During the meeting, Meta praised the traditionally excellent and strategic relations between Albania and Italy, underlining the need to encourage a special cooperation with the Region of Sicily following the model of cooperation with the Region of Puglia.

“Together we share an extraordinary value of important weight in Italian political and state-building history, the Arbëresh. Thanks to the special autonomous status of Sicily, we hope it will become the first region in Italy to adopt a special law for protection of linguistic minorities,” said Meta.

President Meta said that “for Albania and for Albanians, the preservation of language, culture, traditions and valuable Arbëresh heritage is of high importance.”

For his part, the President of the Region of Sicily, Musumeci welcomed the proposal of the Albanian Head of State, guaranteeing that he will make every effort to establish a special cooperation with Albania as well as to adopt a special law on protection of linguistic minorities with view to preserving the Arbëresh language.

Meanwhile, President Meta stressed that “the Arbëresh community, to which Albania and Albanians owe the foundations of the National Movement, is our joint, excellent project in United Europe. They remain the excellent model of being an integral part of the whole, preserving and inheriting features of identity.”
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