Albania is entering an extraordinary political moment.
As anti-government demonstrations in Tirana reach what organizers describe as the 79th consecutive day, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, another project associated directly with the Albanian prime minister is moving toward a potentially decisive phase: the creation of a proposed Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order inside Tirana.
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| Bektashi spiritual leader Baba Mondi alongside concepts for proposed sovereign symbols, including a proposed currency (“bek”) and passports, as discussions continue over a Bektashi microstate in Tirana. |
But their timing raises a question that deserves serious scrutiny rather than dismissal as conspiracy: could the proposed Bektashi microstate eventually provide a new legal and political shelter for people connected to the current Albanian political establishment if criminal investigations expand further?
There is currently no evidence that the Bektashi project was created for this purpose, nor that Edi Rama or any government official is planning to use it to escape prosecution. Such a claim would go beyond the available evidence.
Nevertheless, the possibility is being discussed here as a political and legal hypothesis, particularly because the proposed state would have its own institutions, passports and potentially a form of citizenship distinct from ordinary Albanian citizenship.
The Bektashi State: From Political Announcement to Institutional Preparation
Prime Minister Edi Rama first publicly announced the idea in September 2024, presenting it as a project intended to promote religious tolerance and provide an international home for the Bektashi Order.
The proposed territory would cover approximately 11 hectares in Tirana, around the World Headquarters of the Bektashi Order.
If established as planned, it would be smaller than Vatican City and could become the world's smallest sovereign state by territory. International media have repeatedly compared the concept to a “Muslim Vatican.”
The proposal, however, is not yet equivalent to an internationally recognized sovereign state.
The Albanian Constitution currently defines Albania as a unitary and indivisible state, meaning that creating a sovereign enclave would require significant constitutional and legal steps. Previous legal analyses have highlighted precisely this problem.
That distinction is crucial.
The project may be advancing politically and institutionally, but sovereignty and international recognition are separate questions.
A New State With Its Own Passport and Currency?
According to information attributed to a new Intelligence Online report dated August 18, 2026, preparations are reportedly entering a more advanced phase.
The report describes work surrounding future institutions, diplomatic representation and other components normally associated with statehood.
Among the ideas being examined are:
- a new currency called the “bek”;
- the possibility of linking the currency's value to gold;
- the issuance of passports;
- the creation of an international diplomatic network;
- institutional structures for the proposed sovereign entity.
These elements would transform the project from a symbolic religious initiative into something considerably more ambitious.
The proposed citizenship model also deserves attention.
Previous descriptions of the project have suggested that citizenship would be restricted primarily to Bektashi clergy and people involved in the administration of the proposed state, following elements of the Vatican model.
That is where the political question becomes particularly interesting.
Baba Mondi and the Construction of an International Network
At the center of the project is Baba Mondi, whose civil name is Edmond Brahimaj, the spiritual leader of the Bektashi Order.
According to the information attributed to Intelligence Online, Baba Mondi continues receiving foreign delegations at the World Headquarters in Tirana while the Order works on establishing an international representation network.
The reported names include Kreshnik Grezda as a general ambassador, while Christopher Hyland has been mentioned in connection with the United States and Hazis Vardar in connection with France and Belgium.
This is significant because diplomatic representation is one of the mechanisms through which a small sovereign entity can attempt to establish an international personality.
The historical comparison with Vatican City or the Sovereign Military Order of Malta therefore becomes increasingly relevant.
But there is an important caveat: diplomatic contacts and representatives do not automatically create sovereignty or international recognition.
DataSentinel Balkans and the Security Dimension
The Intelligence Online report also reportedly examines the activities of DataSentinel Balkans, where Hazis Vardar serves as administrator.
The company's advisory structure reportedly includes French businessman Julien-Gérard Roche, while Jean-Christophe Cloetens, a former French gendarme, is mentioned for his experience in security and counterterrorism in Albania and the wider Balkans.
According to the report, DataSentinel Balkans has developed partnerships involving Cyber ICS and Terra OSINT, focusing on areas such as cybersecurity, influence-operation analysis and reputational risks.
If accurate, this suggests that preparations surrounding the proposed Bektashi entity are not limited to flags, passports and ceremonial institutions.
There appears to be an effort to construct a broader international network involving diplomacy, security, intelligence analysis and strategic communications.
That does not prove that the project has a hidden political purpose.
But it does make the project much more consequential than the original description of a small religious enclave might suggest.
And Then There Is Albania’s Political Crisis
The timing is difficult to ignore.
Albania has experienced a prolonged wave of anti-government demonstrations in 2026. The protests initially focused heavily on controversial development projects and environmental concerns before expanding into a broader challenge to the political establishment and demands for Edi Rama's resignation.
International reporting documented the transformation of the protests into a wider anti-government movement.
Demonstrators have used slogans including “Rama in prison, Berisha in prison,” reflecting anger directed not only at the government but also at the established political elite.
At the same time, Albania's anti-corruption institutions have been investigating senior political figures.
