Prime Minister Edi Rama on Thursday visited the construction site to inspect progress on the project, which is being developed over an 18 hectare- site and is designed to serve as a year-round multifunctional centre for festivals, concerts and artistic events.

The complex foresees dedicated spaces for large-scale events, including indoor and outdoor stages, capacity for thousands of participants, service areas, parking facilities and supporting infrastructure for tourism and the creative industries.

Dritan Agolli, head of the Albanian Development Fund, said the central zone of the project would host the main festival area, including an indoor venue with a seating capacity of 1,500 to 2,000 people.

“The stage has a dual function: for indoor use when it is closed and protected from weather conditions, and for outdoor events in this area here, which will be landscaped into an open festival field with capacity for up to 20,000 people, suitable for regional and international-scale events,” Agolli said.

The complex will also include camping areas, nightlife zones, summer stages and recreational spaces, creating a new destination for cultural tourism and entertainment.

Key infrastructure works are nearing completion, including internal road networks, drainage systems, lighting and electricity supply. The site is also expected to serve as a practical training space for students in creative industries, linking education with professional practice.

Although still under development, the venue has already begun attracting major cultural events, including the MIK Festival and opera-related performances, positioning Korça as an emerging cultural and festival hub in Albania.

/e.xh/j.p/r.e/u.sh/

During the visit, Rama said the extended seaside promenade would become a key attraction for both foreign and domestic visitors, as well as the Albanian diaspora.

He noted a growing trend of visitors coming not only for seasonal holidays but also to invest in property along Albania’s coastline.

“The Lungomare project will help significantly. However, we need to identify additional spaces for parking and develop new solutions,” Rama said.

Construction on “Lungomare 4” is progressing at a fast pace, with a major phase of the project expected to be completed by May 15.

The development forms part of a broader expansion of Vlora’s coastline, aimed at adding new recreational areas and upgrading urban infrastructure.

/a.gj/ /a.g//u.sh/

Covering 84 hectares, the park features a 5.2-kilometre circular pedestrian walkway, a summer amphitheatre, a lakeside pier, children’s playgrounds, cycling lanes and sports facilities for volleyball, basketball, tennis and football.

The park is frequented daily by thousands of residents and provides space for leisure, physical activity and social interaction.

Prime Minister Edi Rama, accompanied by Kamza Mayor Rakip Suli, inspected the ongoing construction work on Monday.

The government head described the park as a model for the rational management of natural assets and highlighted its potential to promote water sports, particularly canoeing, suggesting the creation of a dedicated base for such activities.

Mayor Suli said the park, built from scratch, serves approximately 152,000 residents and features around 80,000 trees, with the lake covering some 18 hectares.

He noted that the development had also boosted surrounding property values by four to five times.

Dritan Agolli, director of the Albanian Development Fund, said the project was designed to serve young people and encourage recreational and sporting activities.

Rama said the park represented a long-term vision for sustainable urban development, offering a model for regenerating public spaces to benefit communities and future generations.

/m.m/r.e/a.f/u.sh/

Agricultural land has been flooded in several administrative units in the northwestern municipality of Lezhë. In Zejmen area, water has inundated farmland in the villages of Spiten and Tresh, authorities said.

The situation had worsened due to heavy rainfall and water discharges from the Vau i Dejës hydropower plant.

Interior Minister said that all emergency structures were on full alert and operating in close coordination, adding that areas surrounding the Drin and Mat rivers were being continuously monitored.

Koçiu warned that rainfall was expected to intensify in the coming hours and urged residents to follow official updates and cooperate with authorities if assistance was required.

The Minister was accompanied by Lezhë Mayor Pjerin Ndreu, county prefect Taulant Malshi and local emergency officials during her visit to Zejmen.

/m.q/j.p/u.sh/

Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the 32,000-square-meter park is part of the government’s efforts to transform dilapidated public buildings into spaces for art, exhibitions, innovation, and social interaction for youth.

Accompanied by the director of the Albanian Development Fund, Dritan Agolli, the government head inspected the ongoing work at the site, which is set to become a park accessible to people of all ages.

Agolli explained that the project spans two main zones and that all reinforcement work on the existing structures – previously degraded – has been completed, with reconstruction carried out in accordance with the project’s unique architectural requirements.

“These were ruined buildings. Now the interior plastering work has begun, using artistic and moisture-resistant finishes,” he said.

He emphasized that the project continues a series of government initiatives aimed at revitalizing public assets, transforming them into functional and architecturally significant development centers. Upon completion, the park will serve as a hub for art, innovation, culture, and social interaction for children and youth.

Agolli also noted that the architect sought to preserve the historical memory of the original buildings in several parts of the project.

“Kengo Art Park” will feature permanent and temporary exhibition pavilions, workshop and studio spaces, housing for artists, administrative offices, as well as service areas including a café-restaurant and visitor information facilities.

A distinctive feature of the park is the creation of open squares and spaces, including a structure designed as a natural amphitheater suitable for cultural and artistic events, making the park a dynamic social space for youth and families.

According to Agolli, the project is scheduled for completion by September next year. With a built-up area of approximately 7,400 square meters, “Kengo Art Park” is set to become one of Tirana’s largest centers for art, culture, and exhibitions, adding a new landmark to the country’s cultural and tourist map.

