Albanians mark 70 years of WWII liberation, 102 years of independence

Nov. 29 culminated a month of activities relating to the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII.
TIRANA, Nov. 29 – Albania has celebrated Nov. 28 — the Independence Day, and Nov. 29 — its World War II liberation day, in a particularly festive atmosphere marking 70 years since WWII ended in the country.
As usual in post-communist Albania, center-right and leftist parties celebrated the occasions in separate ceremonies.
The government of the Socialist party-led coalition of Prime Minister Edi Rama started it in southwestern Vlora city where the national flag was raised 102 years ago.
President Bujar Nishani, elected in the post by the main opposition Democratic Party, was also present to see the flag raised there by two Albanian recent world champion weightlifters.
Vlora Square was filled with citizens by across Albania and decorated with red and black colors and Albanian flags. Albanians also laid wreaths at the monument of independence.
Vlora was the first city to raise the Albanian flag on Nov. 28, 1912, under Albanian leader Ismail Qemali, who is also the founder of independent Albania. High officials of Albania paid homage to Ismail Qemali monumental tomb.
The Independence Day, also known as Flag Day, was celebrated also in the capital of Kosovo, Prishtina and Tirana, where streets were decorated with black and red colors and many Albanian flags. A series of events for the day were held.
Nov. 29 culminated a month of activities relating to the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII in Albania through the liberation of the country by partisan guerilla fighters, which were primarily followers of the communist ideology.
Nov. 29, the official Liberation Day has been a point of political controversy for years.
Opposition Democrats consider Liberation Day to be the same date as Independence Day on Nov. 28. The official date has shifted twice during Albania’s history. It is currently marked on Nov. 29.
Prime Minister Rama praised resistance fighters for their efforts, adding the crimes of the communist regime afterward cannot be used to negate the contribution of the communist resistance alongside the winning coalition against the Nazis at the time.
Albania joined the anti-fascist coalition and liberates the country from the Nazis without the direct support by the Soviet Union Red Army.
The recently-opened Bunk’Art anti-nuclear Cold War bunker in Tirana outskirts was the attraction of the moment for the citizens. Thousands of Albanians visited Bunk’Art, the underground five-story building, built between 1972 and 1978, under the Dajti Mountain east of Tirana. It was aimed at protecting the regime’s political and military elites in case of atomic attack.
Rama has pledged that “every grave of the past” will be opened to the public. He said that the opening of the bunker will turn the area into a tourist attraction.