Saranda

In southern Albania, along the Adriatic Sea and about 15 kilometers by sea from the Greek island of Corfu, is the resort Saranda. In 1934, the Romanian historian Nicolae Iorga (1871 – 1940) received a small territory in the city as a gift from the Albanian king for his interpretation and efforts of Albanian history. Iorga in turn gave half the territory to the Romanian state, which thus gained access to the port of Saranda. From the port, the Romanians had access to the Mediterranean. However, the port never became a strategic point for Romanian shipping either economically or militarily.

In 1937, the Romanian state founded the Romanian concession in Saranda to administer the territory. The Romanian concession consisted only of civilian personnel and there was no military presence during the three years it existed. In 1937, Italian forces occupied Albania and thus also the Romanian concession. It continued to exist without any real power until 1940 when it ceased, but was reinstated between 1942 and 1944. After the end of the war in 1945, it was never reinstated. The concession was never of any political or military concern of either Italy or Romania. When Italy occupied Albania, the Romanians chose not to act. Squeezed between two great powers, Soviet Union and Germany (Italian allies), they let it be.