The “Congress of Berlin” concluded, an international gathering of representatives from the Great Powers of the time: England, Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia, France, Italy, and Turkey. It was convened to revise the Treaty of San Stefano (March 3, 1878). The most important document of the Berlin Congress, the Treaty of Berlin, was the act that envisaged a new territorial arrangement in the Balkans after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the war with Russia (1877–1878). Two of the Great Powers each took a part: Austria-Hungary took Bosnia-Herzegovina with the right of “temporary occupation”, as well as the maintenance of garrisons in the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, an area with an Albanian population. England took control of Cyprus, with the right of “administration”. Compared to the Treaty of San Stefano, Russia’s gains were reduced. “Greater Bulgaria,” which included Albanian lands, was dissolved and divided in two: besides the Principality of Bulgaria remaining as a nominally dependent state under Turkey, Eastern Rumelia was created as an autonomous province with a governor appointed by the Ottoman Porte. The Albanian issue was not discussed at the Congress of Berlin, although the League of Prizren (1878) and its branches had addressed it several times (the Memorandum of Shkodra, the Memorandum of Istanbul of June 1878, etc.). The German Chancellor, Bismarck, denied the existence of the Albanian nationality at the congress. The Congress of Berlin made decisions that marginalized areas inhabited by Albanian populations in favor of neighboring states. Serbia gained some territories with Albanian populations in the regions of Vranje, Niš, etc., up to the vicinity of Gjilan. Montenegro took Plav and Gusinje and gained the right of free navigation on the Buna River and Lake Shkodra. The Congress of Berlin also addressed the issue of revising the border with Greece in the south, which would be resolved through Turkish-Greek bilateral negotiations. This recommendation was used by the Greek government to raise claims aimed at annexing the Albanian region of Chameria. These decisions were met with staunch opposition from the League of Prizren, which resisted the partitioning of Albanian lands. This prolonged the Eastern Crisis for several years, until 1881. (Pictured: Map after the Congress of Berlin, 1878.)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 1254.
Photo: © https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traktati_i_Berlinit_%281878%29
Graphic processing: AHCF
