During his remarks, Ylli highlighted the special friendship between Albania and Italy, as well as the consistent support Italy has provided our country with over the years.

He emphasized the importance of sport and organizations like ACES Europe in promoting the values, traditions and identities of nations, describing sport as a bridge for cooperation, friendship and mutual understanding among peoples.

Attending the gala were prominent figures from the Italian, European and international sports communities, including ACES Europe President Gian Francesco Lupatelli; CONI representative Luciano Buonfiglio; FIGC Commissioner and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Giovanni Malagò; and the Secretary General of the European Olympic Committees Carlo Mornati. Also present were President of the Italian Paralympic Committee Marco Giunio De Sanctis; the Vice-President of the Turkish Olympic Committee Bilge Donuk; as well as the honorary presidents of ACES Andrey Kovatchev, Giusi Princi and Roberto Formigoni. /gj.m/j.p/p.s./

During her visit to the Student City, Koçiu stated that, “A sanctuary of knowledge, dreams, and the future was shattered by fear and vandalism.”

Koçiu remarked that the events in Tirana over the past four days are unacceptable.

“Burned-down institutions, destroyed businesses, terrorized citizens and police officers under attack—this is not a student protest! Students do not destroy dormitories; they do not intimidate their peers and they do not commit acts of violence against schools or their own environment,” Koçiu emphasized.

Further on, the deputy prime minister reiterated, “We have stated from the very beginning that they deserve to be heard and that their demands deserve a response.”

“The state will protect its citizens, and every act of violence will be investigated thoroughly. Albania cannot be held hostage by violence, masked individuals and fear! We have overcome far greater challenges and we will overcome this one, as well. Albania has chosen its future—a future of development and membership in the European family,” emphasized Koçiu.

Minister Koçiu stated, “From here, I want to encourage the students living in these buildings to remain calm. I also want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all State Police officers and I urge everyone—please, cooperate; the State Police are there to ensure safety and public order.” /k.s/p.s./

Stressing that traffic rules are vital to save lives, he stated online: “We can never raise enough awareness about road safety. We will push daily for education, strict monitoring, and penalties to stop tragic deaths and injuries.”

Minister Besfort Lamallari noted that the State Police are stepping up traffic patrols on major highways using smart means, radars, and drones to catch dangerous drivers.

He also highlighted the upcoming launch of the Smart City project, calling it the government’s biggest investment yet to protect public health and road safety.

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Rama was at the Command and Control Center of the Smart City project, where through Artificial Intelligence and an integrated monitoring system, there is being built a modern security model that prevents risk before it becomes a consequence.

The prime minister reminded the tragic event of the murder of the student of the “Fan Noli” school in Tirana, Martin Canaj, and the public opinion reactions to this event.

“Meanwhile, the government was targeted by all sorts of speculations, accusations, fabrications”, said Rama.

The prime minister stressed that he has not forgotten this tragic event, as have all those who used, misused, abused that tragedy to the end.

“Now, I say, this very project is my response and our response to that tragedy”, said the prime minister.

According to him, a state is measured with the way it reacts to everything that happens.

Speaking about safety in schools, Rama emphasized that the first 20 schools have already been selected based on the number of students, but also the intensity of activities around them.

By testing the model in these 20 schools, the prime minister expressed his belief that all the necessary conclusions will be drawn to continue with the other phases.

“I believe that today all parents who have children in schools should feel good, they should feel relieved”, added the prime minister. /a.g/p.s./

Attending the event were Prime Minister Edi Rama, Minister of Education Mirela Kumbaro, partners and guests.

Minister of Internal Affairs Besfort Lamallari said that “Smart City” is not simply a camera project, but an integrated technological ecosystem that transforms the way risk is prevented and managed in real time.

Lamallari explained that the system features three core elements: distributed data collection, a central control platform and real-time AI analysis.

According to him, the system processes information coming from 873 operational locations, distributed in 12 Local Police Directorates, 24 main cities, 28 border crossing points and 20 schools in the city of Tirana, enabling immediate response to any possible risk.

“AI flags potential threats and policy violations in real time, instantly relaying Command Center alerts to the nearest field patrol for proactive, preventive action,” said the minister.

Speaking about implementation of the first phase of the project, Lamallari emphasized that starting with the 20 most frequented schools in Tirana is a choice of strategic importance.

“The security of a country is not measured only by statistics on the fight against crime, but also by the real ability to protect our children,” he said.

The minister underlined that the school must remain a safe environment for students, where the sole focus should be their education and development.

At the end of his speech, the minister thanked all those who contributed to the realization of the first phase of the project, particularly appreciating the Prime Minister’s support throughout the process.

“Today is the right moment to express my gratitude on behalf of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the political vision, the will to make this project a reality and the Prime Minister’s constant support in the face of every obstacle and skepticism towards innovation,” concluded Minister Lamallari. /gj.m/ /a.g/p.s./

Lamallari emphasized that the Ministry of Interior aims to start implementing the project within the new school year, including special supervision in public school premises, without violating the privacy of students.

The minister stressed that the top priority is preventing tragic incidents to ensure a safe, uninterrupted learning environment. Lamallari noted that two months of intensive work went into rolling out the project, which will link schools directly with State Police monitoring centers.

Albania is launching a new AI-driven “Smart City” surveillance network to improve real-time police responses. By automatically analyzing existing security cameras, the technology will flag critical incidents instantly. The system will first debut in local schools before expanding to crowded public areas and high-traffic roads to enhance public safety.

