Tirana Times
Tirana, March 29 – What does the next decade hold in store for Albania? It’s a question an international symposium tried to answer Thursday and Friday, as the Albanian Institute for International Studies,along with the Albanian Media Institute, andwith the support of Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the Open Society Foundation forAlbaniabrought together prominent experts to analyze the subject.
They included academics, historians, economists, civil society representatives, as well as experts from both withinAlbaniaand abroad, including Bernd Fischer, University of Indiana; Karl Kaser, University of Graz; Blerim Reka, Southeast European University, Tetovo; Robert Austin, University of Toronto; Artan Fuga, University of Tirana; RexhepMeidani, former President of Albania;Albert Rakipi, Albanian Institute for International Studies;and,Ermal HasimjaUniversity of New York, Tirana.
The first part of the symposium featured critical discussion on important historical phasesinthe existence of the Albanian state, including:itsindependence, consolidation during the time of King Zog I, Albania during the World Wars andcommunism,the country’stransition to democracy, and itsmodernization path during the past 20 years. These key periods were not addressed merely for the purpose of historical recount, butwith the aim of discerning patterns of development of the Albanian state and society which could helpin the establishment of a forecastforthe challenges of the future.
“The last one-hundred years have brought a new geography and new history to the region. Where are the Balkans? Where can they go? There must be a new model for the region,” remarked Blerim Reka of the Southeast European University in Macedonia.
Albert Rakipi, executive director of the Albanian Institute for International Studies, detailed the inspiration for the symposium’s debate and need for a clear change in the coming decade, especially in light of a questionable 20-year transition thus far.
