The project announced by Edi Rama to create a sovereign Bektashi state in Tirana is returning to the spotlight, this time through a report by the French outlet Intelligence Online. According to this version, the initiative is no longer being treated only as a matter of legal status, but also as the building of concrete elements of a state entity, from passports to diplomatic representation.
The French report again raises the question of formalization
Intelligence Online writes that what would be, if realized, the smallest state in the world, could be formalized by the Albanian authorities in the coming months. The project has often been compared to a kind of “Muslim Vatican,” a label that has circulated for some time in international discourse around this idea.
The initiative was made public by Prime Minister Rama at the United Nations in September 2024. However, the report suggests that its pace has also been influenced by internal political and social developments in the country.
“Bek” currency, passports and state symbols
According to the French outlet, Bektashi leaders are considering the creation of the symbols and structures of a state, including a possible currency called the “bek.” The report claims that this currency could be indexed to the price of gold.
It also mentions the idea of issuing passports, pushing the debate beyond ceremonial rhetoric and into the realm of concrete attributes of sovereignty. So far, there has been no full public clarification from the Albanian authorities regarding the legal basis, real boundaries and institutional consequences of such a project.
Baba Mondi and moves toward representation abroad
At the center of the project, according to the report, are officials of the Bektashi Order and its spiritual leader Edmond Brahimaj, known as Baba Mondi. The French outlet writes that foreign delegations have been received at the headquarters in Tirana, including representatives of Israel’s Foreign Ministry at the end of last year.
In the same vein, it also mentions the appointment of representatives abroad under the direction of General Ambassador Kreshnik Grezda. For the United States, it mentions Christopher Hyland, while for France and Belgium it names Hazis Vardar, figures the report links to efforts to build a diplomatic profile for the proposed entity.
Politics, protests and a project that remains unclear
Intelligence Online links the project’s delay to the political climate in Albania and to protests against the tourism development plan on Sazan Island, known as the “Flamingo Revolution.” According to this interpretation, the issue of the Bektashi state is seen not simply as a religious or symbolic initiative, but also as part of a broader political calculation by the government.
This is precisely where the main question arises: how much of it is a project with a real institutional basis, and how much is it being used as an idea with political and international impact? So far, the public has had more signals, labels and media narratives than full transparency from Albanian institutions on an initiative that touches on sovereignty, legal status and the relationship between the state and religious communities.
The report also mentions professional ties and partnerships among the actors involved in this representation network, including areas such as culture, business and open-source intelligence. These moves suggest that the project is being conceived not only on a ceremonial level, but also in terms of an infrastructure of contacts and influence abroad.
However, without a clear official position and without publicly released documents, many of the circulating elements remain at the level of reporting and alleged plans. For an initiative with unusual consequences for the constitutional and diplomatic order, that institutional fog is itself part of the story.