministers did Albania have until 1939?

Until 1937, there were 8 first-level plenipotentiary ministers, 3 second-level plenipotentiary ministers, and these were: Mehmet Konica, Dhimitër Berati, Xhaferr Vila, Mehdi Frashëri, Fuad Asllani, Raul Fico, Lekë Kurti, Dhimitër Popa. Although he was a first-level plenipotentiary minister, at that time he was not in the Foreign Ministry, but was the Minister of the Court.

We had permanent legates with Ministers Plenipotentiary of the full class rank in Washington, London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Bucharest, Tokyo, Belgrade, Athens, Ankara, Sofia. Then we had consulates-general of very important rank, which were in three cities of Germany: in Nuremberg, Hamburg and Stuttgart. We had consulates-general in Marseille, Brussels, Thessaloniki, Istanbul, Milan, Bari and many consulates. In Italy: Turin, Bologna, Brindisi, Trieste, Manastir, Ioannina, Constanta, Budapest, New York, etc.

Who were the most prominent figures in this field in those years?

We must start with Raul Fico, who has honored himself and Albania. Even the assessment of foreign diplomats for him has been first class. Secondly, there was Xhaferr Vila, who with his own anti-Italian stance also became the cause of the accident that ended with his death. He was Minister Plenipotentiary in Rome, while he had conflicted several times with the Italian Ministers Plenipotentiary here in Albania.

Another important diplomat of that time was Dhimitër Berati. Maybe even his father (Fuat Asllani), because it also matters which countries you are appointed to. Also Eqerem Libohova, Xhemil Dino, etc. These were the most powerful representatives of diplomacy for almost 20 years. But there are many diplomats of a lower rank who have served Albanian diplomacy with devotion.

List of 80 Albanian diplomats, from 1912 to 1944

Jani Armodhi, consul in Egypt, in 1922

Ali Asllani, consul in Italy, in the years 1922 -1925; ambassador in Bulgaria, in the years 1925 - 1926 and ambassador in Greece, from 1930 to 1932

Fuad Asllani, ambassador to England, in the years 1934 – 1935

Reshad Asllani, consul in Italy, in the years 1923 -1924; consul in Manastir, in the years 1938 -1939

Rexha Bega, consul in Turkey, in 1938

Xhaferr Belegu, consul general in Bari, consul in Italy in 1938 -1939

Dhimitër Berati, consul general in Bulgaria, in 1924; ambassador to France in 1924-1925

Haki Blloshmi, konsull në Boston, SHBA, nga viti 1925 deri në vitin 1929

Selaudin Blloshmi, ambasador në Rumani, në vitet 1926 – 1928

Kostandin Boshnjaku, ambasador në Turqi, në vitin 1922

Kostandin Çekrezi, ambasador në SHBA, në vitet 1921 – 1922

Remzi Çelo, konsull në Selanik, Greqi 1934 – 1939

Lazër Çeta, konsull në Jugosllavi, në vitin 1925

Sofokli Çomora, konsull në Korfuz, Greqi, në vitet 1928 – 1933

Ferid Dervishi, kryekonsull në Bari, Itali, në vitet 1925 1926; konsull në Selanik, Greqi, në vitet 1932 – 1933; kryekonsull, në Turqi 1934 -1936

Xhemil Dino, ambasador në Itali, nga viti 1926 deri në 1931, dhe ambasador në Angli, në vitet 1932 – 1933

Vasil Dogani, kryekonsull në Rumani në vitet 1922 – 1936

Asdreni, konsull në Rumani në vitet 1921- 1926

Dervish Duma, konsull në Londër, Angli, në vitet 1936-1939

Rauf Fico, ambasador në Turqi, në vitet 1926-1928; ambasador në Jugosllavi, në vitet 1928 – 1929 dhe 1932- 1937, ambasador në Greqi në vitet 1937-1938; ambasador në Gjermani, në vitet 1938 -1939

Mehdi Frashëri, ambasador në OKB, në vitet 1926-1929

Mit‘hat Frashëri, ambasador në Francë, në vitet 1922 -1923; Greqi në vitet 1923 – 1926

Qemal Frashëri, konsull në Korfuz, Greqi, në vitet 1925-1926

Xhemal Frashëri, konsull në Londër, në vitet 1925-1927; kryekonsull në Manastir në vitet 1935-1938; kryekonsull në Stamboll, Turqi, 1938-1939

Shemzi Gabrani, konsull në Bari, Itali, në vitin 1925,

Gjergj Geco, kryekonsull në Egjipt, në vitet 1934-1935; kryekonsull në Janinë, Greqi, në vitet 1935-1936

