The creation of the institution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the modern Albanian state dates back to the creation of the Provisional Government of Vlora on December 4, 1912, a few days after the declaration of the secession of Albania from the Ottoman Empire. The Prime Minister of the Provisional Government, Ismail Qemali, also held the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs until June 1913.
Then this function passed to Myfi bey Libohova who exercised it until the end of January 1914. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this period functions as a section of the Provisional Government, with the main objective of ensuring the recognition of Albania’s independence from the Great Powers at the Conference of Ambassadors in London. To realize this objective, the first diplomatic services were also carried out, such as the diplomatic mission of the Government of Vlora to the Conference of Ambassadors, headed by the personal diplomat of the Prime Minister Rasih Dino.
1913-1920
With the decision of July 29, 1913, the Conference of Ambassadors of the 6 Great Powers in London, decided that Albania, within the boundaries defined by this Conference, would be formed as “… an autonomous, sovereign and hereditary principality … under the guarantee of the 6 Powers. The Prince will be appointed by the 6 Powers. Any link of sovereignty between Turkey and Albania is excluded…. The control of the civil administration and finances of Albania is entrusted to an International Commission composed of delegates of the 6 Powers and a delegate of Albania”. Until the arrival of the prince, everything would be subject to the control of the International Commission. Under the circumstances of a difficult situation created inside and outside the country, on January 15, 1914, Ismail Qemali was forced to hand over power to the International Control Commission. This Commission was commissioned by the Conference of Ambassadors to prepare a project for the detailed organization of the Albanian administration. On March 7, 1914, the German prince Wilhelm Wieddi arrived in Durrës. On March 17, 1914, the Prince of Albania appointed the “Definitive Government”. The first Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the new officially recognized Albanian state was Turhan Pashë Përmeti, former ambassador of the Ottoman Empire in Saint Petersburg. Turhan Pasha remained as foreign minister until May 28, 1914, then he was replaced by Prenk Bibë Doda, and the latter, after July, was succeeded by Mehmed Konica. Since Italy and Austria-Hungary were the authors of the formula for the recognition of Albania’s independence, Captain Castoldi, an Italian officer, was “in command” at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for diplomatic missions. He together with the Austrian diplomat Buchberger formed the prince’s political cabinet. The first official Albanian diplomatic representation was established in Vienna, represented by Syrja bey Vlora, and in Rome, represented by Myfid bey Libohova. The Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Albania functioned until the beginning of the First World War in September 1914. On September 3 Prince Wieddi left Albania and the country turned into a theater of war between the Balkan states and the Great Powers.
The end of the war brought before the Albanian people the problem of the existence of the independent Albanian state. In these circumstances, the need arose for the creation of an Albanian national government to express the interests of the Albanians and protect them at the Peace Conference in Paris that would begin work in January 1919. For this purpose, after an intensive preparatory work , it was decided to convene a congress in the former capital of Albania, in Durrës, in December 1918. Hoping for Italy’s support for the preservation of Albania’s independence, Italian help was requested for the organization of this Congress. The Provisional Government created by the Congress of Durrës consisted of 14 members. It was chaired by Turhan Pashë Përmeti and Myfit bey Libohova was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. A delegation consisting of several members of the government and headed by Turhan Pashë Përmeti was assigned to present the Albanian national demands to the Peace Conference and defend them. Since in its positions the Government of Durrës demonstrated that it had fallen prey to Italian interests in Albania and was not representing Albanian national interests, the need arose to replace it with an Albanian national government.
1920-1925
In January 1920, in Lushnjë, on the initiative of Albanian patriots and intellectuals of the time, a Congress was convened with representatives from all the liberated provinces of Albania, which would elect the Albanian national government away from Italian influence. On January 30, 1920, the Albanian national government was established, with a wide base of support. Its Prime Minister was Sulejman Delvina and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mehmet Konica. Since the Peace Conference in Paris left unresolved the Albanian issue, the recognition of independence and its borders defined in 1913, Foreign Minister Konica immediately went to the main European offices of the time to ensure their support in reaching a decision for Albania.
In order to build a professional foreign service, with a special decision of the Council of Ministers, in October 1920, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, M. Konica, was tasked with finding a consul from the old consuls of Austria to be employed for a 2-year period for the organization of Albanian consulates and to serve as a teacher for those who wanted to enter the consular service of Albania. Then, in August 1921, the National Council (parliament) with the proposal of the Commission for Foreign Policy decided to open the Albanian consulates in Brindisi, Trieste and Florence.
