FLASH
Shkruar nga Gjergj ZefiAlbania has its mistakes and obligations to the European Union. But Europe also has a historical obligation to a people who for centuries stood up to defend its borders and values.
From the walls of Rozafa Castle to the corridors of Brussels; Albanians have always been on the side of Europe. The debate on Ukraine should remind the EU that Albania is not the periphery of the continent, but part of its history...
In the new debate taking place in the European Union on accelerating Ukraine's membership, Albania should not position itself against Kiev. A people fighting for its freedom deserves support and solidarity. Ukraine is paying a high price today for defending its sovereignty and for defending the values that Europe itself claims to represent.
But as Europe rightly debates the future of Ukraine, it should not forget another reality: The Western Balkans, and especially the Albanians, are not simply candidates for membership. They have been part of European history long before the European Union itself existed.
Albania cannot claim innocence. We have our mistakes, our failures and our internal wounds. Corruption, mass emigration, institutional weaknesses and political polarization are real problems. Europe has the right to demand standards and reforms.
But equally right is the question that Albanians can address to Europe: is the language of conditions and technical reports alone sufficient to judge the relationship between Europe and the Albanian nation?
History says no.
For centuries, Albanians have been on the front lines of the confrontation between the West and the Ottoman Empire. Skanderbeg's resistance was not simply a defense of the Albanian lands; it was considered by European chroniclers as a dam that delayed the Ottoman penetration into the heart of Europe.
The siege of Shkodra in 1478-1479 remains one of the most significant episodes in European history. The chronicles of the time mention the fear that after the fall of Shkodra the road to Italy would be opened. The symbolic memory of the cries of the Ottoman soldiers who saw Shkodra as the gateway to Rome has also been preserved in the Albanian and Italian historical tradition. The message was clear: after Shkodra, it would be the turn of Italy and the heart of Western Christianity.
It is no coincidence that in the Vatican and in the Italian archives there are hundreds of documents that speak of the Albanian resistance as an issue of European importance and not just local.
This history should not be used as political currency. It should not be turned into romantic nationalism. But it cannot be hidden either.
Because modern Europe is built on historical memory. Poland remembers its sacrifices. Greece remembers its fight for independence. The Baltic countries remember their resistance to the Soviet Union. Albanians also have the right to remember their role in the history of the continent.
That's why Italy's reaction to the Ukraine debate deserves attention. Rome is not opposing Ukraine. It is reminding us that Europe cannot build strategic policies while forgetting about the countries that have been waiting on the Union's doorstep for decades.
If European security is an argument for Ukraine today, then history, Euro-Atlantic loyalty, and strategic importance should also be arguments for the Western Balkans.
Albania does not seek privileges. It does not seek shortcuts. It does not seek membership as a gift.
But Europe must understand that the integration of Albanians is not just a bureaucratic process. It is the closing of a historical chapter that began centuries ago.
And if the European Union wants to be a project of memory, values, and historical justice, then it should not see Albania only through statistics and progress reports.
It must also see it through its history. A history that, at many crucial moments, has also been the history of Europe itself./ Pamphlet
Pergjigja e Europes per borxhin ngaj Shqiperise eshte si barcaleta e Titos kur per te treguar qe ishin mbytur ne borxhe kapi fytin e kur dha te kuptonte qe do i lanin borxhet kapi koqet.
i referoheni historise nderkohe qe sot arabizimi dhe radikalizimi i i arnauteve po behet bute dhe pa zhurme,,,per cfare duhet europa???? si do shkojme atje, si shqiptare apo si arabe te arnautistanit,,,dhe,,,natyrisht qe duhet te plotesojme edhe ca rregulla per frocot e bq ,,felliqesira
Te kenaqin injorantet e vendit qe s'kane dale ne Europe qe ta shohin se sa arabe e te zinj e me the te thashe ka. Te jesh arab eshte ceshtje rrace, jo ceshtje besimi. Po edhe krishterimi andej nga arabet e semitet e ka zanafillen, se mos nuk je i informuar :) Ne fund arsyeja pse mezi po shkojme ne Europe eshte pikerisht urrejtja mes njeri tjetrit qe kemi nga askusha si puna jote. Vjedhim kete vend ne vend qe te kontribuojme te gjithe. Secili per vete. Turp.
Per cilen Evrope e ke fjale? Per ate Evrope ku janë anetare edhe Greqia, Rumania dhe Bullgaria????
Urime Gjergj Zefit per argumentimin serioz pse Shqiperia meriton te pranohet sa me pare ne Bashkimin Europian. Kete mentalitet duhet ta perqafojme te gjithe qe nga shqiptari me i thjeshte e deri te Kryeministri e Presidenti i RSH. Ne vitet 1825-1827 kur kryengritesit greke po mundeshin prej forcave osmane, perfaqesuesi i Anglise tha: "Edhe pse kryengritesit greke nuk po fitojne ne betejat kryesore, ne si Europe duhet ta shpallim Greqine shtet te pavarur, sepse ia kemi borxh per hir te kultures se saj te lashte. Mirepo ne vitet 1911 e 1912 kur kryengritesit shqiptare po fitonin betejat kryesore kunder ushtrise osmane, asnje nga perfaqesuesit e Fuqive Europiane nuk tha: "Duhet ta njohim shtetin e pavarur shqiptar, sepse ia kemi borxh gjakun qe ka derdhur per te mbrojtur qyteterimin europian nga barbaria osmane". Ky nenvleresim i traditave tona u manifestua edhe gjate takimeve te ambasadoreve te 6 fuqive te medha te Europes kur u ndane kufijte e shtetit te ri shqiptar me 1913, me shume se gjysma e tokve dhe e popullsise shqiptare u la jashte kufijve te Shqiperise per te kenaqur kelyshet e Rusise Cariste. Prandaj duhet te jemi te gjithe te kthjellet se Gjergj Zefi...