Rrok Gera, ambasador në Gjermani, në vitin 1944

Fahredin Gjata, ambasador në Greqi, në vitet 1926 -1927

Shaqir Hajrullahu, konsull në Stamboll, Turqi, 1936-1938

Sabri Hamzaj, konsull në Stamboll, Turqi, në vitin 1926

Maksud Hulusi, kryekonsull në Janinë Greqi, në vitet 1937-1939

Remzi Janina, kryekonsull në Janinë, Greqi, në vitet 1926-1931

Qemal Jusfuti, kryekonsull në Selanik, Greqi në vitet 1934-1935

Angjelin Kakarriqi, konsull në Korfuz Greqi, në vitet 1938-1939

Vasil Kalluci, konsull në Korfuz, Greqi, në vitin 1926

Hamdi Karazi, konsull në Itali, në vitet 1927-1928, kryekonsull në Korfuz Greqi në vitet 1933-1934

Nikollë Kasneci, konsull në Itali, në vitet 1920-1921

Ndrio Katundi, konsull në Jugosllavi, në vitet 1922-1924

Stavri Katundi, konsull në Manastir, në vitet 1938-1939

Atlante Koçi, konsull në Bullgari, në vitet 1936-1939

Mark Kodheli, kryekonsull në Bari, konsull Itali, në vitet 1927-1933

Xhahid Koka, kryekonsull në Selanik, Greqi në vitin 1938

Faik Konica, ambasador në SHBA, në vitet 1926-1939

Mehmed Konica, ambasador në Angli, në vitet 1920-1925

Skënder Konica, konsull në Bullgari, në vitet 1932-1934

Stelio Kostandini, konsull në Egjipt, në vitet 1923 -1925

Dhimitër Kosturi, konsull në Francë, në vitet 1928-1932; konsull në Janinë, Greqi, në vitet 1932-1935; kryekonsull në Egjipt, në vitin 1935

Kostandin Kote, konsull në Itali, në vitet 1922-1923

Ceno Kryeziu, ambasador në Jugosllavi, në vitet 1926-1927, ambasador në Çekosllovaki, në vitet 1927-1934

Lec Kurti, consul in Bari, Italy in 1921-1922; ambassador to Greece, from 1925 -1926; ambassador to the UN, in 1930-1935

Sotir Laci, consul in Greece, in the years 1936 -1937

Nezir Leskoviku, consul in Istanbul, 1922-1925; consul general in Bulgaria, 1932-1933; consul in Greece, 1936-1938

Xhavid Leskovik, ambassador to Yugoslavia, 1925-1926; ambassador to Turkey, 1933-1934, ambassador to Greece, 1934-1936

Asaf Libohova, consul in Bari, Italy, in 1939

Eqerem Libohova, ambassador to Italy, 1925-1927, ambassador to France, 1933-1936

Maliq Libohova, consul in London, consul in England, in the years 1926-1927; consul general in Bari, Italy, in 1939

Tefik Mborja, ambassador to Italy, in the years 1923-1925

Kosta Meksi, consul in Manastir, in the years 1933-1934; consul general in Istanbul, Turkey in 1937

Qemal Mesarea, ambassador to Greece, in the years 1933-1934

Kostandin Mima, consul in Trieste, Italy, in the years 1925-1927

Gjergj Naçi, consul in Turkey, in 1937

Pandeli Nase, consul general in Egypt, in the years 1927-1934

Fan Noli, ambassador to the UN, in the years 1921-1922

Gjergj Pekmezi, consul in Austria, in the years 1921-1925; consul in Yugoslavia, in the years 1925-1926

Nik Pema, consul in Hungary, in the years 1923 -1925

Dhimitër Popa, ambassador to Bulgaria, 1932-1934

Nikollë Rrota, consul general in Austria, in the years 1921-1926

Çatin Saraçi, consul general in Bari, Italy, in 1925; consul in Austria, in the years 1926-1929

Xhemal Sojli, consul in Constanta, Romania, in the years 1921-1923

Rrok Stani, consul in Romania, 1926-1927; consul general in Corfu, Greece, 1937-1939

Stavro Stavri, ambassador to Yugoslavia, in 1925; ambassador to Greece, in the years 1926-1928

Avdyl Sula, consul in New York, USA in 1923-1925; consul general in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 1926-1927; ambassador to Egypt, in 1938-1939

Xhelal Shaska, consul in Bari, Italy, in 1938

Tahir Shtylla, ambassador to Yugoslavia, in the years 1927-1929

Koço Tashko, consul in New York, USA, in the years 1922-1924

Xhaferr Vila, consul in France and England simultaneously, in 1925; ambassador to Yugoslavia in the years 1929-1932, ambassador to Greece, in the years 1932-1933, ambassador to Italy in the years 1936-1938

Eqerem Vlora, ambassador to England, in the years 1927-1929, ambassador to Greece, in 1929

Iljaz Vrioni, ambassador to France, in the years 1925-1927

Asaf Jaxhuli, consul general in Skopje, 1933-1936; ambassador to Turkey, 1938-1939

Zaharia Zamifrescu, honorary consul in Romania, in the years 1921-1929./Memorie.al