TIRANA, October 21 – “I am here to appreciate all the authorities and prominent figures of the people of Calabria. Anselmo Lorecchio is one of them. He did not stop defending the issue of his homeland for 40 years,” said President Bajram Begaj in a meeting with the Arberesh community in Pallagorio, in the province of Krotona, a town known in the Arberesh language as Puheri.
“Besides the institutional side, this visit also has a very big emotional side. It is an extremely strong emotion to see these small children with the Albanian and Italian flags and greet them in Albanian “Welcome!” said Begaj.
“Today I express to our friend Italy that we are very grateful. We Albanians have a proverb that says: “A good friend is known in difficult days”. And there is nothing better than our relationship between the two countries,” said Begaj, who is on a three-day visit in areas where the Arberesh community lives in Italy.
According to him, there is a community of Albanians who arrived 600 years ago and a new community of Albanians who arrived 32 years ago, who are very well integrated into Italian society.
Begaj thanked the local authorities and the community of Arbëresh for their hospitality and everything they have done to protect the national identity. /argumentum.al
