STEPS WALKED: 
Tuesday June 28, 2020
Total: 716 miles (Total: 1,365,091 steps)
“Everything is in a manner the seed of that which will be.” Marcus Aurelius
Tirana is in the grip of a political deadlock, as a result of disputed election results in May which are currently being contested through the constitutional courts and one might think that in such turmoil it would be impossible to engage with policy makers. However, they hadn’t counted on a remarkable public diplomat called Anthony Cordle, who has patiently built relationships with senior politicians of all political persuasions across the Balkans over the past twenty years. It is a remarkable investment in lives, which I am privileged to be able to draw down on for the purposes of advancing the Olympic Truce.
At the core of the team in Tirana were: Gerti Bogdani, MP with the Democratic Party; an extraordinarily talented politician who had served as a political
adviser to the prime minister before entering parliament in his own right and had recently won a key mayoral election in Tirana against the national trend. Dorian Ducka is a
member of the LSI Party, part of the ruling coalition with the Democratic Party and consummate politician/diplomat who seems to be able to find a way around, over or even through the most foreboding obstacles—to travel in a car with Dorian is to forgo the need for an in-car stereo as the harmonious ringtone on his mobile phone is
constantly audible. The final member of the troika is Klodi Gradeci, a member of the opposition Socialist Party. To see these three young men of different political parties act and inter-act together to open doors without any agenda other than to help a friend, was an awesome and humbling experience. To sit in a hotel foyer or a restaurant with them is to invite constant attention. What keep them real, is that they enjoy a cutting sense of humour which punctures any pretence or pomposity that might otherwise understandably inflate the ego. With Anthony Cordle, Gerti Bogdani, Dorian Ducka and Klodi Gradeci and the ‘Walk for Truce’ project manager Michael Green, I felt like I was playing with a midfield that would grace Barcelona and leave me the fairly simple task of tapping in the opportunities provided.
Our first meeting was with Edmond Haxhinasto MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Edmond received us well, despite having just flown in from one summit and about to depart for another—he is an educated and cultured man, schooled at major universities in Europe and the US, and an astute observer of the international scene. We spent the first few minutes eulogising David Lidington MP, the British Minister for Europe, who had recently visited and greatly impressed. I said that if I were ever in the position of having to pick a political ‘dream team’, then David Lidington would be a ‘first pick’.
I then pitched the idea of the Olympic Truce and within about two minutes, he had got it, as might have been anticipated from the Co-founder of the Centre for Peace, Development & Integration. As a seasoned diplomat, he wanted to spend time to discuss process, and I said that initially it would be a matter for the Albanian Mission to the UN General Assembly to pick up with the UK Mission. Then to work with the Albanian Olympic Committee to make sure that the International Olympic Committee were aware of the desire to implement the truce. Finally, it would be good to discuss ideas with the British ambassador who would be able to feed those back to London. With a minimum of fuss it was a quick handshake, photo, and then were off to the next meeting . .
. and off the mark……
