MARRËDHËNIET SHQIPTARO- GREKE NË VITET 1960-1962
THE ALBANIAN-GREEK RELATIONS IN THE YEARS 1960-1962

Summary/Abstract: The year 1960 marked a drastic turning point for the position and the international relations of Albania. The Albanian-Soviet disagreements burst with all their force and deepened the political isolation of Albania. The Greek government couldn’t under estimate this situation. It strove to exploit it and the new weakened position of Albania to realize its aims. In these moments the Soviet diplomacy began to take a doubtful stand towards the Greek-Albanian relations. Moscow made the impression to the Greeks that it supported their aspirations to realize the autonomy of “North Epirus” and to discuss in an international organism the territorial claims to South Albania. These actions concerned seriously the Albanian government which reacted in a strong and firm manner. The tense Albanian-Soviet relations and the growth of the Greek danger manifested also in the rupture of the relations between the ACP (Albanian Communist Party) and the GCP (Greek Communist Party) which manifested clearly in a scandal taking place in February 1961 when the Albanian leadership drove out from the Congress the delegation of the GCP. Tirana was concerned in the fact that after the rupture of its relations with Moscow, Greece was striving to organize an international conference to discuss its territorial claims(...) In these difficult circumstances for Tirana, manifested openly two other factors which opposed to the Greek danger. Firstly, Italy, which was concerned in a possible action of the Greeks in Albania. Its preoccupation manifested in a document which the General Staff of the Italian Army sent to the Command of NATO in which it condemned the stand of the Greek government towards Albania, and was put in evidence the çam question and condemned the war law which Greece held in force against Albania. These reactions coming from Rome provoked a strong reactions from the Greek side, and the Italian government was obliged to withdraw the above-mentioned document, but its concerns in the Greek policy didn’t decrease. In this period the USA elaborated a flexible policy towards Albania. Its main feature was the influence on the neighbours to keep the hands off Albania and not to cause any thoughtless crisis there, because it would put the American policy before difficult solutions. Greece welcomed the moving away of Albania from the Soviet orbit and evaluated it as an event in favour of its security. It gave some signs that in the new situation it could make some step forwards for the realization of the relations. But again the claims to the annexation of South Albania remained the main blocking obstacle.

• Details
• Contents