TIRANA, April 19 – The first leg of the visit of President Ilir Meta to the communes where Arberesh community lives in Calabria, Italy, was Civita, where he was welcomed on Tuesday by dozens of citizens of this Arberesh settlement, Mayor Alessandro Toci, as well as the high local authorities.
In the meeting held in the premises of the municipality of Civita, President Meta praised the contribution of the Arberesh, not only for the independence of Albania, but also for that of Italy, serving as a bridge between the two friendly countries.
“We are very grateful to the Arberesh for the fact that they lovingly preserved the figure of our National Hero, Gjergj Kastriot Skënderbeu and turned the Hero into the torch of the Albanian National Renaissance, making him the figure of the unity of our entire nation,” said Meta.
He stressed the importance of more concrete initiatives for the protection of the Arberesh minority. “As many concrete initiatives as possible should be taken for the protection of the Arberesh minority, increasing our contribution to the registration of the Arberesh heritage.”
He also stressed the importance of signing a joint protocol between Albania and the Calabria Region. “It is important to sign a joint protocol between Albania and the Calabria region, according to the existing one with the Puglia region, and the proposed one with the Sicily region,” said the head of state.
President Meta honored the prominent Arberesh writer and publicist, Professor Vincenzo Bruno with the title “Knight of the Order of Skanderbeg”. Arberesh professor Vincenzo Bruno has dedicated his whole life to teaching, preparing the new generation, and is distinguished in the field of linguistic and folklore publications. /Argumentum.al