After Albania’s admission to the League of Nations on December 17, 1920 and the Decision of November 9, 1921 of the Conference of Ambassadors in Paris, which re-sanctioned the independence of the Albanian state and the borders established in 1913, many countries recognized the Albanian government and began to establish relations diplomatic relations with the Albanian state. In the years 1922-1923, Albanian legates were opened in London, Paris, Rome, Belgrade, Sofia, Athens, Bucharest, the Albanian representation in the League of Nations, as well as general consulates in Alexandria, Bucharest, Luxembourg, Stockholm, Trieste, and consulates in Bari, Constantinople, Constanta, Hamburg, New York, Thessaloniki, Corfu, Vienna, Munich, Brindisi, while many foreigners in this period turn to the Albanian government with requests to be appointed as honorary consuls of Albania in other countries.
At the beginning of 1922, on the eve of the opening of foreign legations in Albania, the Council of Ministers proposed to the National Council that a special structure for reception ceremonies of foreign representatives be created near the High Council (Regency). This proposal was not approved. The National Council decided that the tasks of this structure should be performed by an employee of the MFA, a fact that marks the beginnings of the State Protocol at the MFA.
By the end of 1922, the National Council asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the Albanian missions abroad inform all the Albanian colonies in the countries where these missions were accredited about the activity and talks in the National Council about the problems of the Albanian colonies, an act that constitutes the beginnings of the work of the Albanian state with the Albanian diaspora in the world.
For the first time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs created its own organizational structure, that is, the official division of labor, with the decision of the Council of Ministers no. 70, dated February 6, 1923, which approved the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the organization of this institution and the names of the personnel who would cover any anticipated job position. In this organization, diplomatic ranks appeared for the first time as a job position in the MFA, mainly taken from the Turkish model of the diplomatic hierarchy.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would consist of:
General Secretariat
Secretary General, (Xhafer Vila – the first Secretary General in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
1 II Secretary (title and not diplomatic rank)
The head of the material base in the MFA,
An archivist and 1 typist-protocolist,
Political and Disputes Directorate
directory
First Secretary
Second Secretary
Directorate of Consular Affairs and Trade
directory
Deputy secretary of I
Deputy secretary of II
Cage of the Ministry
2 cleaning workers
Although this structure was approved, due to the lack of political stability in the country and frequent government changes, it did not function until December 1924.
1925-1939
After the creation of the first Republic of Albania, January 1925, the President of the Republic of Albania Ahmet Zogu, with the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Hysen Vrioni, approved the separation of political affairs from consular-administrative affairs and the creation of a Political Directorate in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The main arguments were the increase in the activity of the MFA, the need to enter into more direct relations with the foreign diplomatic corps accredited in Albania and the Albanian representations abroad, as well as to seriously follow the various issues that were discussed in the League of Nations, which day by day was gaining special importance. Now the MFA has two directorates, the political one and the consular-administrative one.
In October 1925, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposed to the Council of Ministers that the representations of RSH abroad should use as attachés free of charge Albanian students who continued their studies in these countries. This would also prepare future career diplomats who would serve the Albanian state. This proposal was approved by the Council of Ministers, but was rejected by the National Council because it was considered a decrease in the level of representation of the Albanian Republic among foreigners.
One of the first acts undertaken by the presidency of the Republic of Albania was the call made to all high state institutions for the preparation of their organic draft laws related to the organization of these institutions and the administrative division of tasks. At the same time, starting from the models of the homologous institutions abroad, the MFA proposed to the Council of Ministers the beginning of the application of the system of diplomatic ranks during the diplomatic career of every official. The proposal was approved.
While the first honorary consulate was opened in Copenhagen on August 1, 1925, the year 1926 also recognized the main wave of the opening of honorary consulates of the Republic of Albania in the world (without expenses), the purpose of which, as expressed by H. Vrioni, was ” … to make our country known through trade and economy, to find protection and relief for the Albanians who are there and those who travel for commercial, cultural and educational purposes, etc.”
In 1926, the Council of Ministers also approved “Regulations for the official uniform of the diplomatic and consular body” according to European models.
In April 1927, the Press Office was added to the structure of the MFA, an office that was transferred to the MFA from the Ministry of the Interior. The reasons that were used as an argument for this transfer were “The importance given to the press and its influence in solving political-diplomatic issues throughout the civilized world, which has encouraged Western countries to have special offices with personnel capable of to direct the internal press and to influence the global public opinion by means of a special propaganda in the external press. It is added to the structure of the MFA as a parallel section with the other two sections of this ministry”.
The form of organization and presentation of this institution was determined by the Organic Law of the MFA, the drafting of which began in 1925, but was finalized in 1929, under the special care of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Rauf Fico. The organic law of the MFA was considered the backbone of the department. The law stipulated that the central administration in the MFA would be divided into the following main offices:
General Secretariat
Political Directorate
Consular, Administrative, Accounting and Personnel Directorate
The Press Office passed back to the Ministry of the Interior, while the State Protocol was attached to the Consular, Administrative, Accounting and Personnel Directorate.
