50 years of Central Armed Forces Archives

: Published: Friday, 21 March 2014 14:27

Minister Kodheli:The central archives of the Armed Forces cannot be a quiet oasis for the upcoming retirement. This archive should serve to the public information and increase understanding on Armed Forces work, it should stimulate debate about evolution, missions, politics, consultation and decision-making in our Armed Forces, as well as it should promote and facilitate scientific research.

With a special ceremony, it was celebrated today at the Armed Forces Museum (AFM) the 50th anniversary of the creation of Central Archives of the Armed Forces (CAAF). At the jubilee event attended the Minister of Defence, Mrs. Mimi Kodheli, Chief of General Staff, Major General Jeronim Bazo, generals, directors and other senior officers of the Ministry of Defence, General Staff of the Armed Forces, as well as many other guests.

After the speech held by the director of Central Archives and AFM, Brigadier General (R) Agim Lala, the participants were greeted by Defence Minister Mrs. Mimi Kodheli. Thanking the participants in this CAAF jubilee, Minister Kodheli focused on some aspects, which extend beyond the history course and ceremonial moment of the establishment anniversary, the daily work. “This archive is the memory of the Armed Forces. And the memory of the Armed Forces should not be treated as an unnecessary appendix, not as a job to lose time and take a wage, but a job with utmost care, rules and discipline”, emphasized Minister Kodheli. She required by the archive’s employees greater dedication, more ideas, principles and obligations. “Bring more ideas, more projects. We need more efficient ideas, in time of economic crisis, to work with limited funds”, said Minister Kodheli.

At the conclusion of her address, Minister Kodheli said that; “enjoy this important anniversary, remembering we need to do much more of what we have done so far. I’m here to offer my support and of the Government, so that the memory, our glorious history, the history of those who gave their life for the country and freedom we enjoy today, might remain written and preserved in books and the archives’ walls, as the Armed Forces Archives on its 50th anniversary.
The General Director of State Archives, Mr. Gjet Ndoj also greeted in this jubilee day for the Central Archives.
Then, Minister Kodheli and Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, Major General Jeronim Bazo planted olive trees in the CAAF’s yard.

In 1950, it was establish the history files, which in fact was the initial structure of military archives. Later, by order of Council of Ministers no. 89, dated 21.03.1964, it was established the Central Archives of the Armed Forces (CAAF) and it was situated near the Brigades Palace, subordinated to Ministry of Defence. Currently, it is situated inside the “Skënderbej” garrison, Ministry of Defence. Its mission is acceptance, preservation, administration, technical-scientific processing and make available, for research purposes, documents gathered by the archives network of the Armed Forces. The CAAF has 516 archive files and a documentary heritage of 4,325 meters or 35 million pages.