Minister of Culture, Elva Margariti meets counterparts from Greece, Serbia and North Macedonia

The Forum of Ministers of Culture, organized by UNESCO, in Paris served not only as a table for exchange of experiences, but also as a meeting point between counterparts. During her stay in Paris, the Minister of Culture, Elva Margariti held meetings with the Ministers of Culture of Greece, Serbia and North Macedonia. Another important meeting was with the Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center, Mrs. Mechtild Rössler. During these meetings, Minister Margariti was accompanied by the Ambassador of Albania to Unesco, Mr. Ferit Hoxha, the General Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Entela Çipa, the Director of the Institute of Cultural Monuments, Arta Dollani, etc.

-During the meeting with the Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center, Mrs. Mechtild Rössler, on November 18, 2019, discussed all aspects related to the properties registered in the list of cultural heritage, in particular for the design of the management plan for the Historical Centers of Berat and Gjirokastra; for the report that the Albanian state will submit on February 1, 2020 to the World Heritage Center for the recommendations it left for the Ohrid Lake Region.

Mrs. Rössler expressed his appreciation for the draft Integrated Management Plan of the Butrint National Park, expressing full support for this management method, also referring to some recommendations of ICOMOS and ICCROM.

-On November 19, 2019, Minister Margariti held a meeting with the Greek Minister of Culture and Sports, Mrs. Styliani Mendoni, with whom they discussed future collaborations in the field of archaeology, museology, concretization through a joint calendar of workshops during 2020, for the support of young people, for the development of the creative industry, for the establishment of capacities and specialization in the revaluation of works of art, etc.

Mrs. Mendoni expressed his full readiness to offer consultancy, especially in the field of cultural heritage.

-On November 20, 2019, Minister Margariti held a meeting with the Serbian Minister of Culture, Vladan Vukosavljević.

The Serbian counterpart expressed interest in exchanges in the field of lyrical and traditional music, referring to the success of previous collaborations in the respective fields. He expressed his readiness for joint activities to take place from the next artistic season.

In particular, he was interested in the development of visual art in Albania. Minister Margariti introduced him to the reconstruction project of the National Art Gallery, which will be transformed into the Museum of Fine Arts, but also Albania’s participation in international activities, such as the Venice Biennale.

“We have many spaces, in which we can develop joint activities. The preservation of cultural heritage is very important, but on the other hand we must also see the perspective of young people and their point of view on art”, said Vukosavljević.

-The Minister of Culture also met the Minister of Culture of North Macedonia, Hysni Ismaili.

The conversation focused on joint commitments and the next meeting for the Ohrid Region, the Albanian part of which joined the list of world assets a few months ago; for the establishment of Cultural and Information Centers in both countries and the organization of cultural activities in various fields.