Albanian Declaration of Independence

Albanian Declaration of Independence
On 28 November 1913, Ismail Qemali and his cabinet during the celebration of the first anniversary of independence in Vlorë on 28 November 1912.
Created	28 November 1912
Ratified	28 November 1912
Location	Vlorë (today in Albania)
Author(s)	Ismail Qemali
Signatories	83 delegates
Purpose	Independence of the Albanian Vilayet from the Ottoman Empire

The Albanian Declaration of Independence (Albanian: Shpallja e Pavarësisë, or Deklarata e Pavarësisë) is the declaration of independence of the Albanian Vilayet from the Ottoman Empire. Independent Albania was proclaimed in Vlorë on 28 November 1912.

The success of the Albanian Revolt of 1912 sent a strong signal to the neighboring countries that the Ottoman Empire was weak. The Kingdom of Serbia opposed the plan for an Albanian Vilayet, preferring a partition of the European territory of the Ottoman Empire among the four Balkan allies. Balkan allies planned the partition of the European territory of the Ottoman Empire among them and in the meantime the territory conquered during First Balkan War was agreed to have status of the Condominium. That was the reason for Ismail Qemali to organize All-Albanian Congress in Vlora.

Under these circumstances, delegates from all over Albania were gathered in the Assembly of Vlorë (Albanian: Kuvendi i Vlorës). Ismail Qemali returned to Albania with Austro-Hungarian support and, at the head of a swiftly convened national assembly, declared Albanian independence in the town of Vlora on 28 November 1912. The declaration was more theoretical than practical because Vlora was the only town in the whole country under the delegates’ control―yet it proved to be effective in the vacuum of power. Though Albanian independence was recognised de facto on 17 December 1912 at the London Conference of Ambassadors, it was not until 29 July 1913, after the second Balkan War and the solving of the delicate problem of Shkodra, that the international community agreed to recognise Albania as a neutral, sovereign and hereditary principality. The newspaper Përlindja of Vlora described it as follows: