DREAM / The Prime Minister resigns and wakes up under the Parisian bridge!

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

Erdogan's influence in Albania worries Italy: Geopolitical challenge between Rome and Ankara

2026-06-26 18:43:28Politikë SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Erdogan's influence in Albania worries Italy: Geopolitical challenge
Erdogan-Meloni

By Sara Gilardi - Il Riformista

In light of the upcoming NATO summit, a silent but ongoing debate is taking place over the "southern wing" of the alliance: the country with the double-headed eagle is on the table, and these two could be Italy and Turkey. While Italy has long considered Albania to be "its backyard", as well as its natural extension to the Adriatic, for Erdogan's Turkey, the country represents the neo-Ottoman projection of a process of conquest that has its roots many years ago.

Let us return to the 15th century, when the Albanian hero, Gjergj Kastrioti, known as Skanderbeg, described by Pope Callistus III as the “Athlete of Christ and Defender of the Faith,” led a ten-year resistance that delayed Albania’s assimilation into the then capital, Constantinople. However, after the death of Albania’s symbolic national hero, the country fell under the Ottoman yoke for almost four hundred years. Ottoman rule during these four centuries was largely economic: in the Ottoman Empire, non-Muslims were effectively given the status of dhimmi. That is, even though they were part of the Ottoman Empire, foreign citizens were considered second-class citizens and were subject to the extremely heavy per capita tax of Jizya.

It was in Albania under Ottoman rule that the so-called "Bektashism", a mystical Sufi brotherhood with a tolerant and syncretic creed, began to spread. Incorporating some Christian elements, the Bektashi faith contributed to a "peaceful" transition of Albanians from Christianity to Islam. Even after the end of Ottoman rule in Albania, Turkey continued to exert its influence through religious and economic soft power strategies. The latter, in fact, continues to be among Albania's main economic partners, equally influential in the healthcare and telecommunications sectors. Tirana has also purchased the well-known Bayraktar TB2 drones from Turkey, and dozens of specialists, including Albanian pilots and technicians, are trained directly by Turkish instructors.

Therefore, Ankara's operation is to present Turkey as a "benevolent benefactor" through the export of Sunni Islam and the construction of magnificent mosques, including the famous Namazgja Mosque in the heart of Tirana.

However, for Italy, as mentioned, Albania has always been the natural extension of the Adriatic, the "big brother" since the tragic crisis of the 1990s until the signing of the migrant protocol with the Meloni government, the results of which are appreciated by Prime Minister Rama himself, although few and unmemorable. At the next NATO summit, Albania will sit as a loyal ally, albeit contested between the "two heads" of the West and the East: Italy will be responsible for ensuring that its Albanian ally has a strategic vision that goes beyond the management of migration flows. Indeed, if this does not happen, it will be Erdogan's Turkey that will fill the geopolitical and identity gaps neglected by the West.


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×