1 of 10

/m.m/a.f/u.sh/

The site, located southwest of the village of Rabie in the southern municipality of Memaliaj, is believed to have served as a fortified outpost on the southeastern borders of the Illyrian tribe of the Bylliones.

Working with the Regional Directorate of Cultural Heritage in Gjirokastër, experts surveyed the hilltop area where the ruins are located, documented the surviving perimeter walls and visible structures, mapped coordinates to define the site’s boundaries, and assessed the surrounding protective zone.

The ancient settlement, which sits at an elevation of 880 metres between Rabie village and the valley of the Luftinja stream, is thought to date back to the Iron Age based on earlier historical evidence.

Authorities said the inspection aims to confirm the site’s cultural significance and to inform future conservation or archaeological research projects.

1 of 9

/k.s//a.f//r.e/u.sh/

First phase is underway for rehabilitation of the 25 km road linking Albanian with the coastal city of Durres, an important road infrastructure project expected to give fresh impetus to local economy, agriculture and tourism sector.

Reconstruction of Beshiri Bridge is part of the project to remove road turns in a bid to enhance safety along this segment.

The government head said Ndroq-Plepa is one of the most important road segments, with a significant impact on tourism, sustainable agritourism and local economy.

“This road will drive tourism growth also because of the territory, where many agritourism establishments are being launched. We are confident that agritourism will deliver very positive impact also on Tirana’s economy, as well as local and household economies along the road,” PM Rama said.

Deputy PM Balluku, also Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, said that the project’s first out of three phases in total is underway, with the underground infrastructure already complete.

She said that the project is designed to transform the segment into C category road from a rural road.

“The two-lane and 12.5 meter wide road will allow a speed limit ranging from 50 to 100 km per hour,” Balluku explained.

1 of 7

/m.m/r.e/u.sh/

The excavation work and placing volumes of material to create optimal road track has already completed and asphalt laying on the surface is expected to kick off soon as the project is scheduled to open to traffic by the end of this year.

The Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, also Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, accompanied by the Director of the Albanian Road Authority, Gentian Gjyli, visited the construction site of the ambitious infrastructure project to take stock of the work progress on ground.

“The work progress on ground is running on schedule at a satisfactory rate. Over 70% of the construction work has completed. The excavation and work on placing volumes of material to create road track have completed and entire section linking the Tirana Big Ring Road with Arbri Road is nearing completion and asphalt laying is expected to begin soon,” the head of the Road Authority said.

The Deputy PM Balluku emphasized the need for accelerated construction pace to complete this major infrastructure work on schedule and open it to the traffic by end of this year.

“We have set a final deadline for the entire Ring Road project to complete within the year. It is therefore important that all parties coordinate work to take the project forward faster,” Balluku said.

The 28-meter wide and four-lane Category A road will feature also a three-meter wide emergency lane.

The segment also features a 1.8-meter wide green traffic divider and it is one of the longest sections of the entire Tirana Ring Road, which also includes a 126-meter long bridge.

The 27 km ring road is aimed at solving the traffic problems in Tirana and is seen by the authorities as a major project as it will ease traffic flows and reduce congestion-related travel delays for cars and public transport.

Its construction will ease traffic and will link Albanian capital with all exit and entry national roads, including the Arberi Road, Tirana-Elbasan highway and Tirana- Durres highway.

/r.e/a.f/u.sh/

A total of 375 quake-affected families will soon move into their new houses in the residential block that meets the urban infrastructure standards with paved streets, green public spaces, lighting and a newly-constructed health care centre for local residents.

The government head Rama was accompanied by the Minister of Justice Ulsi Manja, also the Socialist Party’s political delegate to Lezha district, and the Mayor of Kurbin, Majlinda Cara.

Kurbin Mayor added that construction of more 60 apartments is nearing completion and the lot for the first 60 quake-affected families will be drawn in July, while entire new complex will complete within this year.

“The new residential block features 270 apartments, 6000 square meters of underground infrastructure and parking spaces. The ground floor houses commercial and service establishments that will fuel local economy,” Cara said.

She added that “construction of related underground infrastructure, the sewerage; wastewater and rainwater systems has completed.”

“Around 50 new businesses will operate in this residential block,” she said.

PM Rama asked Mayor Cara about progress in construction of municipal hospitality in Laç.

“Work on construction of the hospital is running on schedule. Construction of five health care centres is currently underway in Kurbin,” Cara said.

/u.sh/

Vlora will have the support of the National Coastal Agency through an additional cleaning operator from June 15 to September 15, in the peak season months.

Minister Kumbaro asked for the cooperation of all citizens and businesses to keep the beaches clean, while the municipality will place 105 new bins along the promenade.

“This year, we put new criteria in the contract for the entities that take the beaches under management with the obligation to inform, with the obligation for observers in an indisputable way, but especially with the obligation to keep everything around clean. I say, cleanliness is the biggest challenge. This is not work that is done only by the municipality if citizens and businesses do not join us in this challenge”, said Minister Kumbaro.

Mayor of the municipality Ermal Dredha said that following the preparations for the season, the municipality has also rehabilitated the polluted water system by diverting it to the collector. /r.e/p.s./