The jubilee conference also marks the commemoration of three important moments in the history of the Bektashi World Headquarters: the 35th anniversary of its re-establishment, the 15th anniversary of the leadership by Dedebaba Mondi and the 11th anniversary of the inauguration of the Odeon cultural complex.

In his speech, Baba Mondi said that, “This is a sacred ceremony and a special day for us Bektashis, who are keeping alive the light of Haxhi Bektashi, the light of our ancestors, who have tried to lead us with love, peace and kindness”.

He expressed gratitude to all participants in this anniversary, highlighting the cooperation with the Bektashi communities and representatives from Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, the USA and the diaspora.

Referring to the re-establishment of the Patriarchate on March 22, 1991, Baba Mondi praised the contribution of Haxhi Dede Reshat Bardhi, who led the process of re-establishing the institution after decades of prohibition of religious activity.

Dedebaba Mondi also highlighted the principles of Bektashism, respect of every person, regardless of religion, region, idea, color or race.

“On this 35th anniversary, we also have cooperation with several religious communities, with whom we jointly try to face the difficulties of this temporary world”, he said.

According to Dedebaba Mondi, in a world facing numerous challenges, the mission of religious communities is to convey messages of love, peace, rapprochement and understanding between people.

“Our work is difficult, because it is the work of people who want love, peace, rapprochement with each other, for our families to be healthy and for our new generation to grow with love, kindness, knowledge and everything good that belongs to man”, he said.

Dedebaba Mondi also praised the role of religious communities in protecting the family and Albanian youth, emphasizing the significance of cooperation in function of society.

“We convey messages of kindness, love, generosity, so to always be there for the people in need”, said Baba Mondi.

Dedebaba Mondi also thanked the ambassadors, representatives of religious communities, believers and the diaspora for participating in this anniversary, conveying a message for more love, brotherhood and respect among people.

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The footage showed music, entertainment and crowds of young people enjoying the festival during the peak tourist season.

The Solar Music Festival is part of a series of cultural and music events held across Albania’s tourist destinations during the summer, attracting visitors and music fans.

Saranda, one of the Albanian Riviera’s most popular destinations, remains a major hub for summer events combining tourism, culture and entertainment.

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President of AIDSSH Gentiana Sula emphasized that the activity does not only aim to remember some individual fates, but to reconstruct the history of a profession and understand what happened to the right to defense in Albania.

She announced that Authority archives have identified around 130 lawyers who practiced during the first phase of the communist regime. Of this group, at least 30 were persecuted, imprisoned, interned, or barred from practicing law.

“Although this data is still preliminary, the takeaway is undeniable. This is not just an attack on individuals, but an assault on the profession’s independence—the very buffer that protects the citizen from the overreach of the state,” emphasized Sula.

Chairman of the Committee for Legal Affairs and Public Administration Ulsi Manja appreciated the event as a necessary act of historical memory and emphasized that the persecuted lawyers were punished not for their actions, but for defending the core idea that everyone deserves fair representation.

Authority member Skënder Vrioni delivered the keynote address, presenting a comparative analysis of the legal profession between 1945 and 1990. He emphasized how the communist regime steadily stripped lawyers of their independence, leading to the profession’s complete suppression in 1967.

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The event promotes local traditions, folk costumes and authentic cuisine. Throughout 3 editions, the “Take me to your village” festival has gathered dozens of folklore groups in Derviçan Square.

This festival dedicated to traditional dances and polyphonic songs was organized by the “Dhropoli” Cultural Association with the financial support of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports in cooperation with the Dropull Municipality.

“Tradition, music and dance brought together hundreds of residents and visitors in the 3rd edition of the Festival. A nice celebration of polyphonic song and our cultural heritage”, appreciated Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports Blendi Gonxhja.

The evening brought together local and Greek dance and polyphonic groups in Derviçan.

Derviçan was filled with music, dance, tradition and smiles, welcoming hundreds of visitors from Dropulli, Greece and other areas of Albania. /e.r/ /a.g/p.s./

Speaking at the ceremony in Tirana, Turkish Ambassador Baris Ceyhun Erciyes commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Turkish nation’s democratic victory against the 2016 coup attempt orchestrated by FETÖ. He stressed that limiting the threat of FETÖ solely to Turkey is a dangerous misconception. The ambassador warned that the organization disguises itself through humanitarian, educational, commercial, and religious activities to exert global influence and threaten the stability of the countries in which it operates.

