Declaration The Assembly of 40 delegates meeting in southern Albania in the city of
Vlorë on 28 November 1912, declared Albania an independent country. On 4 December 1912 they set up a provisional government. The complete text of the declaration, composed in
Albanian, partially in
Gheg,
Tosk and
Ottoman Turkish, was:
Signatories Below is the list of the forty signatories as published by newspaper
Perlindja e Shqipëniës. The original act of the Declaration of Independence was written on a single piece of letter. On the front page, there are a total of 34 recognizable signatures and on the back page are found 6 more signatures.
Assembly of Vlorë Under these circumstances, delegates from all over Albania were gathered in the
Assembly of Vlorë ().
Ismail Kemal 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: The National Assembly, composed of delegates from all over Albania and convening here in Vlora, opened today at four in the afternoon at the house of Xhemil bey. Ismail Kemal bey, as the prime initiator of the gathering, took the floor and explained to the delegates the purpose of the assembly, that is, that they all must strive to do what is necessary to save Albania from the great perils it is now facing. The chairman, Ismail Kemal Bey, then took the floor and, in an ardent, fluid and reasonable speech, stated that although they had always been faithful to the Ottoman Empire, the Albanians had never forgotten their own language and nationality, the best proof of this being the endeavours and uprisings that had taken place from time to time, in particular over the last four years, to preserve their rights and customs. The Ottoman Government had never taken their interests into consideration and had never been willing to recompense the Albanians for the great services they had rendered. It had recently shown some interest in coming to an understanding with our people, but had not given proof of good faith and had not taken all the steps needed to appease and satisfy the Albanians. War had recently broken out with four countries in the Balkans that were seeking change and rights for their peoples, united by their ethnicity and religion. Later, these countries put aside their initial objective and, as the war was going well for them, they agreed to divide the Empire up among themselves, including Albania. Realizing that the Turkish army had been defeated and that the Empire would not survive, the Albanians, who had played a greater role in the fighting than the soldiers, hastened to take requisite steps in their own interests as owners of the country. For this reason, Ismail Kemal bey departed for Istanbul and, having come to an understanding with the Albanians of Bucharest, too, set off for Vienna, where he reached an agreement with the Great Powers that had vital interests in the Balkans. As there was no more hope of saving Albania by means of arms, the only road to salvation was to separate Albania from Turkey. Ismail Kemal bey promoted this idea and objective, that was well received by all the Great Powers, in particular by Austria and Italy. It was only Russia that remained somewhat hostile to the idea because of the Slavs, but it did not deny the existence of Albania and an Albanian people. To realise this objective, he invited all Albanians to gather in Vlora and was delighted today to see that his call had not been in vain, and that delegates had been sent from all parts of Albania to reflect together on ways to save the Fatherland. According to Ismail Kemal Bey, the most urgent measures that the Albanian nation must take today are these: that Albania be independent under a provisional government; that a council of elders be elected to assist and supervise the government; and that a commission be sent to Europe to defend Albanian interests among the Great Powers. The delegates unanimously agreed with the words of Ismail Kemal bey and resolved that Albania, as of today, should be on her own, free and independent under a provisional government. The meeting was adjourned until the following day and the delegates went out and greeted the flag that was raised at five thirty in the afternoon. The second session of the Assembly of Vlorë was held on 4 December 1912. During that members of the assembly founded
the first government of Independent Albania on 4 December 1912, which was led by
Ismail Kemal. The government established also a 'Council of Elders'
(Pleqësia), which would help the government to its duties. In addition, the
Assembly of Vlorë decided that it would agree to any decision of the
Great Powers for the system of government in Albania and that the
provisional government would cease to exist after the recognition of independence of the country and the nomination of the monarch. The same day, Kemal waved the
national flag of Albania, from the balcony of the
Assembly of Vlorë, in the presence of hundreds of Albanians. == Delegates ==