The “Italian-Albanian Pact of Friendship and Security” was signed in Tirana. The pact consisted of 5 articles, but its essence was contained in article 1, in which it was stated: “Italy and Albania declare that any infringement of the political, legal and territorial status quo of Albania is contrary to the political interests of both parties” . By means of this clause, Italy prevented any overthrow of the regime from within and without; this gave Ahmet Zog enough guarantees to keep power. On the other hand, it gave Italy the right to intervene in Albania at any time it saw fit, to avoid possible danger. Another clause of the pact, which legislated the subjugation of the country to Italy, stated that the Albanian government had no right to conclude such agreements with others. This meant that its foreign policy was dependent on Italy. Accordingly, the government of Rome followed with concern any attempt by Ahmet Zog to approach others and did not allow him to take steps in this direction. So, not only the regime, but also Albania was placed under Italian protection. This pact with a term of 5 years and which could be repeated at the end of this term, created a protectorate relationship between Italy and Albania, at least not de jure , de facto , while “reciprocity” was an empty term. Limiting the right of the Albanian government to develop an independent foreign policy, and the obligation that agreements with other countries not be concluded without the consent of Italy, put the official Tirana in a dead end. The Albanian government, when it saw that it no longer had any control over the situation, asked the Italians to explain some unclear expressions of the pact. The pact, according to Aloisi’s answer, was supposedly in favor of the Albanian government, because it gave it full guarantees to face difficult international situations and threats from potential enemies. But this reasoning was not convincing and the Albanian government declared after some time, to the government of Rome that it had to preserve the right to conclude similar pacts with other countries, which Rome did not accept in any way. Ahmet Zog tried time and time again to release the noose that Italy had thrown around his neck, but without success. The pact evoked a strong reaction from the Yugoslav government. Foreign Minister Ninčić, who had good relations with the Italians, called the pact treasonous and anti-Yugoslav. Great Britain welcomed the pact, evaluating it as a factor of peace and security in the Balkans, while France held a critical position towards it, describing it as an aggressive and warmongering action in the Balkans and Europe. Other Balkan countries, such as Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, did not condemn, and even welcomed Italy for this action, because they wanted to maintain relations with it. The Italo-Albanian Pact was also echoed by the European press. Many European newspapers judged it as an important violation of Albania’s sovereignty and as the first step towards its annexation by Italy. (In the photo: Ahmet Zogu, known as King Zogu I.)
Text: The history of the Albanian people – Vol. III , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Toena”, Tirana, 2007, page 264-265.
Photo: © https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paktet_e_Tiran%C3%ABs
Graphic processing: AHCF