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At the event organized on occasion of launching the project, Rama focused on the impact that the installation of a security system through intelligent cameras will have on monitoring city streets, schools, other public spaces and the environment as well.

The prime minister highlighted the example of Jordan, which is ranked among the three safest countries in the world, thanks to implementation of this project.

“When I spoke with some of the senior representatives of that country regarding security, the common word and the first in response was ‘Smart City’ with technology from Abu Dhabi”, said Rama.

The prime minister explained that this is not a camera project nor a camera surveillance project or surveillance of police forces through camera reading.

“This is a project that exponentially increases the police capacity in real time. This is a project that gives the State Police a magic eye to see the entire territory of interest in real time. It is a project that helps in an unimaginable way not many years ago, to have a chief inspector of the territory who has his eyes everywhere”, said the prime minister.

Rama emphasized that it is about the real-time identification of lawbreakers.

“This magic eye sees, identifies and records it by bringing it before the eyes of police officers. While the police officer is in front of the screen, he may be watching traffic on the road to Kavaja, on that same screen appears the violator of traffic rules on a road in Kamza or Durrës and Berat”, said Rama.

The head of government emphasized that the eye of this entire system looks everywhere at the same time and collects at the same time all the information necessary to signal the problem.

In this way, he said, there is no need to wait for police checkpoints to detect unregistered vehicles or vehicles with unpaid taxes. All this information, according to the prime minister, comes in real time and the Police then intervenes to enforce the law. /j.p/p.s./

During the period January-August, 500 thousand local and foreign visitors were in Berat.

Director of Tourism and Activities at the Municipality of Berat Silvi Merdani told ATA that a short two-day visit is no longer enough to visit Berat.

However, she emphasized, visitors to Berat do not leave without visiting the city’s magnificent fortress, the “Onufri” museum, the central boulevard, the “Mangalem” and “Gorica” ​​neighborhoods, the Osumi canyons – among their most favorite – as well as the wineries and vineyards.

“This year there has been an increase of about 45% of accommodation capacity in Berat and its surroundings. During September and October, there is expected to be an increase of about 50% more than last year, given that hotels and restaurants are all booked”, emphasized Merdani, appreciating that it will be an extraordinary autumn in Berat.

The Municipality of Berat organizes a series of cultural activities throughout the year, which have also influenced the increase in the number of tourists.

Most foreign tourists during their visits to the city of one thousand windows are also accompanied by the city’s tourist guides.

One of these guides, Flutura Xhafa, told ATA that, “The foreign tourists want to get acquainted as much as possible with the history and traditions of our city. Today, I had a group of Israeli visitors, whom I accompanied during the visit to the castle, then to the two neighborhoods, Mangalem and Gorica, Gorica Bridge, which are very popular for tourists to visit”.

The large influx of domestic and foreign tourists has made tourism an industry driving Berat’s economy.

Well-known for its picturesque landscapes and rich cultural heritage, Berat offers visitors a glimpse into Albania’s fascinating past and a taste of its warm hospitality. /j.p/r.e/p.s./

This initiative of the Municipality of Korça has the support the Albanian National Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Education and Sports.

President and founder of ACES Europe Gian Francesco Lupattelli has arrived in Korça, accompanied by the Secretary General Hugo Alonso, the Board member Andrea Junger and the CEO of CBBS Berislav Čižmek.

After the visit to the Municipality of Korça, where Mayor Sotiraq Filo made the presentation of the candidacy, the ACES Europe delegation visited all the sports centers and facilities of the city of Korça.

During his visit to Albania, Lupattelli was accompanied by President of the Olympic Committee Fidel Ylli, Deputy Minister of Education and Sports Endrit Hoxha, Vice President of the Albanian Olympic Committee and President of the Volleyball Federation Erlind Pëllumbi as well as President of the Boxing Federation Florend Kalivopulli.

After Tirana, Shkodra and Vlora, Korça becomes the fourth city to run in ACES Europe for the title of European City of Sport.

ACES Europe – the European Capitals and Cities of Sport Federation – is the official body responsible for assigning every year the titles of ‘European City of Sport to municipalities across Europe, as a tool for promoting and rewarding successful sport policies. /gj.m/j.p/p.s./

Present at the ceremony organized for the 112th anniversary of the State Police, Veliaj said that, “Thanks to the work of the State Police, Tirana has become one of the safest cities in Europe.”

“Whoever works for the Tirana police has an even more difficult task because a much larger population lives here than in other districts. Today, the State Police has turned Tirana into one of the safest capitals in Europe,” said Veliaj.

The mayor underlined that due to the security provided in Tirana, there is an increase not only in its population, but also in the number of tourists.

“When we look at Eurostat statistics; when we see that micro-crime is among the lowest in Europe; when I see how my fellow-mayors in other cities cannot imagine life at night after 2 or 3 o’clock, while Tirana is bustling 24/7, this is an extraordinary compliment to the State Police. Of course, we have overcome some extraordinary challenges; present-day Tirana does not only have 1 million inhabitants, but it has an average of 1 million tourists per month”, he added.

Veliaj underlined the importance of cooperation in managing new challenges, which are expected to be brought by the international events and activities that will take place this year in our country.

“This year Tirana is the Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue, so we expect that there will be a lot of movement, there will be many delegations. I believe that it will pass successfully, and I know that present-day Tirana has become a political center thanks to the prime minister’s insistence”, said Veliaj. /k.s/j.p/p.s./