Albania is set to establish a sovereign spiritual state in Tirana for the Bektashi Order, an Islamic Sufi sect, in a move aimed at promoting religious tolerance, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced on January 25.

The enclave, inspired by the Vatican’s model in Rome, would serve as the Bektashi World Centre, functioning with its own administration but without taxation, police, or military. 

Rama said that the symbolic state would not compromise Albania’s sovereignty but would provide an official headquarters for the order, which has been based in Albania since 1929 after being banned in Turkey.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the 95th anniversary of the Bektashi seat’s relocation from Turkey, Rama called the order’s history an important reason to grant it special status. 

He had previously proposed creating a spiritual centre in eastern Tirana for the Bektashis, who have a significant presence in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia. According to the last census, around 10% of Albania’s population adheres to Bektashism.

The plan requires parliamentary approval, and Rama did not specify a timeline for its implementation. 

If it is created, the enclave would become one of the world’s smallest states.

While the Bektashi Order praised the initiative, critics argue it bypassed public debate and key institutions like parliament. Many see it as an attempt to gain international attention and distract from domestic issues.

Opposition leader Sali Berisha wrote on Facebook that his Democratic Party condemns the plan "with the greatest force".

"Edi Rama's declaration of the Bektashi state is a knife in the back against the Muslim faith in Albania and a major anti-national act!" Berisha wrote. 

"With this unconstitutional act, this anti-Albanian seeks to instill deep religious division in Albania, to use the territory of Albania as his private property and to the anti-Albania groups he represents and to create an epicentre of international criminal trafficking," the opposition leader added.