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Former Ambassador Daum's last interview: This is what Albania looked like in 1987

2025-07-14 22:31:00, Politikë CNA

Former Ambassador Daum's last interview: This is what Albania looked like

Former ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Werner Daum, gave his last interview in Albania before his death.

Invited to the show 'Opinion' with journalist Blendi Fevziu, Daum spoke about Albania in 1987, which he called a more beautiful country than today.

Daum also spoke about the difficulties during communism and the lack of freedoms./CNA

Excerpt from the interview:

Blendi Fevziu: However, what was Albania like in 1987?

Werner Daum: It was a wonderful country and, let me be honest, it was more beautiful than today.

Blendi Fevziu: More beautiful because of the space?

Werner Daum: More beautiful than today because it was contained within… let's put it this way, it was contained within its medieval structures. Communism had suppressed freedom, communism had suppressed freedom of expression, and communism, and I think this is the worst thing that communism did, it suppressed the most intimate thing that man has, our relationship, the relationship of our heart with the One above.

Blendi Fevziu: Yes.

Werner Daum: This was something terrible. On the other hand, the lack of economic development, the lack of freedom had kept the country the way it was 100 years ago, or 200 years ago, and this was a unique experience for someone like me who came from a modern and highly developed country.

Blendi Fevziu: However, you touched on the poverty of the country at that time. It was a very poor country!

Werner Daum: It was extremely poor. The state was poor and the people were poor. I think there was hunger. I remember seeing soldiers who, in order not to wear out their shoes, walked barefoot and carried them on their shoulders.

Blendi Fevziu: Yes, it has been an extremely difficult moment for Albania.

Among other things, in his interview while talking about his life in Albania, Daum also tells about his first contacts in the country, as well as the first people he met upon arriving.

Blendi Fevziu: Who was the first Albanian you met in Albania? Do you remember? Not from the officials.

Werner Daum: As far as officials are concerned, those are the people from the Foreign Ministry, the director for Western Europe and then the then Minister, Reiz Malile. So, these were my first contacts as well as the protocol department of the Foreign Ministry.

Blendi Fevziu: What about outside the protocol or without protocol? What was the first contact?

Werner Daum: I can say it today, after 35 years.

Blendi Fevziu: There is no more danger.

Werner Daum: I remember they were people from Tirana, but then I was allowed to travel freely almost everywhere in Albania. I had the unique opportunity to discover the beauty of the most beautiful country in the Balkans. Mountains, sea, old cities like Shkodra, Durrës, Elbasan, Vlora.