- Reply letter from comrade Ramiz Alia addressed to the cooperative members of Kuç in Skrapar - Dear comrades, I too watched the television program about agricultural cooperatives broadcast a few days ago by RTSH, about which you wrote to me with great concern. I fully agree with the concern you express in your letter regarding the opinion voiced by one of the participants in that discussion about dismantling the cooperatives, and especially with the claim that this is supposedly also the will of the peasantry. In our country, both when the cooperatives were established and later, when measures were taken to strengthen them, things have always been done according to the wishes of the peasants themselves. The Party of Labour’s view, judging from the realities of today and yesterday, is that the agricultural cooperatives have justified themselves economically as units of work and collective ownership in the countryside. Through the work of the peasantry, they have made an invaluable contribution to the development of the entire economy. In practice, no objective concern has arisen or exists that would make the question of dismantling them and returning to the past a relevant one. Those who seek such a will from the peasantry do not want what is best for it. Apparently, they are not concerned about the peasantry, but have other aims. In its electoral program, the Party of Labour proposes that cooperatives be given greater economic and production independence, and be allowed new forms of organization and cooperation, so that they can be strengthened economically. This creates opportunities for … of the large reservoirs, …, like the one we are now building at Banjë, through large irrigation canals? Was the Agrarian Reform perhaps a mistake, when it made the peasant the owner of the land so long desired? Should we condemn the construction of Banjë, in… of investments in agriculture. I wish you all success and prosperity. Fraternal greetings, RAMIZ ALIA Tirana, 2.2.1991 everywhere, in the plains, on the hills and in the mountainous areas, cooperatives should remain the most suitable form of organizing the economy in the countryside, undoubtedly in diverse forms and in keeping with the natural conditions and traditions of each area. I would like on this occasion also to reply to the many cooperative members, specialists and other citizens who have written to me to express their disagreement with the idea of dissolving the cooperative and privatizing the land. The Albanian peasant knows well what the life of a private farmer is like, because he has experienced it. The cooperative freed him from hunger and suffering. United land, without boundaries or fences, definitively solved the agrarian problem in Albania. The peasant, better than anyone else, knows what it means to do the sums with one’s feet on the ground. That is where the daily bread comes from, whether wheat or corn. Nothing comes from the sky. Nothing comes from words and fantasies. Utopias of every kind do not deceive the peasant in these difficult times. Today we are living through a moment when many poisoned arrows are being aimed at the cooperative and at the path the countryside has followed since Liberation. There are attempts to darken the past and exaggerate its mistakes. But was it perhaps wrong to drain the marshes and swamps and dig when it made the peasant master of the land he had so long dreamed of? Should we condemn the construction of large reservoirs, like the one we are building now at Banjë, at Bovillë near Tirana and elsewhere? Did securing bread, the cooperatives and their development, the house of culture and the hospital, pensions and drinking water, electricity and the secondary school harm the countryside? Should all those achievements, all that wealth, which have cost us immeasurable effort and sweat, be destroyed for the sake of some mistake or shortcoming in maintaining the traditional balances in the countryside? I am sure that the Albanian peasant, with his practical spirit and sound intuition that guides him toward what is good, will escape confusion and disorientation and will strengthen the common economy, which is the foundation of his future. What is required today is for all the workers of the countryside, cooperative members and intellectuals, to unite their strength and energy to meet the demands of the times and put this year’s agricultural tasks on the right track. Supporting the fulfillment of these tasks are the thousand new tractors that have just arrived in the area, along with other technical equipment; the new urea plant, which will produce a large quantity of fertilizer; the expansion of irrigation capacity and of technical and scientific capability; innovative developments in relations within the cooperative, in the brigade and beyond; and the Party’s current agrarian policy, which aims to direct a greater level of investment into RAMIZ ALIA Tirana, 2.2.1991