This law regulated the functioning of the entire foreign service, defining the duties of each part of the structure of the institution, the level of diplomats who should work in this structure, the level of representation of the Albanian Kingdom (September 1, 1928) in the world. Names of any kind in the MFA would be proposed by the MFA, approved in the Council of Ministers, in the National Council and then decreed by the King, Zogu I.
Over time, this law underwent several changes in order to improve it. One of these additions was the mention in the law that Albania would have a permanent representation in Geneva near the League of Nations and not only with special delegations, with the argument that permanent contact of the kingdom with international political circles would be ensured and seen as a more economical solution.
In April 1929, the Law on Consular Service was also decreed, according to which consular missions were divided into consulates, consulates and sub-consulates. After the decree of this law, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Rauf Fico asked the Council of Ministers to repeal the Regulation “On the uniform of the Albanian diplomatic and consular body” of 1926, as it had many flaws and was not suitable for the Albanian administration. On June 3, 1929, King Bird decreed its annulment.
In January 1932, by Royal Order at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Library of the institution was created, which would hold in its funds all the printed materials of every activity that belonged to the League of Nations. For the opening of this Library, 171 books of all acts approved by this organization were sent from Geneva.
In January 1936, with the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuat Asllani, the Directorate for the League of Nations was added to the structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was considered the most important organization for the protection of the international rights of Albanians in those years. This directorate would also deal with the problems of the Albanian diaspora abroad, as well as keep statistics on their number and condition. In this same year, the Press Directorate was re-opened, which was again separated from the Ministry of the Interior. This directorate was also charged with the task of checking books entering Albania.
Meanwhile, the intensive opening of honorary consulates continued to make Albania’s values known in Europe and beyond, in the absence of the possibility to open Albanian consular representation in these countries. This situation continued until 1939.
1939-1944
After the invasion of Albania on April 7, 1939, the new government created on April 12, 1939 and headed by Shefqet Verlaci, charged Dr. Xhemil Dino-Minister of Foreign Affairs, to enter into an agreement with the Italian Foreign Minister, Count Cianno, to reach an agreement, based on the unification of the diplomatic and consular services of both the Albanian and the Italian kingdoms were left and that the international relations of both states were concentrated in Rome under the Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At that time, the Albanian MFA had a staff consisting of a protocol director, a temporary political director, an ad interim director for affairs with the League of Nations, a chief of staff, 4 second and third secretaries, and 10 attachés.
While the government continued its work for more than two years, until December 4, 1941, the activity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not even extended for three months. On June 3, 1939, Dino and Ciano signed the agreement in question. After being approved by the Council of Ministers, the agreement was passed on June 5, 1939 to the Viceroy General in Albania Francesco Jacomoni for decree. On June 5, 1939, the accord was decreed. This agreement also provided for “the temporary creation of an Office under the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, which was charged with the handling and liquidation of any issue of an administrative nature that remained unhandled until June 3, 1939 by the already suppressed MFA.” After this date, all official acts were directed to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers for resolution. The Albanian diplomatic and consular service was suppressed by the Italian diplomatic and consular service. Meanwhile, the undersecretariat of state for the affairs of Albania, or as it is known as the “Albanian Office”, was created at the Italian MFA.
In 1940, the Royal Viceroyalty was faced with a large number of complaints from many Albanian families worried that they had not received news from their relatives who were in the countries that were in conflict. Under these conditions, the Royal MFA decided to create an information service on Albanians living among occupied or enemy countries as well as colonies. This service ran parallel to the one that existed for Italians in those countries.
After the liquidation of the attributes of the Albanian MFA, in January 1941 a part of the Albanian diplomatic staff with fascist convictions, who were currently unemployed, were accepted in the role of Albanian affairs clerk at the Rome MFA or became part of the list of the reception of this institution.
From June 1939 until October 1943, Albania did not have a Ministry of Foreign Affairs, therefore the Albanian diplomatic service did not exist either.
After the capitulation of Fascist Italy, on September 14, 1943, the remaining politicians from the old administration created a National Assembly consisting of 22 people, headed by Pejani, as well as a Provisional Executive Committee consisting of 6 people, headed by Ibrahim Biçakçiu, committee which functioned as a temporary government. The first task of this Assembly was to announce the end of the Italian yoke in Albania and call for the creation of a representative government. The Provisional Executive Committee took over the running of the affairs of the state until the government was formed. The “Office in charge of Foreign Affairs” was also part of this Committee. With decision no. 61, dated September 21, 1943, the Temporary Executive Committee annulled the agreement signed on June 3, 1939 between the Albanian Government and the Italian Government on the unification of diplomatic and consular services.
