Albania as a post-communist country carries a lot of mystery, especially for the power of defense.
In this context, Inside Story brings exclusively, for the first time to the public, a map showing the fortification of Albania. This map, approved by the commander of the time, Kiço Mustaqi, has been a state secret for many years.
It tells the truth about the myths raised for border fortification. One of them is also related to the actual layout of the bunkers according to the plan, and according to those that were actually on the ground.
"This is a map that is the general idea of the fortification of defense belts for the whole of Albania. So with this map, the myth of the invincibility of the Albanian national army would be guaranteed. in this period where the plan was 221 145 fortification centers where until 1983 173 371 fortification centers were realized. Where we do not only consider fire centers, but also against tanks and other fortifications. So what has been said until today that Albania had 600 thousand bunkers, looking at the document leads us exactly to the figures that Albania had where there were no more than 180 thousand fortifications. It may be the first time that a public media comes and knocks to see something in the document and to give it to the public opinion as it is in the document and not to guess about the Albanian fortifications", said Teki Kurti, Central Archive of FA.
Today, Albania is far from those fortifications, but the real defense capacities cannot be published as they constitute a secret related to national security. Precisely, such information is targeted by unfriendly countries, referring to many cases where foreign citizens have been detained or deported who have been found taking pictures near military bases. Unfortunately, a large part of them have been destroyed today. But with the technological developments and the reforms started after the 90s, the reactivation of many bases has not been seen as reasonable. In certain cases, as we will show below, many of these assets were released for corrupt private gain.
"In the past, it was the palm-by-palm coverage of the entire territory, while in today's conditions, with technology, it becomes possible to carry out the transport of our troops, being ready in garrisons in any part of Albania where the need for the protection of the territory requires it of Albania", said Aleksander Pando, Director of the General Staff of the FA.