Photo: Albanian Submarines, Orikum.

AFTER BUSH, DOES PUTIN COME IN TIRANA?

The end of Military Agreement between Soviet Union and Albania, about Submarine Base in Vlora Bay, maybe have to bring the next mission Rusian President in Tirana. Tow Russian Military Companies will attend during a friendly ceremony, which will be held in Naval Base of Orikum, in Vlora Bay.

By Stavros Markos*

The Russian President Vladimir Putin will took Tirana in the end of June, after US President George Bush, left from Albania, in a moment very significant for the future of Kosovo Status and the Balkan Region. Russian President is for the second times that visits Albania, since the Chairman of URSS Nikita Hrushov, visited Albania under Dictator Regime of Enver Hoxha in 1959. The ceremony, could surprise Albanian opinion about an military agreement between Tirana and Moscow right now to finish from 50 years, particularly the nostalgic of communism era in Albania, who have lived a long period together with soviet military mission.

“The Submarine Base” of Orikum, was created under “Varshava Agreement” in 1957 when Albania was member of it. In the Agreement, authorized directly Moscow to hold the Base as “Part of Sovereignty” of Union Soviet until June 2007. According to Agreement, Albania and USSR must create a submarine base with about 12 submarines, with mix personnel under soviet army command. But in 1961 the Dictator Enver Hoxha separated politicly from Moscow after romped the relations with USSR. Decides of high Albanian officers including the General Marshall of Albanian Naval Forces, killed as “pro sovietic agents” and greek espionage, who did not want to follow the Communist dictature Regime of Tirana.

The Albanian historians have manipulated such other issue, the reality Russian - Albanian relations in the end of 1961, glorifying as the “Great Victory” of Albania against the “sovietic revisionism”, beginning with the Book of Ismail Kadare “The Great Winner”. Before his visit in 1959 in Tirana, Nikita Hrushov has been visited from Greek Ambassador in Moscow, who given a letter from Greek Prime Minister. On the letter, Athens claims a right about the southern Albania, particularly to look for Hellenism Culture in Buthrintos and the future of Northern Epirus. The Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha wanted to break the request of Russian president to visit Buthrintos but failed. Nikita Hrushov visited Buthrintos and gives rights the Greek propose after came back from Albania.

On 1961 Tirana cut the diplomatic relations and all agreements with USSR, seeing the China`s Republic as future “Big Brother” putting new relations particularly on military field as they had been stopped from Moscow. The Submarine Base of Orikum, begins to reactivate it war ships since 1978 time when “China suspects economic and military aids to Albania”. But early, 1967, Albania denounced “The Varshava Agreement” leaving politically distance while in reality Tirana hold it Represent Officer in Varsava. In this time, the Albanian army where in alert particularly from Greece it southern border, after NATO could had prepared a plan to attack Albania, in any condition if Greece will be menaced from Tirana.

At the end of Communism collapse in 1990 in Europe, the Naval Base of Orikum, was in a critic situation where war ships and particularly four submarines where under condition to navigate. Even the chines specialist had been assisted often during the faze of service, the Albanian submarines, have stopped since 1997 when in Albania explodes the “War Civil”. During the March 1997, a journalist, correspondent of “TAR TASS Agency”, came in Orikum to see near the destruction of old Navale Base, where the war ships embarked full of civil on they to leave Albania to Italy after Collapse Schemes Pyramids. About 400 marine missiles and 200 sub sea bombs where blocked inside the tunnels while four submarines where to be decomposed.

Post 97, the submarine naval base of Orikum, was in total degradation. An agreement between Tirana and Ankara, gave the authorisation to reconstruction from Turkish Army. The agreement 5+2 years of Turkish Army is to determinate and NATO must take the old Submarine Base of Orikum (Pashs Liman) in his administration. Some months before, NATO has destructed all the missiles and bombes inside military magazines of Pasha Liman Base, and the end of June, will be the Russian President Vladimir Putin to be present in Cremony day, which will pass from the Base under Soviet Sovereignty to NATO represent in Albania.

Albania is one of three countries in South East Europe, together with FYROM and Croatia, which have firmed agreement with NATO, under “Adriatic Charter” to join on 2008 as member of Euro Atlantic Military Forces. The Albanian army is in total reconstruction since 1997, when exploded the “Civil War”, after collapse of Pyramids Schemes. NATO operates with his troops basing a legislative agreement with Tirana since 2005.

Nevertheless, the Albanian politics are under attention of Bruxselles to make particularly politic reforms, beginning to make free elections and to respect the human rights values regarding developments in Balkan Region.

Stavros Markos*
Member of World Security Network Foundation Athens & South Eastern Europe Office.
Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS), Athens, Greece.

(Albanian politics, NGO & Minorities studies). Journalist, analyst on organized crime in the Balkans & NGO Director. Markos Stavros, born in 1965 in Vlore, Albania, is an award-winning investigative journalist in Tirana. He has worked with BBC Radio, Albanian Television TVS, France Television TF1, TF2, TV5, Italian Television RAI, Athens Media Sesk and more, specializing in Balkan organized crime. He is directing NGO activities around minority issues and has served in the directory of TV Stations and newspapers