By Leontiev Cuçi Candidate of Sciences Is there really anything strange about Albania being both socialist and having a market economy? I hope the reader will forgive me if I indulge in a little theory or history, but there is no helping it when the very “strangeness” of the question calls for it! The market economy began its life with the disintegration of the natural economy, took shape with the spread of simple commodity production, and reached its highest level of development under capitalism. In the broadest historical sense, the market economy arose and developed as an economy of commodity and monetary relations. More precisely, these relations arose with the disintegration of primitive community and still exist today in the model conceived for building a socialist economy. Without attempting here to trace the origins and evolution of the market economy, or the models that history has produced, I wish only to affirm a truth recognized even in contemporary economic science: it is older than the capitalist order and is not its creation or an organic attribute of it. If capitalism inherited this economy from earlier systems and therefore did not invent it (and only political zealots can deny this economic truth), then surely we have the moral right to pose the apparent logical contradiction: “socialism + market economy = paradox”?! Would it not be more accurate to conclude that the market economy is a general alternative in the natural development of any economy that cannot do without commodity production and money; that, regardless of the advantages it carries and the consequences it brings, this alternative has powerful development potential that should be harnessed? If, under certain social, political and economic conditions or circumstances, the centralist, administrative-command model was chosen as the alternative for socialist economic development, and that path was generally followed, then, in the name of truth, the error should not be sought in the very concept of socialism. The experiment of building the Soviet socialist economy after the First World War—the first experiment of its kind—imposed this model to a greater extent than it left room for judgment and action to choose another alternative. Moreover, this model transformed the Soviet Union from a backward country, devastated by war, into a state which, by the 1940s, in… from the standpoint of economic development, was comparable with the USA on the main indicators. And thanks to this economic potential (not to mention other factors), it achieved victory in the Second World War. It can rightly be said that this economic model was not as successful after that war, that it quickly exhausted its driving forces and should have been changed earlier. But the point is not to undertake a lengthy critique through an analysis of this kind, for which this is neither the place nor the time. The aim is for the sympathetic reader to understand that the centralizing model conceived for the socialist economy was only one path or alternative for its development, and by no means the only or an unchangeable one. Even if a rigid mindset developed in this regard, it was more the product of a lack of experience and the short time available to choose a more effective model. The experience of the countries of the East and our economic difficulties have refreshed our dialectical judgment: if we continued along the same path of economic development, relying on the existing model, we would truly be dogmatic and doomed to failure; to avoid this, we are moving toward a market economy, a new alternative for the course of our economy. Why, then, should this alternative be treated as paradoxical, when economic science itself has not established any definitive view that a socialist economy (by which we mean an economy whose aim is general well-being) can be built by only one path? Why not judge calmly and realistically, and say that there are several ways—not just one—of building such an economy, according to the specific conditions of each country? We also find well-known provisions concerning the search for and implementation of these paths in the electoral program of the PPSH. In this respect, since we also refer to understanding and assimilating world progress as a whole, there is no reason not to benefit from its positive achievements, both in material development and in economic organization. And since experience with the market economy is extensive and long-standing, let us also learn from its shortcomings and prepare to confront them with strong social policies. Let us not forget one more thing. Capitalism took from the experience accumulated to date by the professional economic model to achieve … the difficult transition of our economy to a market economy, and … later debates about … what concepts or terms to use. centralized, many aspects of its policies to guarantee social welfare. It seems to me that we have the moral right to take up and introduce the market economy, which is not capitalism’s creation, and to implement it with Albanian characteristics (as, for example, the West has implemented it with French, Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian and other characteristics); this does not constitute any paradox, either inherent in it or arbitrarily imposed. Finally, I would argue that we should judge and assess the concept of the socialist economy as it is, and not in the narrow sense of the mindset that there is only one path for its construction or only one model. The socialist economy was conceived before it was implemented, as it was implemented in the Soviet Union and other countries. In theory and in practice, it was designed with the aims of humanism, collective aspirations and harmony within the social community, general social welfare, and so on. The essence of this conception of the economy should therefore also be considered realistically; it should not be identified with the sole path that I chose and that was used to build it. In light of this essence, there is no reason to feel allergic—as some do—to the concept of a socialist economy, or to call it a failure as such. If its first alternative has lost its impetus for development (as every alternative eventually does), let us use a new one. And since such an alternative has been found in the market economy, there is no reason to create new contradictions (because we know the old ones and will come to know them better) around the concept of the socialist economy and the market, privatization and collectivization, and so on. If anyone has another question about the paradox of the concept of a socialist economy combined with a market economy, let them also ask themselves this: “Could it be that progressive parties in the heart of Europe, which aspire to a better society than the one they live in—a society also called socialist or communist—have paradoxical political programs because they rely on the market economy?” The best message would be to roll up your sleeves and coordinate intellectual and professional forces to carry out and leave for later the debates about the labels we will attach to concepts or terms.

The Këlcyrë Gorge is one of the “gates” leading to the town of Përmet. We walk along it, accompanied by…

Chairman of the Council of Ministers Adil Çarçani received yesterday at the Prime Minister’s Office the State Secretary of Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Romulus Neagu, and held a friendly conversation with him. During the meeting, Prime Minister Adil Çarçani spoke to his Romanian guest about the traditional friendship that has historically united the Albanian and Romanian peoples. On this basis, relations and cooperation between the two countries have grown steadily, and even greater prospects have opened up for the future. The meeting of the presidents of the two countries last year in New York, during the UN session, he said, gave relations between the two countries a positive impetus. Comrade Adil Çarçani noted, among other things, that there are opportunities for broader and more fruitful cooperation, particularly in the economic, trade, and technical-scientific fields. The progress and development of Albanian-Romanian relations serve the interests of both countries and, at the same time, contribute to strengthening peace and security in the Balkans and Europe. Prime Minister Adil Çarçani briefed Romania’s State Secretary on the current domestic situation in our country and on the important new developments in Albania concerning the democratization of life in all areas, within the framework of the pluralist system established in Albania. He also spoke to him about the profound economic reform and the market-economy mechanism, as well as the measures recently taken to overcome difficulties, cooperation with foreign firms, accelerating legislation and establishing the rule of law, and a number of other measures concerning people’s civil liberties and rights. Comrade Adil Çarçani also spoke about Albania’s foreign policy and its role and contribution to the process of cooperation and friendship in the Balkans, as well as its active participation in the framework of CSCE activities. (Continued on page 4)