The office in charge of Foreign Affairs, and later the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the time of the German occupation was tasked with performing liaison functions between the Albanian Administration and the German military authorities. Any department that encountered obstacles in its work from the activity of the German Military Administration in Albania turned to the Office in charge of Foreign Affairs and later to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
With Decision no. 68, dated October 13, 1943, the Temporary Executive Committee of Albania under the chairmanship of Ibrahim Biçakçi, decided that in the new situation created, Albania had to emerge as an independent subject in the arena of international diplomatic relations. The appropriate body to represent Albania would be the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which would take the appropriate steps to recognize Albania as an independent state among other states.
The Provisional Executive Committee decided:
The re-creation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with all the bodies it had before April 7, 1939
The readmission to the foreign service of all those officials and functionaries who had been in the administration of the foreign service until April 7, 1939, and who were unblemished with the Italian service.
It was decided that the MFA would have 87 people, of which 65 diplomats, 5 chancellors, chief calligraphers, translators, 10 typists and agents, 7 cleaning workers. The election of the people would be done by the Administrative Council made up of former senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before April 7, 1939 under the chairmanship of Deputy. Minister of Foreign Affairs. Its decisions would be approved by the Minister of Foreign Affairs or one of his deputies. The Temporary Executive Committee charged Mr. Vehbi Frashëri with the management of foreign affairs until the formation of the Albanian Government.
At the 5th meeting of the National Assembly, October 22, 1943, the latter approved the creation of the High Regency Council and the repeal of those laws and regulations approved in the period April 12, 1939 – September 14, 1943 “…that did not agree with the spirit of the decisions of the National Assembly”. The Assembly renewed all the provisions of the Statute of dt. December 1, 1928 that did not contradict the decisions of the National Assembly nor the laws in force.
On November 5, 1943, the government was established with Prime Minister Rexhep Mitrovica. The post of Minister of Foreign Affairs was entrusted to Mr. Mehmet Konica, while the post of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs was given to Mr. Vehbi Frashëri. Mr. Menhmet Konica did not participate in the swearing in of the new government cabinet and did not exercise this duty until February 6, 1944, when Mr. Bahri Omar. During this time Mr. Rexhep Mitrovica, the Chairman of the Government Cabinet also held the office of Minister of Foreign Affairs. On July 17, the post of Foreign Minister passed to Mr. Ekrem Vlora.
In November 1943, the High Council of the Regency approved the proposals of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for some changes in the Organic Law of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of 1929. These changes were decreed in March 1944. In the Organic Law of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the point was added that the recruitment of MFA personnel would be done for those who had been in the foreign service before April 7, 1939, confirming the spirit of Decision No. 68, dated October 13, 1943 of the Temporary Executive Committee on the re-creation of the MFA.
The MFA would now have this organizational structure:
General Secretary
Political Directorate, with three sections:
Political section
Section of Treaties and Economic Affairs
Statistics and documentation section
Administrative-Consular Directorate
Director of Ceremonies
Cipher Office
Archives Office
The Accounting Office, whose staff would be recruited by the Ministry of Finance
typewriter
Office of the Economist
This would be the structure of the MFA until peace is restored. Until that time, Albania would have the following diplomatic representations:
Legations in: Berlin, Bern, Zagreb, Bucharest, Sofia, Ankara.
Consulate General in: Belgrade, Athens, Istanbul, Skopje
Consulate in: Manastir, Ioannina, Thessaloniki.
In the conditions of the war, the government was not given the opportunity to realize these diplomatic objectives. The law provided that the same policy of awarding ranks to members of the diplomatic service would continue. Diplomatic ranks would be accompanied by differentiated payments defined by law.
After the resignation of the Mitrovica cabinet in June 1944, in July 1944 the Fiqiri Dines cabinet was formed (July 1944 – August 28, 1944). The Dine government was the last Albanian government under the German occupation.
Meanwhile, as a result of the political developments that took place in Albania during the years of the Second World War, the Anti-Fascist National Liberation Council (KANÇ), created at the Peza Conference on September 16, 1942, and directed by the Albanian Communist Party, met in Përmet in May 1944. By special decision, on May 28, 1944, KANÇ elected its Chairmanship. The latter appointed the Anti-Fascist National Liberation Committee composed of 13 members with all the attributes of a provisional popular government”. Foreign affairs would be covered by Omer Nishani, a member of this Committee, with the designation “In charge of Foreign Affairs”. . On October 22, 1944, at the meeting of the Anti-Fascist-National Liberation Council which was organized in Berat, it was decided to transform the Anti-Fascist National Liberation Committee into the Provisional Democratic Government of Albania. Omer Nishani was reconfirmed as Minister of Foreign Affairs in this government. Since the creation of the Committee and until its transformation into a provisional government, diplomatic activity was limited, as Albania was occupied by Nazi Germany. After October 22, 1944, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Provisional Democratic Government continued to have in its structure only the Office of the Minister and a person attached to him.
