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An international conference was held with the participation of the Institute for the Research of Communism at the Hungarian Embassy in Tirana on Friday, where the focus of the discussions was on the dictatorial measures of the Central and Eastern European socialist regimes, historian Rajmund Fekete, director of the Institution, told MTI on Friday by telephone.

The conference was organized by the Embassy of Hungary in Tirana and The Institute for the Studies of Communist Crimes and Consequences in Albania (ISKK), which studies the history of the socialist regime in Albania, said Rajmund Fekete, emphasizing that the international event, which was led by the Albanian institute, was also attended by Celo Hoxha, director of ISKK, and Jonila Godole, director general of the Institute for Democracy, Media & Culture in Albania.

The historian noted that discussions had been conducted with the heads of the two Albanian institutes regarding future cooperation between the two, as well as a partnership with the House of Terror Museum.

Rajmund Fekete said that he had also consulted with Etleva Demollari, the director of the House of Leaves in Tirana, which served as the headquarters of the Albanian communist secret police in the mid-20th century, and Carlo Bollino, the chief curator of the Bunkart contemporary art and history museum in the former Cold War bunker.

The historian recalled that the Central and Eastern European region is unique because, for geographical reasons, it has experienced both total dictatorships, the nations living there were under occupation and foreign rule between 1939 and 1991, they lost their sovereignty, they were oppressed and exploited, "choosing between friend or foe on the basis of race or class".

These people lived through the world war, genocide and terror together, under the umbrella of socialism and national socialism," highlighted Rajmund Fekete.

The historian reiterated that at least six thousand people were executed for political reasons in Albania between 1944 and 1991. The absurdity of the regime is shown by the fact that the bodies were not even returned to the relatives, claiming that they were the property of the state, he added.

"We, who were locked behind the Iron Curtain, carry a common historical heritage of the twentieth century, which increases the sense of understanding and belonging among us, and makes us more understanding of the suffering of other nations, because we see in it our own pain, sorrow and loss," Rajmund Fekete underlined.

He added:

We cannot get away with confronting the crimes of communism, because we owe it to the hundreds of millions of victims, the people who were executed, tortured and persecuted, but we also owe it to our children.

Even though more than three decades have passed since the fall of communism and the change of regime, we can still say that communism is not dead. Its Western representatives are on university campuses, in institutions, in the media and in politics. And the West, among other reasons, still shrugs its shoulders as an uninterested outsider when we talk about the crimes and suffering of communism," the historian said.

We, who endured both totalitarian dictatorships, have a huge responsibility in a Europe whose Western half does not know the price and meaning of freedom, does not know the true face of dictatorships, does not value its national heritage and identity, and does not appreciate the importance of family and religion," Rajmund Fekete concluded.

Hungary's Embassy in Tirana opened an exhibition on the crimes of the communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe on Friday, entitled European Gulag, which will be available to the public for three weeks.

Source: MTI