On the morning of June 25, the Prefect of Catanzaro, Castrese De Rosa, together with the Heads
of the Prosecuting and Judging Magistracy of the Catanzaro District, the Chief of Police of Catanzaro, the
regional and provincial Heads of the Police and Military Forces, the Fire Brigade, the President
of the Chamber of Commerce of Catanzaro Crotone and Vibo Valentia, the President of Unindustria
Calabria and the territorial Secretaries of the trade unions CIGIL, CISL and UIL, the Rector
of the "Magna Graecia" University of Catanzaro, the Superintendent of Archaeology, Fine Arts and
Landscape of the province of Catanzaro and Crotone, the Head of the Regional School Office,
His Excellency the Bishop of the Diocese of Catanzaro – Squillace, will welcome the President of the Republic
of Albania Bajram Begaj and his wife, accompanied by a small delegation.
The meeting will be marked by a brief moment of conviviality at the “Representation Hall”
of the Prefecture of Catanzaro and will be an opportunity, in greeting the High State office,
to pay tribute to the "brotherhood" relationship that binds Italians, and more specifically the
Calabrians, with the Albanian people, to which the Arbëreshë communities present
in Calabria strongly contribute.
The visit is part of a more articulated itinerary that will lead the President of the Republic
of Albania, limited to this province, also to the municipalities of Andali and Marcedusa, where
Arbëreshë communities reside, whose traditions have even influenced the building and architecture
of the inhabited places. It is a confirmation of how these communities, for over 500 years, have maintained, with
great determination, the cultural heritage of their origin. The Arbëreshë, who arrived in Italy
between the 15th and 18th centuries following the invasions of the Ottoman Empire in their lands of origin, have
in fact proudly preserved religious rites and the language of their motherland, together with an entire
symbolism that successfully embodies a history of integration and hospitality.
Therefore, the will to strengthen mutual knowledge and reciprocal respect is unanimously shared
as a source of cultural enrichment and a tool for growth for the realities and for the countries in which
different communities live together, developing every form of economic and
cultural exchange that can bring the two peoples even closer.
The President of the Republic of Albania will continue the visit at the headquarters of the Provincial Administration
of Catanzaro where he will meet some representatives of the local authorities before heading
to the municipalities of Andali and Marcedusa, and then to other provinces of Calabria.