Abdurrauf Fico (1881–1944), also known as Rauf Fitso Bey was an Albanian ambassador and politician.

Early life

Rauf Fico was born in

Sanaa Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Gover ...

, to Tahmaz Fico of the Fico family of

Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and th ...

and Hava Buzo from

Berat Berat (; sq-definite, Berati) is the ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and east of Fier. Berat is located in ...

. After finishing high school in Shkodra, he continued his studies in Vienna and later at the

Mekteb-i Mülkiye The Faculty of Political Science of the University of Ankara ( tr, Ankara Üniversitesi Siyasal Bilgiler Fakültesi, more simply known as "''SBF''") is the oldest faculty of social science in Turkey, being the successor of the "Mekteb-i Mülkiye" ( ...

Political career

In 1912, Fico joined Vlora's government as a councillor in the Ministry of the Interior. In 1916, he served as vice-prefect of

Tiranë Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

. During his tenure as vice-prefect, Fico, along with co-founders Zyber Hallulli, Mytesim Këlliçi, Luigj Shala, and Xhelal Toptani, co-founded Streha Vorfnore, the city's first public orphanage on November 28, 1917, the date of the fifth anniversary of the Albanian Declaration of Independence. In 1918, he was one of the initiators of the Congress of Tiranë—together with

Abdi Toptani Abdi Toptani (28 August 1864 – 1 August 1942) was a 19th-century Albanian politician. He was one of the signatories of the Albanian Declaration of Independence along with his relative Murat. He served as Minister of Finances in the Provisional ...

and Ismail Ndroqi—which along with the

Congress of Durrës The Congress of Durrës () was a conference of Albanian political leaders, held from December 25 to December 27, 1918, in Durrës, at the time capital of the Principality of Albania. Mehmet Konica was the Chairman of the Congress, which aimed a ...

later that same year, established the continuity of the newly created Albanian state after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Fico then served as Minister of Interior Affairs in

Pandeli Evangjeli Pandeli Evangjeli (6 January 1859 – 14 September 1949) was an Albanian politician who served two terms as the 7th Prime Minister of Albania. He was the first Orthodox Christian to head the Albanian government. Early life and career Born in ...

's cabinet in 1921 and served two terms as deputy of

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...

. His political career culminated in 1929 with a 19-month appointment as Foreign Minister of Albania—a post he was removed from in 1930 for his opposition to the Fascist Italian regime.

Ambassadorships

Fico first served as an ambassador to

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

and

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

in the late 1920s, before his time as Foreign Minister of Albania. He then served as ambassador to

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

(1933–36),

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

(1937) and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

(1938-9), where Fico helped dozens of Jewish people escape the country on Albanian tourist visas.

Interment and death

During the

Italian invasion of Albania The Italian invasion of Albania (April 7–12, 1939) was a brief military campaign which was launched by the Kingdom of Italy against the Albanian Kingdom in 1939. The conflict was a result of the imperialistic policies of the Italian prime m ...

, Fico was arrested and interned in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. He died in Tirana on January 23, 1944, a few months after he returned from Italy following the country's capitulation.

Orders, decorations, and honours

Throughout his political and diplomatic career Fico had been awarded various orders: * Grand Cordon of Order of Franz Joseph. * Grand Cordon of Order of Leopold. * Grand Cordon of Order of the Crown of Romania. * Grand Cordon of Order of the Crown of Italy. * Grand Cordon of Order of the Phoenix (Greece). * Grand Cordon of the Luxemburg Crown. * Officer of Order of Skanderbeg * ''Officier'' of the French Legion of Honor. *Palm of

French Academy French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

. * Order of Boris,

. *

Doctor Honoris Causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad ho ...

of Naples Academy

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fico, Rauf 1881 births 1944 deaths People from Sanaa Mekteb-i Mülkiye alumni Ambassadors of Albania to Yugoslavia Ambassadors of Albania to Greece Ambassadors of Albania to Germany Ambassadors of Albania to Turkey Ambassadors of Albania to Bulgaria Government ministers of Albania Foreign ministers of Albania Recipients of the Order of Skanderbeg (1925–45) Officiers of the Légion d'honneur