On 2 July 1990, some 4800 Albanians entered embassies in Tirana and demanded they be helped to leave the country. From all walks of life, citizens wanted to leave in the hope of escaping isolation, poverty, and political violence.
The embassies allowed them to remain on their grounds and after a few days, the communist government allowed them to leave the country. Some 3200 went to Germany, 800 to Italy, 600 to France, and the rest to Turkey, Poland and what was then Czechoslovakia.
MIRËMËNGJES 😊 30 vjet nga eksodi historik i shqiptarëve, një kohë për të kuptuar çmimin e lirisë dhe dëshirën e zjarrtë të shpirtit shqiptar që u përball me diktaturën dhe luftoi për lirinë🇦🇱❤️
Gepostet von Edi Rama am Mittwoch, 1. Juli 2020
Prime Minister Edi Rama posted a video to his Facebook page noting it is 30 years since the “historical exodus of Albanians”. He said it was a time to understand the price of freedom and the way in which Albanians faced the dictatorship and fought for freedom.
A number of surveys conducted in Albania over the last two years have put the figure of those that want to leave between 60% and 83%. It ranks fourth out of 152 countries in terms of its citizens’ desire to leave. Some 49% of Albanians are actively looking to leave the country and are applying for vacancies abroad, searching for opportunities or preparing to leave.
Also in 2019, more than 30,000 Albanians sought asylum in the EU. It is one of the top 10 countries of origin for asylum applications globally, alongside countries like Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, and Iran.
Albania is the only country in the Balkans where the number of those who want to leave is higher than those who want to stay.
