00:00What if Europe got a new country, like Vatican City, but even smaller?
00:05That's what Albania's prime minister wants to do. Since 2024, Edi Rama and his government
00:11have been drawing up legislation to turn the Bektashi world headquarters in Tirana
00:16into an independent country. The proposed territory, officially named sovereign state
00:22of the Bektashi order, would cover around 11 hectares, just a quarter of the size of Vatican
00:28City, making it the world's smallest state. Preparations are ongoing with state symbols,
00:34a passport and a currency, among the ideas under discussion. The Bektashis are a centuries-old
00:40Sufi Muslim order. Their leadership moved to Albania in 1929 after Turkey banned dervish orders,
00:47and they have been based in Tirana for nearly a century. Just under 5% of the Albanian population
00:54identified as Bektashi in the last census. The project has been closely tied to the
00:59idea of religious tolerance, an associated term which is liberal Islam. It is an idea very much
01:06in demand in the international arena. The US Special Envoy for Global Partnerships,
01:13Paolo Zampoli, visited the Bektashi headquarters and called it a great project. Edi Rama says the
01:19aim is to promote moderation, tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Analysts say the project could boost
01:25Albania's religious influence. The country has a lot to gain in terms of international capital.
01:32So there is a whole theory behind that, how small states can benefit from a niche norm that they can
01:40offer to the international community. But that international appeal raises questions at home.
01:48What happens with that equality of all religious groups? Because obviously the creation of
01:55an independent entity would create certain privileges for one community.
02:02Even if Albania found a legal route which would also include changing the constitution,
02:08recognition would be a separate test. Albania was once the world's only atheist state,
02:13as it ostensibly prepares to create the smallest sovereign territory on earth.
02:17Is it hoping to play a bigger role on the international stage?
02:21If you encounter Albania on the international stage?
02:21Like Gru…?
02:21One of those patrons with scholars RICHARD built on
02:22the international stage, been glowing, but they found many fights in Massachusetts.
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