1944-1992
After the liberation of the country, the Provisional Democratic Government worked for the creation and consolidation of its institutions as well as for its international recognition.
In the structure of the MFA, in December 1944, the Secretariat was created.
The structure of the MFA consisted of the Office of the Minister and the Secretariat. In January 1945, Typography was added to the structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this same year, the Archives Office, the Documents Office, the Protocol and Ceremonial Directorate and the General Secretary’s Office were created. In October 1945, the Political Directorate and the Consular Directorate were established, in November 1945, the Personnel Office and the Statistics Office were established. In December 1945 the Accounts Office was created while the Documents Office was turned into the Studies Office.
As for the entire state administration, also for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, directives were given that the personnel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would now be recruited “…from those who come out of the ranks of the front and then from the old ones as necessary technicians for the work…”.
Major anti-fascist allies charged the Provisional Democratic Government as a political force to organize the elections for the Constituent Assembly. The Constitutional Assembly resulting from the elections of December 2, 1945 declared Albania a People’s Republic and elected a new government headed by Enver Hoxha. The latter also assumed the functions of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Dr. Omer Nishani was dismissed from the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs on February 9, 1946 after being elected by the Constitutional Assembly as the Chairman of its Presidium.
Yugoslavia was the first country to recognize the new government in May 1945 and in July the Albanian legation was opened in Belgrade. Other Eastern European countries and France followed.
In March 1946, the Ministry of Economy was created within the structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a month later in April 1946, the Press Office was created and the Legation in Moscow was opened. In June 1946 the Directorate of Protocol returns to the Protocol Service. In June 1946, the legation was opened in Sofia. In July 1946, the legation was opened in Paris. At the end of 1946, the MFA had this structure:
ministry
General Secretary
Protocol Service
Political Directorate
Consular Directorate
Office of Studies
Press Office
Personnel Office
Cipher Office
Accounting Office
Archives Office
Economat
typewriter
The offices depended on the General Secretary. The directorates depended on the Directors, while the General Secretary coordinated the work between them and has the responsibility of administering the entire department under the direction of the Minister.
For the years 1945-1946, the old system of titles with rank and not with job position continued.
In March 1946, the MFA made an official statement that that department did not recognize any Albanian representation abroad, either diplomatic or consular, except for those of the government of the Republic of Albania.
The first complete organic and prepared in accordance with the spaces and orientations of the Albanian foreign policy of that time is considered that of 1947, the year when the political system of the monist state was fully installed. The first Regulation on the Organization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania was approved, which was approved by the Council of Ministers on July 7, 1947. According to this regulation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was organized as follows:
Minister and 2 Deputy Ministers
The Administration Branch that included:
Secretariat
The archive
sERVICE
The Political Directorate that included:
Section I (relations with the Soviet Union)
Section II (relations with countries of People’s Democracies)
Section III (relations with Yugoslavia)
Section IV-third (relations with Italy and Greece)
Section V (relations with Western Europe, America, dominions, colonies and the Near and Far East)
Personnel Section
Consular Section
Protocol and Ceremonial Section
Section of Studies of International Problems (carried out work related to the UN and other international organizations)
Treaties and Agreements Section
Economic Affairs Section
Press Section
Section of Account and Economy
The Minister, the Deputy Minister and the Head of Administration constituted the Collegium of the MFA. The Collegium was the Advisory body of the Minister. He could also accept as his members for consultation any of the heads of special sections or directors according to their professional performance and the weight of their position in the MFA.
Reflecting the political nature of the institution, the position of Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was abolished. Everything depended on the political leadership staff of the institution.
According to this regulation, the diplomatic missions of Albania were divided into:
Legation
Consulate General
Consulate
Sub-Consulate.
Over the years, the structure of the MFA also underwent changes, becoming more politically focused and more adapted to the internal and external policies of the communist system.
In 1948, the Library of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was established as part of the Department of Studies. It was in this year that the term “referent” came into use for diplomats who did not hold leadership positions in the MFA. Since 1950, the diplomatic rank system inherited from the pre-war Albanian state no longer existed, which meant that MFA employees were paid according to the work they did and not according to their diplomatic rank. This dealt a heavy blow to the establishment of a professional foreign service on the basis of a diplomatic career.
In 1950, the position of Legal Adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs appeared for the first time.
