Enver Bytyçi lashes out at an article in “Nacionale”: The history of communism is being distorted for political interests

Professor Enver Bytyçi has taken a hard line against an article published in the newspaper “Nacionale,” which addresses responsibility for the spread of communism in Albania and the weight of Albanian and Kosovar historical figures at that time.

In the response sent to the editorial office of “Bota sot,” Bytyçi rejects the interpretations presented in that article, describing them as one-sided and historically inaccurate, especially regarding the role of Ali Kelmendi and Ramadan Çitaku in relation to the main leaders of the communist regime in Albania.

He also expressed strong criticism of the way this topic has been treated in the media, accusing the newspaper of distorting history and using narratives that, according to him, may have a political background and a divisive impact on the Albanian public debate.

The full text

According to the Kosovo newspaper “Nacionale,” those responsible for exporting communism to Albania were supposedly Ali Kelmendi from Peja and Ramadan Çitaku from Mitrovica! Noooo! According to this newspaper, Enver Hoxha, Koçi Xoxe, Mehmet Shehu and others bear no responsibility for all the consequences of the communist regime and ideology in Albania. Instead, Ali Kelmendi is made out to be responsible, even though he died in the very first phase of the spread of communism. At least that is what this divisive and shameless newspaper claims, speaking through the mouth of Sejfi Vllamasi from Kolonja, who himself admitted in his memoir that in Vienna he was financed by the Yugoslav embassy.

The newspaper justifies the fact that Vllamasi had secretly gone to make agreements with Belgrade and attacks the Kosovars and Hasan Prishtina for opposing this action. With this article, Kosovo’s “Nacionale” seemed to me like a “Serbian Nacionale,” not an Albanian one. It even gives me the impression that this newspaper is deliberately attacking the “Kosovars” of the 1920s in order to justify Edi Rama’s pro-Serbian and anti-Kosovo positions and actions over these 13 years! Shamelessness apparently knows no bounds! So I had one piece of advice to give them: Go to Belgrade or Athens and register this newspaper there, because the name “Nacionale,” with this content, suits you better in the Serbian or Greek capital!