As reported, the proceedings of the 1991 World Economic Forum are continuing in Davos. Among the issues being discussed are overcoming difficulties in the countries of Eastern Europe and the course of economic reforms; prospects for emerging from the present severe global economic situation and the consequences of the Gulf crisis; the policies needed to integrate developing countries into the world market; constraints on credit in the international financial market; priority measures to protect the environment, etc. At special sessions on these issues, various speakers have explained the realities in the countries concerned. Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Fatos Nano also spoke during these debates, informing the participants about the broad democratic processes in Albania, with particular attention to economic reform and the new opportunities it has created for expanding our country’s cooperation with the world. • • • Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Fatos Nano has meanwhile met with Switzerland’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Klaus Jacobi; the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe, Gerhard Hindergerger; member of the Presidency of Yugoslavia Janezh Dernovshek; Japan’s Deputy Minister for External Economic Relations, Aisuo Kacamura; and representatives of business banking circles from various countries participating in the Forum. (ATSH)

– Impressions – The Këlcyrë Gorge is one of the “gates” leading to the town of Përmet. the town of Përmet. We travel along it in the all-embracing company of the Vjosa. The fresh, lively river, the clear water, the white-crested mountains, the sound of bells and the bleating of sheep seem to tell us that these are precisely the images our great Naim had in mind when he wrote one of the masterpieces of patriotic love, the poem “Livestock and Agriculture.” That is why it is entirely natural that whenever we go to Përmet, our thoughts should also turn of their own accord to the three enlightened brothers, to those who became one with Përmet and with all of Albania. “Here, in the autumn of 1923, was the headquarters of the Liberal Party, led by Fan Noli.” Noli in Përmet. Naim… Could it be a coincidence? Even if it was, that matters little. The patriotic and democratic spirit of the people of Përmet could not fail to win over Noli too, who was preparing for the June Revolution of 1924. At the same time, this fact convinces us that Përmet’s democratic culture—less than four years after Lushnjë and the situation sowed by the murderous hand—saw the unbroken, vital, freedom-loving spirit of its people rise up. Therefore, today’s democratizing processes, which have embraced Përmet just as they have the rest of the country, cannot be separated from the three brothers of Përmet…; just as they cannot be separated from Noli and his party, they cannot be separated from May 24, 1944, nor can they be separated from the entire activity of the Party of Labour. There is just one thing worth emphasizing. Unlike some other districts of the country, in Përmet the processes of democratization are taking place without pain, without rallies, without noise, without excesses, without disruption. These processes are at the forefront of conversations among the people of Përmet, as everywhere else, but restraint, sound judgment, culture and tolerance prevail everywhere. You enter various local venues or stay in public places, but you hear nobody shouting. You do not see unemployed people wandering up and down the town’s streets. The headline continues on the page cut off below: spring can be brought closer. I heard this expression some time ago from the respected specialist Ahmet Osja in Shkodër. He left… In Përmet. (Photo: N. Xhufka)

I can still see that white marble plaque, placed on the wall of a one-storey building near the town centre, on which is written: “Here, in the autumn of 1923, was the headquarters of the Liberal Party, led by Fan Noli.” I can still see that white marble plaque, placed on the wall of a one-storey building near the town centre, on which is written: the Liberal Party, led by Fan Noli.” Noli in Naim’s Përmet… culture—less than four years after Lushnjë and the situation sown unemployed people wandering up and down the town’s streets. He…

Yesterday, Albania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Reis Malile received a delegation from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, consisting of Deputy Director-General for Political Affairs Yusha Takashima, Director for Eastern Europe Hideaki Donichi, etc. During the meeting, the positive development of relations between Albania and Japan was praised, and a mutual desire was expressed to strengthen and expand cooperation in various fields. Emphasis was placed on the major opportunities that exist for expanding economic and trade exchanges and (Continued on page 4)

These days, representatives of our country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs are making a working visit to the Soviet Union in preparation for the opening of the Albanian embassy in Moscow. They were also received by the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union, Juri Kvicinski, who, having praised the steps taken in bilateral cooperation, expressed the hope that the prompt start of the embassies’ activities in Tirana and Moscow, respectively, would give impetus to the development and further consolidation of Soviet-Albanian relations and cooperation. (ATSH)

At the invitation of the Albanian Red Cross, a delegation of the Greek Red Cross, led by the association’s chairman, Gerassimos Apostolatos, paid a visit to our country in recent days. The delegation was received by the chairman of the Albanian Red Cross, Ciril Pistoli. The delegations of the two associations held talks on developing relations and cooperation between them. The Greek Red Cross will help train some personnel of the Albanian Red Cross and will provide it with material assistance. The director of the Department for… was also present at the talks. …to distribute… extraordinary… be organ… Red Cross, and … republics… Baltic states…