Demonstrating the great East-West divide in international relations in the framework of the Cold War, in 1951 the Political Directorate was divided into:
Political Branch I which included the countries of the socialist camp of the east, and
Political Branch II that included the Western capitalist countries, where after the developments of 1948, Yugoslavia is also a part. This branch also included the countries of the Near East.
The Branch of International Organizations was also created
In 1954, the Secret and Archives Section, consisting of 12 people, emerged independently. Some of the other sections were turned into administrative branches.
In the 70s there were 4 political directorates covering different geographical regions. In these years, the Committee of Cultural Relations with the Outside World was formed in the structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from which the Editorial Board of the Magazine and the newspaper “Shqipëria e Re” depended as part of the system’s propaganda. This added to the political character of the institution.
In 1985, the Legal Bureau was established, as part of the structure of the MFA, which until this year was represented by only one lawyer. Now branches turned into directories and sections into branches. The MFA had 7 directorates and 5 branches, 2 sectors and the Legal Bureau in its composition.
In 1982, the Institute for the Study of Today’s International Relations was established with a staff of 25 people and subordinate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In 1989, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had 123 employees.
1992-2006
After the democratic political changes that took place in Albania in 1992 and the new breath that the Albanian foreign policy received, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs began to play a genuine professional role in the design and construction of the foreign policy of the Albanian state. Albanian foreign policy is presented to the world with a new strategy and action tactic that was quite different from the past. Effectiveness in policy making and decision making increased. This was also reflected in the new organization of the MFA.
The structure of the MFA was presented:
ministry
The Cabinet of the Minister, (sector organized for the first time in the MFA that disciplined the Minister’s communication with the rest of the MFA)
2 Deputy Ministers
General Secretary (this post, which was proposed for the first time after the end of the war, is now proposed to increase the accuracy of the activity of its various structural units)
First Political Directorate – (Balkan countries and the Arab world)
Second Political Directorate – (Europe, Soviet Union, Africa)
Third Political Directorate – (America, USA, Asia-Pacific)
Directorate of Economic Cooperation
Directory of International Organizations
Directorate of Cultural, Technical and Scientific Cooperation. This directorate since November 1991 replaced the Committee for Cultural Relations with the Foreign World. The “New Albania” magazine and newspaper was closed in November 1991.
Directorate of Press and Information
Directorate of Immigration
Directorate of Personnel
Directorate of Legal, Consular Affairs and International Treaties
Protocol Directory
The General Directorate of Support, which included the Finance Branch
Historical Archive Branch, Administrative Service and Maintenance Sector
Documentation and environment security sector in the MFA, Special Sector
Scientific Sector of the study of International Relations.
The Directorate of the Service of the Diplomatic Body was merged as a state enterprise and the Office of the Service of the Diplomatic Body was created which would now be part of the structure of the MFA. The object of her work would be the performance of municipal services in accredited foreign embassies in Tirana and Albanian ones abroad.
Regarding the staff of the MFA, since 1991, when Albania had entered the era of political pluralism, the knowledge competition for the recruitment of new employees in the MFA began to be applied. In 1996, there were attempts to start applying the diplomatic rank system in the Albanian foreign service, but this process was not finalized as the necessary legal framework was missing. The system of diplomatic ranks began to be applied with the release of the “Foreign Service” Law in 1998, a law that aimed to regulate the entire activity of the Albanian foreign service. Diplomatic ranks were associated with differentiated financial treatment.
In 1997, with the new developments that had taken place in Albanian foreign policy and with the intensification of Euro-Atlantic integration processes, the structure of the MFA underwent changes again.
The position of Secretary of State for Euro-Atlantic Integration was also added to the direction of the Ministry. Now the MFA has the following structural divisions:
Directorate of the UN and other Multilateral Initiatives
Directorate of Euro-Atlantic Cooperation
Africa, Near and Middle East Directory
Americas, Asia and the Pacific Directory
Directory of Europe
Regional Directorate
State Protocol Directorate
Directorate of Legal, Treaty and Consular Affairs
Directorate of Press and Information
The National Diaspora Institute that replaced the Directorate of Immigration
Economic Directorate
The Directorate of Personnel, Organization and Services, which included the Personnel-Organization Sector, the Services Sector, the Liaison Office (Fax Office), the Information, Technology and Statistics Sector, the Archive-Documentation Sector, the Central Secretariat, the Library, and background of the MFA.