“FETÖ continues to operate under different guises in friendly nations. We are dedicated to raising awareness among our Albanian partners about this threat to ensure they are never subjected to the painful experiences our country has endured”, said Ambassador Erciyes.

Turkish Ambassador Erciyes added that the fight against FETÖ is one of the most important components of national security.

During the ceremony, prayers were offered for the martyrs of July 15, accompanied by a photographic exhibition of the 2016 coup attempt in Türkiye.

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During their visit to Albania, the two guests will deliver a public lecture and an intensive workshop at the Marubi Museum, sharing their expertise on the process of creating a photobook – from the development of an initial concept to the production of the final publication.

The programme aims to provide photographers, artists, students and photography enthusiasts with an opportunity to explore international publishing practices and gain insight into the creative process behind photobooks, examining how photography, design and the physical qualities of a book come together to create an artistic work.

For more than a decade, dienacht Publishing has collaborated with photographers from around the world, producing internationally recognised publications praised for their editorial quality, design and artistic approach. Its books have received prestigious awards and have been selected for major international photo book competitions.

Beyond publishing, Calin and Yana Kruse are also the founders of the Leipzig PhotoBook Festival, one of Europe’s most prominent events dedicated to photobooks.

Held annually, the festival brings together photographers, artists, publishers, curators and researchers from around the world, establishing Leipzig as an important hub for international dialogue on photography and the photo book.

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Speaking at the third edition of Public Administration Week, held under the theme “Public Service for a European Albania,” the government head said meaningful reform cannot be achieved quickly because it depends on building institutions and administrative systems centered on people.

“Transforming public administration is an extraordinarily complex and difficult process,” Rama said. “It requires something that today’s world-and particularly Albania and Albanians-have increasingly less of: time.”

He said the country’s first comprehensive civil service law was adopted nearly a decade ago, arguing that the period since then has brought significant changes to Albania’s civil service.

Rama stressed the importance of distinguishing between the civil service and the broader public administration. He noted that the civil service comprises fewer than 10,000 employees, while the overall state administration includes tens of thousands of additional public sector workers operating under different employment frameworks.

The Prime Minister said the civil service has undergone a marked improvement in quality, describing it as a key factor behind Albania’s progress in its European Union accession negotiations.

At the same time, he said rising public expectations present a growing challenge for state institutions.

“Citizens have every right to demand more and to expect better treatment from public institutions,” Rama said. “Our task is to continue improving the quality of public services and the performance of the state administration.”

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Attending the event were MPs, researchers, representatives of the Cham community, as well as personalities from public and academic life.

The participants saw the documentary “I shall not forget Chamëria” with exclusive accounts of survivors of Chameria massacres.

MP Doda appreciated very important the tradition of commemorating June 27, as the day of the genocide of the Albanians of Chameria.

Further on, she highlighted the steps taken so far and mentioned the resolution on Chameria in 2013, which she described as “a tireless battle, but also a milestone”. Another important act, Doda emphasized, was the resolution that asks the Greek state to abolish the law of war with the Republic of Albania, a law that she called “an archaic law and historical rudiment that is still kept standing as an atavism to threaten our relations with the ghost of a war of the last century”.

“Every government has an obligation to address this issue in talks with its neighbors”, said Doda.

Further on, Ardit Bido, MP for Vlora region, said that the Cham issue is not an issue against Greece, but is an issue of human rights, property rights, historical memory and an issue of dignity.

Brunilda Haxhiu, MP for the Fier region, spoke on the history of the massacres against the Cham population led by Napoleon Zervas.

At the end, the attendees visited an exhibition with photos of prominent figures and personalities of the Chameria region in the outdoor premises of the Parliament. /m.q/j.p/p.s./

The event, organized by international choreographer Andi Murra, brought together dancers and performing groups in Tirana, where they presented a diverse range of routines and demonstrated a high standard of artistic excellence, the Albanian National Olympic Committee said on Wednesday.

Albanian performers delivered strong results, securing top-three finishes across multiple competition categories and highlighting the growing presence of the country’s young dance talent on the international stage.

