balkan geopolitics and security concerns drove italy to seek great power status in the adriatic sea and crispi viewed a future autonomous albania within the ottoman empire or as an independent country being a safeguarded for italian interests. crispi regarded albania's interests against pan-slavism and possible austro-hungarian invasion were best served through a greco-albanian union and he founded in rome a philhellenic committee that worked toward that goal. crispi, after becoming prime minister, stimulated and intensified ethno-cultural relations between italo-albanians and albanians of the balkans, moves which were considered as extending italian influence over albanians by austria-hungary. to counteract austro-hungarian influence in northern albania, crispi took the initiative and opened the first italian schools in shkodër in 1888. prominent albanians involved with the albanian national awakening such as abdyl frashëri and thimi mitko corresponded with crispi over the albanian question.