Then, in 2000, this structure underwent changes. Created:
The General Directorate of Euro-Atlantic Integration, which included:
The Directorate of European Integration
Directorate of Security and Democracy Affairs
The Americas, Asia and the Pacific directory was divided into:
Directory of America
Directory of Afro-Asia
Directorate of Economic Cooperation
The Office of the Legal Representative of the Albanian State at the Court of Strasbourg
Office of Minorities
Archive-Documentation Directorate
Directorate of Press and Information (it became part of the Information Technology Sector)
The Finance Directorate replaced the Economic Directorate
The Directorate of Analysis and Prognosis tasked with conducting studies and analyzes for policies or certain political positions of the Albanian state in the international arena
After the adoption of the Law “On the Status of Civil Servants” in 2001, the position of the Secretary General assumed the role of mediator between the civil servants of the institution and the political leadership staff of the Ministry, a role that continues to be exercised today.
In June 2002, other changes were made in the organic structure of the MFA: Based on the position and strategic role played by Albania in the Balkan region, the following was created:
The Regional General Directorate consisting of:
Directorate of Bilateral Relations
Directorate of Multilateral Regional Initiatives
Directorate of Kosovo
These changes also included the creation of:
Directorate of Member States and the EU and
Directorate of Non-member Countries in the EU.
The Consular Directorate was separated from the Directorate of Legal Affairs and Treaties
The Directorate of Financial Control was established
Directorate of Human Resources and Services (former Directorate of Personnel-Organization and Services)
This form of organization of the MFA continued until March 1, 2006. At this time, the MFA was restructured in accordance with the priorities of the new government program. In the structure of the MFA, 3 General Directorates were created:
The General Directorate of Bilateral Relations consisting of:
Directory of Europe, America and Russia
Directory of Asia, Africa and the Far East
The General Directorate of Multilateral Relations composed of:
Directory of International Organizations
Directorate of Multilateral Initiatives
The General Directorate of Legal Affairs and Treaties composed of:
Legal and Treaties Directorate
Consular Directorate.
To reflect a new dimension of Albanian diplomacy, that of economic and cultural diplomacy, the Directorate of Economic and Cultural Promotion was created.
In the new structure, the General Regional Directorate was merged and the Directorate of Relations with Neighboring Countries was created, consisting of the Kosovo Sector, the Sector of Relations with the Western Balkans and the Sector of Relations with Italy, Greece and Turkey. The Directorate of Human Resources and Services as well as the Directorate of Archive-Documentation were also merged and the Directorate of Personnel and Archive-Documentation and the Directorate of Finance and Services were created.
For a better coordination of work and exchange of information between the MFA and the representations and between the representations themselves, the Unit of Liaison, Coordination of Representations and the Central Secretariat was established in the MFA.
This way of structural organization continued until June 2008. In accordance with the dynamism of Albanian foreign policy, the structure of the MFA has undergone several changes.
In order to better follow up the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration problems, the General Directorate of Euro-Atlantic Integration and Multilateral Relations was created.
Giving priority to the regional dimension of Albanian diplomacy, the General Regional Directorate was re-created, but with a different organization. It consisted of the Directorate of Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro, the Directorate of Italy, Greece and Turkey (Malta and Cyprus), the Directorate of Southeast Europe (Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia), the Directorate of Regional Initiatives .
In this structure, the General Directorate of Image Promotion, Public Diplomacy and Diaspora and the General Directorate of Support Services were created.
This structure operated until February 1, 2010. The current structure of the institution, consisting of 8 General Directors, is presented in full in the section “Structure of the MFA” on the website www.mfa.gov.al and is still operational as follows :
ministry
The Cabinet
Minister
Minister
General Secretary
Directorate of Internal Audit
General Directorate of European Affairs
– Directory of Western & Central Europe
