23.07.2021 – 13:07
The successes during the spring, against the Ottoman administration of the vilayets, the inability of the High Gate to stop the momentum of the war of the Albanian masses and the echoes that had these successes in the international arena gave a further impetus to the autonomist movement in Albania.
But the decision taken by the Great Powers inside and outside the Berlin Conference, to force the High Gate to satisfy Athens and Cetina with territorial concessions in Chameria and Ulcinj, created a deeply complicated circumstance for the Albanian League of Prizren. The patriotic circles of the Albanian National Movement, being convinced that the High Gate in a state of peace would not give any national rights to Albania and that these could be secured only if it was created with a dead end situation, insisted that the struggle for autonomy of the country to continue even in these conditions. In their view, it was necessary for the fight against the partition of Albanian lands to merge with the fight for the autonomous rights of Albania. In such a case, they thought, the High Gate would be reluctant to open a frontal war against all of Albania, especially since Western powers, primarily Great Britain and Austria-Hungary, would force the Ottoman Empire to avoid it. at all costs this conflict with the Albanians in order not to benefit from it Tsarist Russia. These issues were expected to be discussed at the meeting of the General Council of the Albanian League held in Prizren in the last ten days of July 1880. The Council would decide on the measures to be taken to accept the ceding of the territories granted to it by the Berlin Conference. given to Greece, as well as to oppose the decision of the Istanbul Conference on Ulcinj. The July meeting of the General Council of the League had a fairly broad composition, yet the documentary sources known to date are silent about its decisions.
At the same time, the Inter-Provincial Committee of the League for Southern Albania, having just received the July 1 resolution of the Berlin Conference on the ratification in favor of Greece of the Greek-Turkish border, decided to convene another assembly of the Albanian League in Gjirokastra. Contrary to what was initially thought, the Gjirokastra Assembly did not have an inter-provincial character, but an all-Albanian one. According to the announcement given by the Russian consul, Trojanski, the Assembly decided to convene in Gjirokastra to be closer to the center of Albanian lands, away from the pressure of the center of the vilayet and the intervention of foreign agents located in Ioannina.
The Assembly convened on July 23, 1880. It was attended mainly by Albanian Muslim and Christian leaders of Berat, Përmet, Vlora, Labëria and Chameria. But, according to the data of the Austro-Hungarian consulate in Preveza, in this Assembly participated representatives from all over Albania, not only from the south, but also from Gegëria, while the provinces that could not send representatives, approved its decisions with writing.
The proceedings of the Assembly were led by Abdyl Frashëri. The basic issue that was addressed there was: the autonomy of Albania, the time of its proclamation and the manner of its realization. The Gjirokastra Assembly decided that if the Istanbul government were forced to implement the resolution of the Berlin Conference or if Greece tried to seize the Albanian lands promised to it by force, the Albanian League would immediately declare an interim national government. With its formation, the Ottoman rule in Albania would end. Once the provisional Albanian government was announced, Turkish officials would be fired and replaced by Albanian officials regardless of religion. State revenues would be administered by the interim government for the needs of the Albanian League. A constitution would be drafted immediately, which would guarantee the security of the person, property and the free exercise of religion. The Provisional Government would take all measures to establish exemplary order and tranquility throughout the country. For this purpose, not only the perpetrators of the crimes, but also the traitors of the country would be severely punished. At the same time, special attention would be paid to the national army, which would include all Albanian nizams, reservists and officers serving in the Ottoman army.
The Assembly of Gjirokastra decided that Albania should not go beyond the borders of an autonomous state under the sovereignty of the sultan. However, relations between autonomous Albania and the Ottoman Empire would be kept to a minimum. The sultan would have only one right: to appoint the governor general of Albania, while Albania was obliged to pay an annual cash tribute to the High Gate and to help a certain contingent of Albanian soldiers in case of war with foreign countries. . In return, the Ottoman Empire would be obliged to militarily protect Albania from any external aggression.
Regarding the resolution of the Berlin Conference of July 1, 1880, the Assembly of Gjirokastra held the same position that had previously been determined by the League. He declared that the Albanians had nothing to do with Thessaly, but were determined to oppose at all costs a partition of southern Albania (of Epirus). The Assembly expressed the readiness of the Albanians to immediately jump to the front, if the Greek armies would cross the border. The Assembly decided to take concrete military measures to protect the entirety of Albania, setting up the national army for this purpose.
In order to force the Ottoman Empire to de jure recognize the autonomy of Albania, the leaders intended to draw the broad masses of the people into hostilities and put the High Gate before the fact. According to them, the fact committed would at the same time provide the support of those Great Powers, which did not want internal unrest, which would further weaken the Ottoman Empire. They intended to secure their support by drawing the sympathy of the world opinion in favor of the liberation uprising and by proving that the Albanians were prepared to organize their national state.
The Assembly occupies an important place in the history of the Albanian League. He marked a further escalation of the struggle for the autonomy of Albania and proposed for the first time, on a national scale, the creation of an interim Albanian government. With its decisions, the Assembly of Gjirokastra once again presented to the Great Powers the categorical answer that the Albanians would not allow in any way the partition of the territories of their homeland.
Immediately after the closing of the Gjirokastra Assembly, the participants were dispersed back to their areas, in order to mobilize military forces to protect the entirety of Albanian lands and to ensure national rights.
The attraction of broad sections of the population to the patriotic platform of the radical wing of the League gave impetus to the autonomist movement. Immediately after the closure of the Gjirokastra Assembly in many southern provinces, the actions of the population for the expulsion of Turkish officials from the local administration and for its return to the Albanian administration increased. One month later, in August 1880, the Russian consul in Ioannina, Trojanski, reported on the situation in Chameria: “The governance of the vilayet is now slowly passing into the hands of the Albanians, who are trying to remove from here all the officials of non-Albanian origin. and have been so successful in this work that in the districts of Northwestern Epirus the Albanian League operates almost independently ”. Evidence of the growing authority of the Albanian League was the establishment of complete calm not only in southern Albania, but throughout the country. The League managed to establish peace and order in the vilayet of Bitola and Kosovo. With the decisions of the Assembly of Gjirokastra, the public opinion of the vilayets of Kosovo and Shkodra was also shown solidarity, but in these areas the Albanians remained nailed due to the concern that continued to cause the issue of Ulcinj. The decisions of the Gjirokastra Assembly caused concern in Istanbul. The High Gate took measures to suppress the autonomist movement through disruption or violence in case the situation in the Ulcinj sector worsened. On the issue of Chameria, she decided to gain time by continuing to oppose Protocol no. 13 and dragging out the talks with the Greek side again.
