A Century From the Durres Congress

The Durres Congress was the meeting of representatives of Albania held in Durres to ensure after the end of World War I independence, territorial integrity and the continuation of the Albanian state. Congress ran the works on December 25-27, 1918.

Over 50 delegates attended. A provisional government with 14 members was elected. The convention also decided to form a Pleass (sensis) as a government advisory body. Delegates gathered at the Durres Congress expressed the preservation of the Albanian state's independence and territorial integrity, for revising 1913's borders in its favour, and for the application to the Peace Conference.

Movements for gathering Albanian leaders had emerged since early October. But in the organisation of Albanians in Italy, they were preparing as Mehdi Frasher, Mustafa Kruja, who were oriented by Italian politics.

These were asked on October 6, 1918 “Vara” to send their representatives to Italy to determine the common political platform, with which they would appear before the Peace Conference. As Mehmet Konica arrived in Rome on November 19th, warmly welcomed by the Italians. Meanwhile, the Italian government had given up its initial view of allowing the formation of an Albanian government. Meanwhile, Albanians who came from Rome to Albania were advised to form, not a government, but a national council or committee.

This committee was not to make an independent policy within the country or abroad, but it had to find a tool in the hands of Italian politics. In late November 1918 the formation of the national council conceived by Gaetano Manconi was approved, ordering that the council be formed as soon as possible in Durres with Albanian persons to be our people and authority in all of Albania occupied by us except Vlora and its hinterland. In both cases, however, both a government and a council had to meet the national convention to form these organs.

This convention opened on the afternoon of December 25, 1918, with 53 delegates attending. They came from most of the country under the conquest of Italy. But the convention did not take part in the city of Vlora because Italian authorities had received instruction from Rome not to recognize the delegates in this city. Also missing were representatives of the province under Serbian occupation, the River Bishop, and those under French occupation, such as the city of Korca.

These were factors that enabled the electrocution of developments at the Durres Congress. But not only had delegates come to Durres but many other political figures as well. This is how the newspaper “Agimi” reflects, “At Congress they managed to make proposals and get word from people who did not figure out the list of people who had the mandate of envoy”. But Durres representatives, without passing on the agenda, also expressed concern over the lack of participation of delegates and all Albanian provinces. The delegates, who at the beginning of the work displayed confidence in the winners of the war, accompanied by a greeting, particularly Wilson, “who had proclaimed the principles of the self - determination of the peoples”.

Congress drafted an overall political programme. It expressed the preservation of independence, the earthly entirety of the Albanian state, and the revision of the 1913 border. On the issue related to the legal status of this state and political animation of one or another the winning power, which was at odds, they acted quietly and in compromise with each other. This programme was essentially protecting rights at the Peace Conference by the Durres government, seeking Albania's ethnic borders, maintaining calm within the country. The programme represented a step forward in the Albanian national movement, but must be praised in conditions where Albania was occupied by foreign armies and under pressure from its neighbours. In this view, researchers of this period, while positively praising the Durres Congress, had made no comment or assessment regarding the government's programme. The thought of post-war Albanian history has taken a critical stance against the support it gave “Vatra” compromise with Italy over forming the Durres government.

By a careful study of the period in which this agreement was reached, however, it seems that such an attitude is correct. That conclusion stems from changing Albania's conditions at the end of the war, seen through several factors. Like political imbalances in the Balkans, as a result of the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the loss of war.