The case of former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku has become particularly significant. Reuters reported that SPAK accused her of interference in a public procurement process, allegations she denies, while her parliamentary immunity became a major obstacle to arrest.
This broader environment has produced a political reality in which questions about the future of senior officials are no longer theoretical.
Could a Bektashi State Become a Political Safe Haven?
This is the most controversial question.
There is currently no evidence that the proposed Bektashi state is being designed as a refuge for Edi Rama, former ministers or officials facing criminal proceedings.
But the question can still be examined from a political perspective.
Imagine a future scenario in which the Bektashi entity obtains some form of international recognition and establishes its own citizenship, passports and diplomatic relations.
What would happen if a politically exposed Albanian official were granted citizenship by that entity?
Would Albanian prosecutors automatically lose jurisdiction over that individual?
No—not simply because of citizenship.
Nationality does not automatically erase criminal liability for alleged crimes committed under Albanian jurisdiction. Sovereignty, extradition, diplomatic immunity and jurisdiction are separate legal concepts.
A person becoming a citizen of another state does not magically invalidate an existing Albanian arrest warrant or judicial proceeding.
However, if the proposed entity were genuinely sovereign and internationally recognized, questions concerning extradition, diplomatic immunity, dual nationality and international legal personality could become significantly more complicated.
That is precisely why the legal architecture of the proposed state deserves scrutiny.
The Bigger Question: Why Now?
The most important issue may not be whether the Bektashi state could theoretically protect a future defendant.
The more fundamental question is:
Why is Albania simultaneously experiencing an intense political confrontation while a sovereign microstate project associated with the prime minister is reportedly moving toward institutionalization?
Those two developments should not automatically be connected.
There is a real danger of creating a narrative in which coincidence is treated as proof.
Yet the opposite mistake would be to assume that because no evidence currently demonstrates a connection, there is therefore nothing worth investigating.
The proper journalistic position is somewhere between those extremes.
The Bektashi project was publicly presented as a mechanism for protecting religious identity, promoting tolerance and giving the Bektashi Order an international institutional home. That explanation has existed since Rama announced the project in 2024.
But as preparations reportedly move toward passports, currency, diplomatic representation and security structures, the project deserves examination through another lens as well:
What would the creation of a sovereign entity inside Albania actually mean for Albanian law and politics?
A Microstate Could Be Tiny — Its Legal Consequences Could Be Huge
Eleven hectares may sound insignificant.
Geopolitically, however, territory is not measured only in square kilometers.
A sovereign territory with internationally recognized institutions could possess an importance vastly greater than its physical size.
Vatican City demonstrates this principle.
The proposed Bektashi state is explicitly inspired by the Vatican model, although the legal circumstances are very different. Academic research has already identified substantial constitutional and international-law questions surrounding the proposal.
The decisive issue, therefore, is not whether the territory is 10 or 11 hectares.
It is whether Albania and the international community would ultimately recognize the entity as possessing genuine sovereign personality.
Until that happens, talk of a legal sanctuary for Albanian officials remains speculation rather than fact.
But if the project eventually acquires passports, citizenship, diplomatic relations and international recognition, the question will become far more serious.
Albania Is Watching
For the protesters who have spent weeks demanding political change, the development of a sovereign Bektashi entity inevitably creates another layer of suspicion.
For supporters of the project, however, the interpretation is completely different: the Bektashi Order has been headquartered in Tirana for decades, and creating a sovereign spiritual center could strengthen Albania's historic reputation for religious coexistence.
Both interpretations can coexist until the legal framework becomes clear.
What cannot be ignored is the need for transparency.
If a new sovereign entity is being created on Albanian territory, Albanians have the right to know:
- Who will qualify for citizenship?
- Who will issue passports?
- What laws will apply?
- What courts, if any, will have jurisdiction?
- Will the entity have diplomatic immunity?
- How will extradition requests be handled?
- Who will control its security structures?
- Who will recognize it internationally?
- What constitutional mechanism will establish it?
- And, perhaps most importantly, can an Albanian citizen facing criminal proceedings obtain protection simply by becoming a citizen of the new entity?
Those questions are far more important than the symbolism of a new flag or currency.
The Unanswered Question
The Bektashi state may ultimately become exactly what its proponents say it is: a tiny religious state designed to promote tolerance and preserve the international identity of the Bektashi Order.
But Albania is currently experiencing one of the most politically charged periods in recent years.
With continuing protests, corruption investigations involving senior officials and growing demands for political accountability, every new institution associated with the political establishment will inevitably be examined through a political lens.
Therefore, the question surrounding the Bektashi project is no longer simply “Will Albania create the world's smallest state?”
The more consequential question is:
What kind of legal entity will it become—and could its sovereignty ever be used to protect people from the jurisdiction of the Albanian state?
At present, there is no evidence that this is the purpose of the project.
But as the proposed state moves from an announcement toward concrete institutions, passports, currency and international representation, that is a question Albania—and the international community—will have to answer openly.