A standout feature of this year’s edition was the international judging panel, comprising leading figures from the dance industry and headed by a prominent choreographer from U.S.-based Capkis Dance.

Organizers said World of Dance served not only as a competition but also as a platform for cultural exchange, fostering connections among artists from different countries while promoting creativity, talent and international cooperation.

The event further reinforced Albania’s emerging profile as a destination for international cultural and artistic events, providing a valuable platform for the development and promotion of young dancers.

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Mr. Metani made the following remarks:

“Thank you for the invitation and the opportunity you gave me to express some thoughts regarding the completion of the transitional re-evaluation process of judges and prosecutors.

Although an unusual and shocking process for the system, the vetting of judges and prosecutors came as an imperative of the time, to address the deep and widespread public distrust of the justice system, high perception of corruption in the judiciary and corporatism in the system. In this regard, the members of the vetting bodies and IMO have done an extraordinary job, verifying and removing from the system the unhealthy part of it, based on concrete standards for assessing the integrity of judges and prosecutors. Today, the justice system, also because of this work, is significantly better than that of the period before 2016.

Now, the completion of the vetting process requires a careful assessment and a reflection on the future, as it marks the transition from the phase of the functioning of the extraordinary and sui generis vetting mechanism, of the checking of the integrity and professionalism of magistrates, towards a new stage, where the responsibility for guaranteeing the integrity and professionalism of magistrates belongs entirely to the new justice institutions.

This is why the completion of this process should not be seen as the finalization, or the achievement of the appropriate and successful results of the justice reform journey. This moment marks the beginning of the most important phase of the justice reform, which is related to the institutionalization of integrity and accountability standards. The challenge now is no longer to cleanse the justice system of unprofessional or irresponsible magistrates, but to guarantee the functioning of the justice system on the basis of stable standards of professionalism, ethics, and accountability.

Today, we must take a step forward towards a justice system that functions under normal conditions. A state governed by the rule of law cannot rely indefinitely on extraordinary measures. When extraordinary measures are of a continuing or permanent nature, they risk running counter to the very principles they are intended to protect. For this reason, the dilemma we must answer today is not whether or not vetting standards should continue, but whether these standards have become part of the functioning of the new institutions of the justice system to guarantee the integrity and accountability of magistrates in the future.

The challenge for all of us today is to build a new justice system that is sustainable, organized and operates on the basis of a “regular accountability” system. If we are to judge the success of the justice reform one day, the most significant indicator will not be simply the number of cases processed by the vetting bodies, or the individual decisions issued by them, but the ability of the new and permanent institutions to maintain and develop the very standards of integrity, professionalism and accountability that the vetting process aimed to establish. Only then can we say that the exceptional standards of a transitional nature have fulfilled their mission for which they were created, not by replacing the current institutions, but by creating the conditions for these institutions to function in accordance with the principles of the rule of law. For this reason, the focus of the new institutions of the justice system must remain on professionalism, impartiality, transparency and independence in the exercise of their constitutional powers. In this regard, the construction of stable and predictable institutional administrative practice is equally important. Reasoned decisions, clear procedures and consolidated legal standards not only strengthen the legal certainty of institutional activity but also contribute to the creation of a culture of professional accountability.

In this process, High Inspector of Justice is not the only institution that should play an important role. High Judicial Council and High Prosecutorial Council play an equally important role in guaranteeing meritocracy, career development and the effective functioning of accountability mechanisms. Meanwhile, the School of Magistrates remains the key institution where not only professional knowledge is shaped, but also the ethical culture of future generations of magistrates, since their integrity cannot be ensured only through the application of checking and accountability mechanisms. The integrity and professionalization of magistrates must be transformed into an institutional culture and must function based on an effective accountability system. This culture must be built continuously day by day through a combination of professional education, ethical awareness of magistrates, a career system and effective accountability systems.

At the same time, increased care and prudence must be shown in maintaining a delicate balance between the independence and accountability of magistrates. The independence of magistrates is not their personal privilege, but it is a constitutional guarantee for the citizen. At the same time, the truth is that independence cannot exist without an accountable system. The challenge of the new institutions is precisely to maintain this balance, so that accountability does not violate independence and independence does not turn into a lack of responsibility or accountability.