OSCE Presence, German Embassy launch project to foster public discourse about Communist past in Albania

TIRANA, 3 June 2015 – The OSCE Presence in Albania, funded by the German government, launched today a project that aims at fostering a broad public dialogue about the communist past in Albania.

The first event of the project took place at the Andon Zako Çajupi high school in Tirana, where students talked with two former politically persecuted people and watched a documentary about the young generation’s knowledge of the dictatorship. Similar events will take place in other schools and in communities in co-operation with several civil society organizations.

Among the first project activities is also a nationwide survey about the public’s knowledge, perceptions and expectations for dialogue regarding the Communist past in Albania. The results of the survey are expected to provide a clear picture of differences in knowledge about the past across segments of society, as well as give insight into hopes and concerns about dealing with legacy of the former regime. The survey results will also provide a sound basis for future initiatives in this field. A major televised debate will take place towards the end of the year.

“A new momentum for initiatives to address the human rights violations of Albania’s former Communist regime has built up over the past few months. We are launching this project because we believe that there is a need for an inclusive national discourse about the goals and expectations of society at large about the various initiatives proposed to address this difficult history,” said the Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Ambassador Florian Raunig.

German Ambassador Hellmut Hoffmann said: “I am delighted that we can support the OSCE Presence in Albania in this important endeavor and I should like to thank it for engaging in it. From our own experience we know that confronting difficult pasts is not an easy task, but we also know that if done in a fruitful way it can be beneficial for the people and the society as a whole. However, each case is unique – so while we are pleased to be able to give support, at the end of the day it is for the Albanians themselves to determine how exactly they wish to deal with that task.”