The Spanish press about Albania 40 years ago

By DRITAN MARA,
Journalist and translator, Madrid

September 12 of this year marks 40 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Albania and Spain. In fact, it could be called a restoration of relations, since the two countries had recognized each other since August 1922, and Spain had even opened a Legation in Tirana in April 1929. However, the political storms of the 20th century would separate their paths for a long time.

 The ideological abyss

The invasion of Albania in April 1939 forcibly interrupted the first contacts. However, its liberation in November 1944 did not bring the expected rapprochement either. A deep ideological chasm had already opened up between the two states.

The Spanish Civil War had brought General Francisco Franco to power, while World War II had brought the regime of Enver Hoxha to power. Historically, both were dictators, but with opposite tendencies: Franco, a radical representative of the anti-communist right; Enver, a dogmatic leader of the Stalinist left.

The political gap would create a vacuum and freeze in relations between the two countries. Official Tirana harshly criticized Franco's fascist dictatorship, the articles in Zërin i Popullit and Radio Tirana are well known; while the Spanish Government criticized Hoxha's communist dictatorship as well as the support that Albania gave to radical Spanish groups of the extreme left of the FRAP type, the Revolutionary Anti-Fascist and Patriotic Front, whose activity had increased in the last years of Franco's regime.

The gap was so deep that even in the passports of that time, Spanish citizens were expressly prohibited from traveling to communist bloc countries, with Albania at the top of the list.

1975, Death of Franco

The great Spanish turning point would come in 1975 with the death of Franco, one of the two dictators. Spain would experience what is called the Spanish Transition , a smooth transition from dictatorship to democracy, the figure of the king would be restored and the Spanish government would see new opportunities for opening up in the international arena. It is precisely in these years that a desire for openness is felt between the two countries.

First contacts towards opening

Initially unofficial, the first contacts between diplomats of the two countries began on neutral ground, away from the public eye, in Belgrade, in 1977.

In November 1981, the newspaper "El Pais" published an article sent by its correspondent in Belgrade, which spoke of a rapprochement between diplomats from the two countries:

"Spanish diplomats participated yesterday, for the first time, in Belgrade in the reception organized by the Albanian embassy to celebrate Albania's national day. The issue of opening relations between Tirana and Madrid has been patiently pursued by the Spanish embassy in Yugoslavia for years."

The talks would be long and delicate, the two countries sometimes seemed to be getting closer and sometimes drifting back to their starting positions. The gap between them had not been bridged, Enver Hoxha was still alive.

September 12, 1986, historic signing

Diplomatic rapprochement was officially crowned on September 12, 1986. Through a joint protocol, the Kingdom of Spain and what was still called the People's Socialist Republic of Albania decided to put decades of ideological hostility behind them.

Today, after four decades, it is interesting to research what was written in the Spanish press at the time about Albania and the establishment of these relations.

On September 13, 1986 , the largest Spanish daily newspaper at the time, El País (with a circulation of around 400.000 copies per day), reflected the events of the previous day with detailed notes and a dose of analysis.

“ Spain and Albania established diplomatic relations yesterday, concluding negotiations that had taken place in Paris last year between the ambassadors of the two countries. Albania was the only European country with which Spain did not have relations. The exchange of diplomatic notes, […] took place in the presence of the ambassadors of the two countries in Paris, Juan Durán Lóriga and Maxhun Peka.

The agreement to establish relations with Albania was approved by the Council of Ministers on August 28 of this year. For the time being, the Spanish representation in Tirana will be channeled through the embassy in Belgrade, and the Albanian representation in Spain through its delegation in Paris.

The Spanish newspaper article pointed out that since 1945, contacts between the two countries had been almost zero, not counting the several hundred Spaniards who had visited Albania in those years for excursions “ more of an exotic and political nature than touristic .” Here, ironically, the reference was to those Spaniards, members of Marxist-Leninist parties who came secretly to Albania where they were politically formed and developed their activity by helping with the translations of political literature or in the Spanish broadcasts of Radio Tirana.

The newspaper also revealed the behind-the-scenes details of the process:

“The process of opening Spanish-Albanian diplomatic relations, […] began in the capital of Yugoslavia in 1978, after the expulsion from Spain of Leka Zog, the claimant to the Albanian throne. […] Until Franco’s death, Albanian ambassadors around the world had been instructed not to greet their Spanish counterparts and to turn their backs on them at official receptions organized by third countries. Ambassador Fernando Olivié and the current Albanian Deputy Foreign Minister, Sokrates Plaka, initiated the first informal contacts in Belgrade in 1977.”

The chrome that breaks the diplomatic blockade

The Spanish press reveals that, although there were no official diplomatic relations, there were trade contacts between the two countries. Referring to periodicals of the time, we discover that in 1980 there was a visit by an Albanian trade delegation to Madrid and a Spanish trade delegation to Tirana. Another press release shows that in 1980 Spain had bought about 4 million dollars worth of goods from Albania. While in 1985 Spain had bought mainly chrome from Albania worth 895 million pesetas (about 6,4 million dollars) and had exported goods to Albania worth 85 million pesetas (about 607 thousand dollars).

Trade contacts between the two countries paved the way for diplomatic relations. The Spanish were interested in Albania's minerals and oil and, in turn, sought to sell their products to an Albania that, after its separation from China, was interested in the industrial products that Spain could offer. But, by September 1986, it seemed that there was still some way and some negotiations to go.

1985, Death of Enver Hoxha

The Spanish press gave considerable coverage to the death of the Albanian communist leader. The newspaper El Pais, on April 18, 1985, opened its article with these words:

“The departure of Enver Hoxha from the Albanian Stalinist political scene and his replacement by Ramiz Alia paves the way for the establishment of relations between Madrid and Tirana. Hoxha’s death closes the chapter of an era of insults against the Spanish Crown, particularly harsh until five years ago, through the waves of Radio Tirana. Albanian diplomatic sources have reiterated to this newspaper, after the death of their leader, that Tirana remains steadfast in its desire to enter into dialogue with Madrid.”

But even for Ramiz Ali, the Spanish press seems to have been skeptical:

“After the death of the historic leader Hoxha in April 1985, his successor, Ramiz Alia, swore before his remains: “Albania will always be red, as you wanted it.” Nothing has changed in the most closed country in Europe. During Hoxha’s lifetime, Ramiz Alia was the guardian of ideological purity, the guardian of the tableau of loyalty to the memory of Stalin, in a country where the public exercise of religion is forbidden.”

The Temptation from the East and the Role of the Council of Europe

Perhaps one of the external incentives that would influence the conclusion of the agreement would be what the September 13 article further reveals:

“In 1985, the Council of Europe recommended to its members to promote their relations with Albania, following the death of Enver Hoxha in April 1985, given the possibility that new leaders might be tempted to return from the East.

This recommendation by the Council of Europe to pull Albania towards the West and not let its new leaders fall into the temptation of returning from the East was perhaps the final impetus for the Spanish Council of Ministers, headed by Felipe Gonzalez, a socialist, to sign the agreement to establish diplomatic relations with Albania in August 1986.

Although the Albanian side's interest in establishing diplomatic relations had begun after Franco's death, their crowning would take place a decade later, only after the death of Enver Hoxha. There were two dictators who held power for the longest time, Franco for 36 years and Enver for 41 years. Both dictators had to die for diplomatic relations to be reestablished between these two countries.