Albania Ignores Erdogan’s Tirade Against Gulen

Erdogan during his visit in Albania on May 11, 2015 | Photo by
Erdogan during his visit in Albania on May 11, 2015 | Photo by " AP


Date posted: May 20, 2015

BESAR LIKMETA / TIRANA

Officials in Tirana show no signs of wanting to act on the request of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to close down the activities of the movement following Fethullah Gulen.

Albanian officials have made it clear that Albania is not planning to act on demands by Turkey’s President for the country to close down the Gulen movement.

President Erdogan made his request in Tirana last week when he called the Gulen movement a terrorist organization.

“You are aware that we are fighting a parallel [government] structure, which we officially consider a terrorist organization and which threatens our country and people,” Erdogan declared at the inauguration of work on Tirana’s new grand mosque.

“I know this structure also operates in Albania. With my brothers Edi Rama and Bujar Nishani I discussed this issue and I am sure that they will do the right thing,” he added.

The Gulen movement is a transnational religious and social movement headed by the Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen.

In Albania, the Gulen movement has built a chain of non-religious schools, from nursery to university level, which are run by a non-religious foundation. They also run madrasas in cooperation with Albania’s Muslim Community through the movement’s religious foundation in Albania, Sema

Education Minister Lindita Nikolla declared on Friday that the schools run by the Gulen movement in Albania will not be closed.

“We verify the standards of schools, their safety and their adherence to the principles of secularism,” Nikolla said, commenting on Erdogan’s request. “Schools that did not meet standards have already been closed,” she added.

In a TV interview, Albania’s President, Bujar Nishani, also indicated that the schools will not be closed.

“There is no such terrorist organization in Albania,” Nishani told Ora News TV. “The [Gulen] schools are not only properly licensed but also our experience with them is that they pose no threat to Turkey,” he added.

On Tuesday, the Speaker of Parliament, Ilir Meta, said disagreements with Erdogan on the Gulen issue would not impact on the otherwise good relations between Albania and Turkey.

“The relationship between Albania and Turkey is historical and should be set apart from certain statements,” Meta said. “A far as the request [from Erdogan] goes, the reply of the Minister of Education was the most adequate,” he added.

Source: Balkan Insight


Related News

‘Nigerians and their leaders won’t fall for Erdogan’s harebrained gambit’

…since at least 1998 Turkey has established its presence in Nigeria as one of the biggest outside forces for development in our education and health sectors. Today its 16 non-denominational Nigeria-Turkish international primary and secondary schools spread across Nigeria in Abuja, Kaduna, Lagos, Kano, Ogun and Yobe states – and with plans for more – are among the very best in the country.

Gülen’s lawyer rejects ‘letter of alliance’ to PKK

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, whose ideas inspired the faith based Hizmet movement, denied claims made by the Sabah daily claiming that Gülen sent a letter of alliance to the PKK

Anti-Hizmet plot no more innocent than practices of coup periods

Since the launch of the major corruption operation on Dec. 17, 2013, more than 20,000 police officers, bureaucrats, judges and prosecutors have been reassigned for no official reason other than their suspected links to the Hizmet movement.

Fethullah Gülen in the Wikileaks Documents

Wikileaks documents regarding Turkey that were published in the Daily Taraf prove that Fethullah Gülen is not the agent of this or that country as some argue.

Turkey’s post-revolutionary civil war

What does this corruption investigation has anything to do with the AKP-Gülen Movement tension? Well, the prosecutor who apparently led this investigation in big secrecy, Zekeriya Öz, is believed to be a member of the movement. Corruption is a serious matter and the real best defense would be to help bring those who are charged to justice. Meanwhile, the Gülen Movement, normally a civil society group, should help save itself from the image of secrecy and infiltration that it has been drawn into in the past decade.

How come a 25 days old BABY could be a THREAT to the national security?

I was told that [Turkish Consulate] may issue a 3 months temporary passport which we can only use it to get back to Turkey. To ensure that they also labeled an extra note on the passport which says can only be used to return to Turkey.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

With happy life left behind, hardship awaits us as exiled family

Erdogan Uses Coup Like Hitler Used Reichstag Fire, Austrian Far-right Leader Says

Approval rate of Turkish schools abroad at 78 percent

Health Improvement Initiatives in Africa and Kimse Yok Mu

Hizmet movement and the AK Party

Student from Pak-Turk school to represent Pakistan

My Meeting With Fethullah Gülen, the Man Accused of Plotting Turkey’s Coup

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News