– Directorate of Relations with the EU
General Directorate of Security Affairs and International Organizations
– NATO Directorate
– Directorate of International Organizations
General Regional Directorate
– Directorate of Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro
– Directory of Italy, Greece, Turkey (Vatican, Malta and Cyprus)
– Southeast Europe Directory (Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina)
– Directorate of Regional Initiatives
General Directorate of International Law and Consular Affairs
– The Directorate of Treaties and International Law
– Consular Directorate
General Directorate of Bilateral Relations
– Directory of the Americas
– Directory of Eastern Europe
– Asia and Oceania Directorate
– Africa and Middle East Directorate
General Directorate of Economic Cooperation and Development
– Directorate of Interstate Economic Agreements
– Directorate of Trade and Investment Promotion
General Directorate of Communication
– Press Directorate
– Directorate of Public Diplomacy
– Directorate of Information Technology
General Directorate of Support Services
– Directorate of Human Resources
– Directorate of Planning, Programming and Finance
– Legal Department
– Directorate of Secretariat, Interconnection and Cipher
– Archive-Documentation Directorate
State Protocol Directorate
Diaspora Institute
Diplomatic Academy
Directorate of the Service of the Diplomatic Corps
MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS SINCE 1912
December 4, 1912 – June 1913 Ismail Qemali
June 1913 – January 24, 1914 Myfit Libohova
March 17, 1914 – May 20, 1914 Turhan Përmeti
28 May 1914 – 3 September 1914 Preng Bib Doda
December 25, 1918 – January 29, 1920 Myfit Libohova
January 30, 1920 – November 14, 1920 Mehmet Konica
November 19, 1920 – July 1, 1921 Iljaz Vrioni
July 11, 1921 – October 6, 1921 Pandeli Vangjeli
October 16, 1921 – December 6, 1921 Pandeli Vangjeli
December 7, 1921 – December 12, 1921 Fan Noli
December 12, 1921 – December 24, 1921 Xhafer Villa
December 24, 1921 – December 2, 1922 Fan Noli
December 2, 1922 – February 25, 1924 Pandeli Evangjeli
March 30, 1924 – May 27, 1924 Iljaz Vrioni
June 16, 1924 – December 23, 1924 Sulejman Delvina
December 24, 1924 – January 5, 1925 Iljaz Vrioni
January 6, 1925 – January 31, 1925 Gjergj Koleci
March 1, 1925 – September 23, 1925 Myfit Libohova
September 28, 1925 – February 10, 1927 Hysen Vrioni
February 12, 1927 – October 21, 1927 Iljaz Vrioni
1927 – May 10, 1928 Iljaz Vrioni
May 11, 1928 – September 1, 1928 Iljaz Vrioni
September 5, 1928 – January 13, 1929 Iljaz Vrioni
January 14, 1929 – March 5, 1930 Rauf Fico
March 6, 1930 – April 11, 1931 Rauf Fico
April 20, 1931 – December 7, 1932 Hysen Vrioni
January 11, 1933 – October 6, 1935 Xhafer Villa
October 21, 1935 – November 7, 1936 Fuat Asllani
November 9, 1936 – April 2, 1939 Ekrem Libohova
April 9, 1939 – April 12, 1939 Mihal Sherko
April 12, 1939 – December 2, 1941 Xhemil Dino
June 3, 1939 – The activity of foreign relations was taken over by the Italian Foreign Ministry
November 5, 1943 – February 6, 1944 Rexhep Mitrovica, Prime Minister, also serves as Minister of Foreign Affairs
February 6, 1944 – July 17, 1944 Bahri Omari
July 17, 1944 – August 28, 1944 Ekrem Vlora
September 6, 1944 – November 29, 1944 Ibrahim Bicakciu
May 27, 1944 – October 22, 1944 Omer Nishani,
October 22, 1944 – January 10, 1946 Omer Nishani
January 11, 1946 – March 18, 1946 Omer Nishani
March 22, 1946 – June 30, 1950 Enver Hoxha
July 5, 1950 – July 23, 1953 Enver Hoxha
July 23, 1953 – July 19, 1954 Behar Shtylla
July 20, 1953 – June 21, 1958 Behar Shtylla
June 22, 1958 – June 17, 1970 Behar Shtylla
June 17, 1970 – October 29, 1974 Nesti Nase
October 29, 1974 – December 26, 1978 Nesti Nase
December 27, 1978 – June 30, 1982 Nesti Nase
30 June 1982 – 22 November 1982 Reiz Malile
November 23, 1982 – February 21, 1987 Reiz Malile
February 20, 1987 – February 21, 1991 Reiz Malile
February 22, 1991 – May 9, 1991 Muhamet Kapllani
May 9, 1991 – January 5, 1991 Muhamet Kapllani
May 5, 1991 – December 6, 1991 Muhamet Kapllani
December 18, 1991 – April 11, 1992 Ilir Bocka
April 11, 1992 – July 11, 1996 Alfred Serreqi
July 11, 1996 – April 12, 1997 Tritan Shehu
April 12, 1997 – July 25, 1997 Arjan Starova
July 25, 1997 – September 11, 2001 Pascal Milo
September 11, 2001 – July 30, 2002 Arta Dade
July 30, 2002 – July 18, 2003 Ilir Meta
December 29, 2003 – September 12, 2005 Kastriot Islami
11 September 2005 – May 1, 2007 Besnik Mustafaj
May 1, 2007 – September 17, 2009 Lulzim Basha
September 17, 2009 – September 17, 2010 Ilir Meta
September 17, 2010 – July 2, 2012 Edmond Haxhinasto
July 3, 2012 – April 4, 2013 Edmond Panariti
April 4, 2013 – September 15, 2013 Aldo Bumçi
September 15 – ongoing Ditmir Bushati
Last Updated on Monday, September 16, 2013
